Microsoft KB Archive/927386

= How to troubleshoot program compatibility issues in Windows Vista =

Article ID: 927386

Article Last Modified on 12/10/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Vista Ultimate
 * Windows Vista Enterprise
 * Windows Vista Business
 * Windows Vista Home Premium
 * Windows Vista Home Basic
 * Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition

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SUMMARY
This article contains steps to troubleshoot issues that occur when a program is installed, but the program will not run on Windows Vista.



INTRODUCTION
This article contains steps to help you troubleshoot issues for the following scenarios:  You successfully upgrade an earlier version of Windows to Windows Vista. A program that used to run as expected before you upgraded to Windows Vista no longer runs as expected.

Note If a program compatibility issue is preventing the installation of Windows Vista, follow the steps in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 931360 to troubleshoot your issue.

 You successfully install a program on Windows Vista. After you install the program, you cannot start the program, or the program runs but does not run as expected.

Note If a program compatibility issue is preventing the installation of a program, do not follow the steps in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 931361 to troubleshoot your issue.





MORE INFORMATION
To troubleshoot program compatibility issues in Windows Vista, try &quot;Method 1: Run the program in compatibility mode.&quot;

Method 1: Run the program in compatibility mode
When you select the compatibility mode option, Windows Vista emulates the selected operating system when you run that particular program.

To run the program in compatibility mode, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Startvistastartbutton.jpg], and then type the name of the program in the Start Search box.
 * 2) In the Programs list, right-click the program name, and then click Properties.
 * 3) On the Compatibility tab, click to select the Run this program in compatibility mode for check box.
 * 4) In the list, select an operating system, and then click OK.

If the program still does not work correctly, go to the next method.

Method 2: Run the program as an administrator
To run the program as an administrator, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Startvistastartbutton.jpg], and then type the name of the program in the Start Search box.
 * 2) In the Programs list, right-click the program that you are troubleshooting, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

If the program now runs correctly, the program requires administrative permissions to function. For more information about how to force a program to automatically run with administrative permissions, see the &quot;Step 2: Run the program as an administrator&quot; section of the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

931362 Advanced methods to troubleshoot a program that does not run as expected after it is installed on Windows Vista

If the program still does not work correctly, go to the next method.

Method 3: Contact the program vendor or the hardware manufacturer
If a program will not run in Windows Vista, or a piece of hardware does not function as expected after you install Windows Vista, contact the program vendor or the hardware manufacturer for guidance about how to troubleshoot the issue. Typically, the software vendor's Web site provides a support section that you can use, for example, to search for an error message that you may receive from the program.

Frequently, the software vendor will be able to resolve the incompatibility issue by providing one of the following resolutions:
 * An update to make the current version of the program compatible with Windows Vista
 * A version of the program that is compatible with Windows Vista
 * Information about any configuration changes to make the program compatible with Windows Vista

For information about how to contact hardware and software vendors, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

Advanced troubleshooting
This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help or contact support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/

If you are an advanced user who has tried the steps in this article, and your issue is still not resolved, follow the steps in the following Microsoft knowledge Base article:

931362 Advanced methods to troubleshoot a program that does not run as expected after it is installed on Windows Vista



Resources
931359 How to determine whether there are program-compatibility issues before you install Windows Vista

931360 How to troubleshoot program-incompatibility issues that may stop the Windows Vista Setup program

931361 How to troubleshoot issues that may prevent a program from being installed correctly on a Windows Vista-based computer

931362 Advanced methods to troubleshoot a program that does not run as expected after it is installed on Windows Vista

929427 The Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update

932246 March 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update

935280 July 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update

For more information about Windows Vista Application Compatibility, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa904987.aspx

Additional query words: winvista application troubleshooting apps

Keywords: kbresolve kbappcompatibility kbexpertisebeginner kbhowto KB927386

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