Beginners Guides: Making Old Software Compatible with

Windows Vista
Upgraded to Windows Vista? a!e "ou dis#o!ered a lot of the software
$and e!en some hardware% "ou&!e been using for "ears is no longer
#ompatible? 'ou&re not alone((( Bu"ing all new software isn&t the answer)
instead *CS+,+S will guide "ou down the path to getting "our old
programs working on#e more in Vista( - Version .(/(/
One of the most common gripes about Windows Vista even now, almost a year and a half
after its release, is that it doesn't play nicely with a LOT of older software. It has some
pretty big software compatibility issues, and nothing is more frustrating than purchasing a
new Vista based computer system or upgrading your old ! to Vista, only to then find out
that the games and applications you're accustomed to no longer run.
Time to throw your hands in the air and go bac" to Windows #$ %o, not &uite...
't !(T'T( we haven't been spared these frustrations either) *omesite +.,.-, an *T.L
programming tool we've relied on since day one, threw/up error screens li"e a "id with
food poisoning after we made the transition to Windows Vista 0usiness. I 1ust about de/
installed Vista and tossed the !2 out the window. 's I'm sure you can relate, this
application and specifically the Design Mode tool it contains, are considerably more
important to our daily wor" than the operating system.
To get *omesite wor"ing with Vista we tried all the steps laid forth in this lovely guide,
then visited 'dobe's "nowledge base for updates, patches and whatever other information
we could dig up. Of the handful of issues encountered, +3,ths were &uic"ly solved using
the steps in this guide, the last one proved to be a real stic"ler though.
t eventually too" a good solid 4 hours of scanning different "nowledge bases before we
nailed down the route cause of the remaining error message, and then &uic"ly smoothed it
out. 5or the benefit of other *omesite stalwarts, the !(T'T( guide to 5i6ing *omesite
2esign .ode in Vista was put down on pi6els.
'fter an e6perience li"e that, it's no surprise there are a huge number of users who choose
to run dual/boot Windows #3Vista computers for compatibility reasons alone. 5ortunately,
most software compatibility issues are not so challenging to fi6. There may be a solution or
two to your compatibility woes, either within Vista itself, or available from Internet
"nowledge bases.
In this 0eginners 7uide, !(T'T( e6plores what you can do to ma"e your essential older
applications wor" in Windows Vista by using tools such as !ompatibility .ode, 8un as
'dministrator, the rogram !ompatibility Wi9ard and the rogram !ompatibility 'ssistant.
Let's begin.
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Why Won't (some) Programs Work in Vista?
While Windows Vista is based off the Windows #3-::: platform, it does several critical
things differently.
;ssential files often have different names and are stored in different locations, which may
baffle programs based on the file structure of earlier Windows versions. The new
'aeroglass' <2 interface can also cause havoc with programs which ma"e use of the
Windows # des"top interface, rather than having their own internal control environment.
One of the ma1or reasons that older applications might fail to wor", is Vista's new set of
e6tensive security features. =ser 'ccounts !ontrol >='!?, the ever/present 'confirm or
deny' permission bo6es that pop up when you try to install a program or open a program
that changes system settings is one of these.
' common situation where ='! becomes a problem is during legacy software installation.
@ou may encounter error messages during the installation procedure, or it may fail
altogether and suddenly de/installl itself half way though. If you encounter this "ind
installation issue with an older program, it's very li"ely salvageable by re&uesting an
Aelevated e6ecution level.A
In other words, we need to tell Windows Vista to run the installation files for your program
Aas 'dministratorA. To do this, right clic" on the installation application file, clic" A8un as
'dministratorA 1ust below Open 5ile Location > or alternatively properties B compatibility B
and chec" privilege level to Arun this program as an administratorA?.
' less visible culprit is the new Windows Resource Protection >W8? feature which
replaces the Windows 5ile rotection feature of Windows #.
