Windows 7 program compatibility. Solving program compatibility problems. Troubleshoot a program with the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

18.06.2022

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Compatibility of existing applications with the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system (and this year's Windows 7 operating system built on the core of Windows Vista) is one of the main problems that users may encounter when migrating to a new version of the operating system. Despite the efforts made by Microsoft, some software vendors continue to use outdated operating system features, perform OS version checks incorrectly (more than 50% of all application launch failures), do not follow file system best practices, and often do not are guided by tips to ensure the correct operation of applications in new versions of the system. All this leads to the fact that the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system has more than 5600 "system patches" (shims) to ensure the correct operation of applications from various manufacturers - from utilities from Chinese manufacturers to large products from well-known companies. In Windows 7, the number of "system patches" has increased - in the beta version of the new operating system, there are more than 5700 of them!

There are three main approaches to ensuring application compatibility - using the "system patches" mentioned above, running the application in a virtual environment (terminal services or using Microsoft Application Virtualization) and changing the application code so that it meets the requirements for correct operation in the operating system - This is done using the Works With Windows Vista and Certified for Windows Vista logo application certification guides, as well as the corresponding test cases, which can be found on the site in the Windows Vista section.

The key reasons for application incompatibility described above forced Microsoft to implement a special mechanism at the operating system kernel level, known as Application Compatibility Infrastructure, whose task is to imitate the operation of the OS in compatibility mode with previous versions and, in some cases, even introduce errors that affect the functionality of third-party applications - even if these errors are detected and fixed in the current version of the OS.

Compatibility tools can be roughly divided into three levels: operating system tools, a set of free utilities, and "patches" created by Microsoft specialists.

Operating system tools

At the operating system level (both Windows Vista and Windows 7), there is a mechanism to allow applications to run in compatibility mode. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, this mechanism is available by clicking the right mouse button on the name of the executable file, selecting the command "Properties" and switch to tab "Compatibility" in the dialog box "Properties".

Properties panel Compatibility tab

The panel is divided into 3 groups - "Compatibility Mode", "Options" and "Level of rights". The options in the Compatibility Mode group allow you to run the application in compatibility mode with one of the following versions of the Windows operating system:

Windows 95; Windows 98/Me; Windows NT4 (SP5); Windows 2000; Windows XP (SP2); Windows Server 2003 (SP1)

When you select compatibility mode for an application, a set of system "patches" are included that emulate the selected version of the operating system.

The options in the "Settings" group allow, without changing the runtime itself, to set some modes that will help the operation of the application - the number of colors, screen resolution, HiDPI scaling, etc.

And finally, in cases where the application needs to run under an administrator account (either due to validation built directly into the application code or due to access to the administrative functions of the system), the application can be run as an administrator.

All changes made in this dialog panel are stored in the system registry - in the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent VersionAppCompatFlagsLayers

In the example above, we used two compatibility tools - the so-called. "compatibility level" - in our case, and Windows XP SP2 - and two system "patches" - DisableThemes and RunAsAdmin.

Windows 7 introduced a simpler interface that allows you to enable mechanisms to ensure application compatibility with the current version of the operating system. This interface is called Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - it is called via Control Panel | Troubleshooting | Programs | Run programs made for previous versions of Windows or from the command line with the command

%systemroot%/system32/msdt.exe –id PCWDiagnostic

When we invoke the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, we are taken to a set of screens that allow us to either select an application from a list, or specify a new application and, after answering a series of questions, try to resolve compatibility issues.

Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - Application Selection

Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - Problem Categories

Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - OS version selection

Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - Application Testing

Program Compatibility Troubleshooter - Applying Settings

As you can see from the illustrations above, the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter allows you not only to select certain settings, but also to check the functionality of the application and, if necessary, return to the settings panel - this is the main difference between this tool and the direct use of the Compatibility panel in Windows Vista.

Many application compatibility issues can be resolved by applying tweaks at the level of the Compatibility panel in Windows Vista or the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter in Windows 7, but in some cases heavy artillery may be required.

To be continued...

If you decide to find out how to enable or disable compatibility mode in the Windows operating system, then you have definitely come to the address. But first, let's answer this question: what is compatibility mode? What might it be for?

