I know the short answer is “yes”, but is it really necessary? Those warnings were with the old Win 95 warning messages, it seems todays computers are much more robust than that.
For example, say you have Explorer open and install, say, Photoshop. Is there really any harm or faulty installation that can occur from this? Or running Kazaa and installing, say, Quake III?
I’ve read there can be problems when registering .dll files when installing new programs.
There’s just a chance that there will be a conflict. You can avoid any problems by simply closing your other programs.
I don’t take the time to close anything. If there’s any problems, I just try again after closing the programs. The way I see it, is that there are always about a dozen programs running in the background even after you close the ones you can see on the taskbar. So it usually doesn’t make a difference.
I’ve never had a problem installing software with other software running, but I like to live dangerously. There’s always a chance that running software will affect the installation, so it’s good practice to shut down other programs.
I’ve been using computers (and ignoring that message) for a while and I’ve never had a problem with installing programs. Sometimes it’s only the antivirus running in the background and other times I’m actively using 4 or 5 programs. In either case, the install works perfectly.
To answer the OP, go ahead and install while running other programs. Don’t think of it as a ironclad rule but rather as the first troubleshooting step if a install fails.
I did a search to see if this is some type of modern urban legend but didn’t come up with anything. I’ll post back if I find a site. Consequently, most sites told me to do it “just in case”. I guess I should replace all my lightbulbs too, just in case they might burn out. 