Windows Resource Protection
In a nutshell, W8 prevents programs from ma"ing changes to system files unless they fit
into a strict 'approve' criteria defined by .icrosoft.
The way that this is accomplished is a fair bit more draconian than the Windows #
method of doing the same thing, which simply ensured that critical system files were
bac"ed up and replaced when necessary. W8 actually prevents most system files being
altered in any way by almost any program, which is a good thing, but can cause havoc for
applications built for the Win # environment.
'dding to the comple6ity is the fact that Vista is available in both <-/bit and 4+/bit
flavours. Cust as with the 4+/bit version of Windows #, legacy software that wor"s well
with <-/bit Vista may fail completely on a 4+/bit installation of the operating system.
=nfortunately there are few ways round this particular problem, e6cepting a patch by the
software's creator.
Always Check for Udates! Patches " #ot $i%es
The first and best compatibility tool in your Windows Vista compatibility troubleshooting
arsenal is the Windows update service. .icrosoft is constantly issuing compatibility patches
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for popular software titles, and has been since Vista came out. These are included with
other updates in Vista's fre&uent updates.
If you have automatic updates disabled, chec" fre&uently to ma"e sure you have the latest
compatibility updates. @ou may also want to chec" with your software's manufacturer via
their website, if available. The authors of many recent programs designed for # have
implemented compatibility patches to port their applications to Vista.
This may be all the help you need to get legacy software wor"ing correctly in Windows
Vista, if you're lucky.
Vista's Automated Comati&ility #elers
.icrosoft has added a couple of semi/automated tools to Windows Vista with the aim of
"eeping program compatibility as 'hands/off' a science as possible. The Windows Vista
Program Comati&ility Assistant! and the program !ompatibility Wi9ard are the
applications in &uestion.
The program compatibility assistant >!' from now on? comes into play when you attempt
to install a program in Vista. If the program you are installing does not appear to be native
to Windows Vista, !' will swing into action. That is, if it does not follow certain
procedures during the installation process or if it fails to install correctly or to create an
entry in Vista's version of the 'add3remove programs' list.
The !' will first notify you that your installation may not have gone as planned via the
following messageD
If given the go/ahead, it will try to rectify the problem using a number of methods. This
includes running the program in Windows # compatibility mode >see below? or by
'binding' the setup program to a 1ury/rigged Vista installer pac"age to prevent it being
bloc"ed by Vista's =ser 'ccounts !ontrol >='!? feature.
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' second feature of the !' is to enforce software 'bloc"s' re&uested by software
publishers to prevent their incompatible programs from being installed on Windows Vista.
.icrosoft "eeps a list of third/party programs which have been confirmed >by the
software's publisher? to be incompatible with Vista to the e6tent that they may damage
the operating system at a fundamental level.
This list is installed and updated on your system via .icrosoft updates, and the !' will
prevent you from installing these programs via a system of 'hard bloc"s' >preventing a
program from installing or running? or 'soft bloc"s' >bringing up a warning screen to inform
you that the program you are attempting to install3use is incompatible with Windows Vista.
'anual Comati&ility (tions
The !' is also accessed by the Windows Vista installation process during an upgrade from
# to Vista in order to determine whether any previously installed software will prevent a
successful upgrade.
The rogram !ompatibility Wi9ard is a handy application which pac"ages and automates
the various compatibility 'switches' that can be used in Windows Vista to try and ma"e
legacy software wor" li"e it's supposed to. 0efore we describe how to use it though, let's
loo" at these switches and options in detail.
Windows Vista Comati&ility) 'anual (tions
Vista has several 'compatibility modes' available which allow the operating system to
emulate certain features of older .icrosoft operating systems in order to ma"e legacy
applications feel more comfortable >and ma"e them more li"ely to wor" too?. 'll of these
options are accessed via the 'compatibility' tab in the properties menu of each program's
e6ecutable file >word.e6e, etc.?. This means that compatibility options must be set for each
individual program.