So, compatibility mode in Windows 7 or 10 is a special feature that allows you to run an application designed for previous versions of the operating system. Perhaps this description turned out to be quite complicated for you, so let's take a closer look at this with a specific example.

So, a certain developer (let's call him Valery) created the VolterSide program (the name of the program is taken arbitrarily) and released this product for the Windows XP operating system. For users of this software, everything was fine until it was time to upgrade your computer or laptop to a more advanced version of the OS called Windows 7 (or 10). As it turned out, VolterSide does not open on the installed system. Users involuntarily begin to think: why does the application not work on a new modern system, when the old one opens everything perfectly?

The fact is that Valery did not release an update for his product that would introduce support for new operating systems. His program has remained to live in the past. But what about those people who need modernity in terms of the operation of the operating system? They won't use Windows XP, for example, because VolterSide only works on that version of Windows. This is where compatibility mode in Windows 7 or 10 can come to your rescue.

But it is also worth paying attention to the fact that this feature will help not only applications, but also drivers. That is, if you have speakers (keyboard, monitor - whatever), and for some reason they stopped working after updating the OS, then you can try to run and install their drivers in compatibility mode.

How to enable Compatibility Mode in Windows 7 or 10?

Troubleshooting

Well, here we come to the main issue of today's discussion. Let's not drag out the rubber for a long time and go straight to your actions:

We find a shortcut (or original file) for launching a program or driver that you could not launch.
Right-click on it and go to Troubleshoot Compatibility.
Now you need to carefully read what the help windows offer. First, we select the mode of operation of our assistant: program diagnostics. We press "Next".
A window asks you what problems you noticed during startup. In our case, the first option is suitable for the application to work in previous versions of Windows.
Next, select the very version of the operating system in which everything was great for you. For example, it was Windows Vista. So we click on it, and then click "Next". If you are not sure which version was suitable for the software (for example, when downloading the application to your computer for the first time), then you will have to try each.
Now the troubleshooting window will show a small report about what we have chosen. If everything is correct, then click on the button " Start the program».
After a successful launch of the application, be sure to save these settings for the program. Otherwise, try other solutions or file a report with Microsoft. Unfortunately, the chance that they will answer you is very small. But if there are enough such letters to them, then they can fix the problem in future updates.

Change settings manually. Enable or disable the mode yourself

The previous method, of course, has not been canceled, but it takes some time. If you do not need the system to analyze and test the program itself, then you can manually configure the parameters yourself. The method is practically no different from the previous one in terms of how to set the compatibility mode in Windows 7 or 10. Also, you can not only enable it, but also safely disable it. So, let's begin:

As in the previous instructions, right-click on the shortcut or the original program. But now you will need to select the last item "Properties".
In the window that appears, open the "Compatibility" tab and click the checkmark next to the item about running the program in compatibility mode.
In the field located just below, you must select the version of the operating system.
As needed, you can set some parameters (Using 256 colors, special screen resolution, and others). This may also play a role when running in compatibility mode.
Click "Apply" and then "OK". Now you can try to run the program or driver.
To disable this feature, you just need to uncheck the box that you checked in the second step.

Does not help? No problem!

In fact, this mode helps in isolated cases. Because almost all of their programs are well-known manufacturers and developers immediately prepare to work with new operating systems. Otherwise, it may be that the problems are not at all related to the fact that the software is designed for other versions of the OS. Then you can try to diagnose (the first instruction, the second paragraph). Only this time we choose not the first option, but put a tick in front of the others. So, by elimination, you can identify the real problem.

Results

Summing up today's discussion of how to enable or disable compatibility mode in Windows 10 or 7, we can say the following: the function is really useful and necessary. It can help when other means are either unavailable or powerless. Therefore, do not underestimate the built-in capabilities of the Microsoft operating system and put an end to them. We share in the comments: were you able to run the program or driver in compatibility mode? If not, what method worked for you?

The problem when a certain program is incompatible with any operating system can be solved quite simply. For example, Windows operating systems have several built-in compatibility modes. These modes can mimic the environment of previous operating systems of the Windows family, thanks to special parameters. Thus, you will be able to run the application in an environment as close as possible to a compatible operating system.

