How to use the Program Compatibility Wizard in Windows XP (301911)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64-Bit Edition (Itanium)
- Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
- Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
This article was previously published under Q301911 INTRODUCTIONThis article describes how to use the Program Compatibility Wizard. The Program Compatibility Wizard prompts you to test your program in different modes (environments) and with various settings.
For example, if the program was originally designed to run on Microsoft Windows 95, set the Compatibility Mode to Windows 95, and then try to run your program again. If the program runs, the program will start in that mode every time. You can also try different settings. For example, you can test with a 256-color display and a screen resolution of 640 pixels by 480 pixels.
Most programs run correctly on Windows XP except for some older games and other programs that were written specifically for an earlier version of Windows.
If you are experiencing problems with a program that worked correctly on an earlier version of Windows, the Program Compatibility Wizard helps you select and test compatibility settings that may fix those problems. If a program does not work as expected, run the program in one of the compatibility environments. Warning Be careful when you use Compatibility Mode to bypass version warnings in installation programs. Some programs are designed for a specific operating system. By design, such programs prevent the use of later versions. Typically, these programs are system tools (such as antivirus, firewall, CD-burning, disk management, or backup software) that run at a very low kernel mode. These programs can cause serious problems if you install them. Back to the topREFERENCES
For more information about related topics, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
294895
How to obtain the Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit
285909 How to troubleshoot program compatibility issues in Windows XP
For more information about how to use Windows Application Compatibility Mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
292533
How to use Windows Application Compatibility Mode in Windows XP
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Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 1/4/2006 |
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Keywords: | kbtshoot kbenv kbHOWTOmaster KB301911 kbAudITPro |
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