To set a given program's compatibility options, you must first locate its e6ecutable >.e6e?
file. This is the file which can be double/clic"ed to launch said program, and the file to
which shortcuts on the des"top or the start menu will point. Enowing this, finding the file is
easy enough.
Install your program, then find the entry for it in the 'start menuFprograms' menu. 8ight
clic" this entry and choose 'properties'.
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5rom the 'shortcut' tab, clic" on 'open file location.'
' new window will open, and the e6ecutable file for your program will be highlighted. %ow
right clic" on the highlighted file and choose 'properties' again, then select the
'compatibility' tab.
If you are trying to run a program which does not re&uire installation, and thus has no
entry in the start menu, simply navigate to the program's directory and locate the
'application' file for the program by highlighting each file and reading its information from
the panel at the bottom of the e6plorer window. Once you have found the application file,
right clic" on it as above and select 'properties' and then the 'compatibility' tab.
Comati&ility modes in Windows Vista
The first option we will e6plore now that we have access to the compatibility tab is the
'compatibility mode' setting at the top. 's it says in the screenshot below, the various
compatibility modes available in the dropdown bo6 emulate certain features of older
Windows versions, hopefully allowing your program to run successfully.
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To set a compatibility mode for your program, chec" the 'run this program in compatibility
mode forD' bo6 and then choose an operating system that is compatible with your software
from the dropdown bo6 below. 5inally, clic" 'o"' and then double clic" the application
>.e6e? file for your program to attempt to run it.
It's important to note at this point that there are some types of programs that you should
not attempt to run in compatibility mode. 'nything that needs access to system files or
changes system settings >good e6amples being antivirus3spyware programs or dis"
partitioning software? should never be run in compatibility mode, as the changes the
programs will attempt to ma"e could potentially damage Vista as a whole.
!ompatibility mode in Windows Vista is not a
cure/all. What this tool does is 'fool' your
program or installation file into thin"ing that
its being installed onto a compatible
operating system.
It does not actually ma"e any changes to the way Vista wor"s to assist legacy programs.
This means that applications which re&uire access to system files that are non/e6istent, or
have been relocated, will fail whether you use the compatibility mode or not.
*nstalling Programs in Comati&ility 'ode
(ome software that is incompatible with Windows Vista will re&uire the compatibility mode
to be enabled before it can even be installed. To do this, locate the .e6e file used for
installing the program) it will appear as an 'application' file in Vista ;6plorer as referred to
above, will generally be found in the root directory of the installation !2 and will probably
be called something li"e 'setup'.
Once you have found this file, right clic" on it and choose 'properties' then set the
appropriate compatibility mode as detailed above. %ote that you will still have to set the
compatibility mode for the program's application file separately once it has been installed.
(ther Comati&ility (tions
's you've noticed, there are some other
options in the program compatibility tab.
Let's run through them &uic"lyD
Run in 256 colors
This does e6actly what you'd thin",
allowing you to drop the Vista display
mode to -,4 colours for this specific program only. ' lot of early Windows G,3GH based
games re&uire this, especially children's programs.
7enerally spea"ing, you will "now if you need to set this option, since programs that
re&uire -,4 color mode will fail with an error message indicating the problem.
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Run in 640 x 480 Screen Resolution
This option allows you to reduce the on/screen resolution of Windows Vista below the
minimum of H::64:: for this specific program. 's with -,4 colour mode above, many
older Windows/based programs e6pect a resolution of 4+:6+H: only, and Windows Vista
will not give it to them unless this option is enabled. @ou may not get an error message
indicating that this is a problem, so it's worthwhile to try this setting out if you have not
yet managed to get your older Windows program to run.
rograms affected by this limitation will generally be older games that do not run in
'windowed' mode on the des"top, but rather in 'full/screen' mode. @ou should definitely try
this out if your program wor"s but the graphics appear distorted, too small or stretched.