Program Compatibility Fixer

The task of eliminating the incompatibility of some applications is handled by Program Compatibility Fixer. You can access it in the properties of the .exe file of the selected program. There you will have access to two modes of operation of this tool: automatic and manual. Program compatibility is automatically configured under the control of the operating system, which takes care of all the tasks. We considered this method in sufficient detail in the previous article. Today's task is to consider the manual mode for setting application compatibility.

Manual mode for setting program compatibility

The manual program compatibility setting mode allows the user to set all the necessary, in his opinion, parameters that will allow the application to run on a given operating system. These settings can be found in the same place where you can select automatic mode - in the properties of the .exe file, on the tab Compatibility. Here you will see several options available, which we will set up. All available settings will be announced and described below.

Run the program in compatibility mode for the selected operating system

This parameter is above all, it is more important than all, since it is it that provides what we are talking about here. By activating this item, the user is free to select any of the available operating systems in the drop-down menu. The next time you run the application, it will run in compatibility mode for the selected system, if you select any operating system and save the changes, of course.

App visual design

Below the first parameter, there will be a block of several parameters, the purpose of which is to configure the necessary visual design of the application. The contents of this block may differ depending on the operating system used. So, in the Windows 7 operating system, this block consists of the following parameters:

Using only 256 colors.
Use a screen resolution of 640x480 pixels.
Disable visual design (disable the use of themes in this application).
Disable Desktop Composition (disables some Aero interface features).
Disable image scaling at high resolution desktop.

But in Windows 8, some of these options are not available. Only 1,2 and 5 remained available, with the only difference that the first parameter already provides the ability to use 65536 colors.

Selecting the level of rights to run the application

Some applications require that they be run as a computer administrator. It is for such cases that there is a third block, in which by checking the box you can indicate that the program must be run only as a computer administrator. And this, oddly enough, also applies to setting program compatibility.

Apply settings to all users

Well, the last parameter is the button Apply settings for all users. Such a button will kill the need to configure application compatibility for all users of the computer. Use it only after all the settings have been completed, when you are sure that the program works correctly in the selected compatibility mode.

Good luck, and let incompatible programs run without problems. If not, use powerful program compatibility tools like .

Windows 10 is more than two years old, and all major programs have long been optimized to work in it. However, there is software, like specialized utilities or old games, that hasn't been updated in years and doesn't work properly on newer versions of Windows. Fortunately, Windows 10 has the ability to run any program in a special compatibility mode with previous versions of the system, which helps to cope with the problems of outdated software. This article will show how to run an incompatible program in windows 10 and fix it in several ways.

How to enable compatibility mode through program properties

The easiest way to activate compatibility mode is to set it in the properties of the program (namely, the executable file, like. exe) or its label.

Where to find the program shortcut in Windows

All shortcuts that various software places on the Start menu can be found in the folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. Program executable files, as well as shortcuts that are not in the Start menu, are most often located in the application folder. It can be found in the following directories:

The most common option: C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).
Rarer variant: C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming.

How to enable Compatibility Mode

Enabling compatibility mode through the built-in diagnostic utility

Slightly more convenient compatibility mode settings are provided by the utility built into Windows. Troubleshoot compatibility issues.

Click Win+S. Enter Running programs made for previous versions of Windows.
Run the found utility.
Click on the inscription Additionally.
Select an item Run as administrator.
Click on the button Further.
Find the program you need. If it is not in the list (for example, it is a portable application), then select the item Not on the list and specify the path to its executable file.
Click Further.
Choose manual or automatic way to configure compatibility settings. Quite often, the automatic mode does not help to fix problems, so we recommend using the manual one. To launch it, click Program diagnostics.
Check the box The program worked in previous versions of Windows, but does not install or run now and press Further.
Specify the version of the system in which the program previously worked correctly, and click Further.
Click on the button Check program to perform a test run.
Click Further.
If everything is in order, then select the item Yes, save these settings for the program. Otherwise, use the button No, try other options and set compatibility mode differently.
Close the troubleshooter.