Disale !isual "#e$es
This option is handed down from the Windows # compatibility mode, but ironically is one
of the most useful tools for getting # programs to wor" on Windows Vista. (etting this
'disables' the Windows Vista style menus and displays, reverting them bac" to default
Windows -:::/style menus.
This is incredibly useful for older Windows -:::/#/based programs that incorporate the
Windows des"top and file menu. If you are trying to run a 'windows' based program >ie
one that uses the Windows interface to display itself? and it's not wor"ing, or loo"s wrong,
this is your first and best option.
Disale Deskto% &o$%osition
!hec"ing this option effectively disables the <2 'aero glass' interface that Windows Vista
introduced. 's with the disable visual themes setting above, this can be a big help for
older programs that incorporate the Windows menu interface.
'ero is a brand new feature, and can play havoc with the e6pectations of programs
designed for previous versions of Windows. 7enerally you should chec" this option in
con1unction with the 'disable visual themes' option.
Disale Dis%lay Scaling on 'ig# D() Settings
This setting has only one purpose. If you have increased the 2I si9e of the default fonts
in Windows Vista to ma"e te6t more readable while preserving your des"top resolution,
this option disables that font change for this particular problem only. Vista resi9es fonts
using a different method than previous Windows operating systems, and this can play
havoc with the appearance of older programs. @ou will "now if you need to use this option.
Run t#is (rogra$ as *d$inistrator
This option does e6actly what it says it does, running the file with administrator/level
access, thus bypassing ='! and other security chec"s. This may enable some software to
run correctly, especially older programs designed for Windows G,3GH.
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8unning an application as administrator can also resolve many installation errors with
older software applications. If the system crashes when you attempt to install a program,
try it again with administrator privileges enabled.
Program Comati&ility Wi+ard
Windows Vista contains a handy tool for automating the above options and ma"ing them
easier to test. The program compatibility wi9ard >!W? allows you to select an e6ecutable
file and then apply any or all of the options listed above to it. The !W will then run the
program for you, and allow you to revise the settings as necessary.
To start the !W, open the start menu and clic" on 'control panel' then 'programs'. !hoose
the 'use an older program with this version of Windows' option.
The !W will open. !lic" 'ne6t' and choose how you wish to locate the file you want to use.
!lic" 'ne6t'. @ou now have the option of choosing a compatibility mode and3or the various
other compatibility option available.
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When you are finished, the !W will list your chosen options and run the program.
,ri-ers and #ardware Comati&ility *ssues
'nother common compatibility issue which we have yet to e6plore is the problem of
incompatible or missing software drivers. Without the correct Windows Vista drivers to run
it, your computer's features li"e the networ" connection and sound will refuse to wor"
correctly or 1ust not wor" at all. Worse, installing drivers meant for # can often cause
disastrous results in Windows Vista.
While most recent computer hardware from reputable manufacturers should have Vista
drivers available for it by the time you read this, that does not mean that your hardware
will wor" with Vista 'out of the bo6'. This is a common problem faced by those attempting
an upgrade to Windows Vista.
.ost products manufactured by ma1or hardware vendors that are still in business will have
Vista drivers available) you 1ust need to find them. If your product was purchased on or
before Canuary/'pril -::I, chances are that the drivers that came with it are not Vista
specific or compatible. ;ven if Vista drivers are included, they may not install automatically
using the 'autorun' feature of the !2.
@ou need to be careful with this, as it is &uite possible to install drivers intended for
Windows # and cause problems with your Vista installation. !ertain products carried 'vista
compatible' stic"ers around the date of Vista's release, even though they did not contain
Vista drivers out of the bo6.
0est practice is always to loo" on your hardware manufacturer's website and obtain the
newest Vista compatible drivers for your particular hardware. If you are obtaining Vista
drivers for your motherboard, remember to always install the chipset driver >or the Intel
I%5 update application for Intel chipset motherboards? before '%@ other drivers
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