How to Run Old Programs in Windows 8 and Windows 10

This article explains how to run old programs in Windows 10 and Windows 8. It includes information on how to run the troubleshooter from an EXE file and how to configure it manually.

How to Use the Compatibility Troubleshooter

If you try to run one of your favorite old programs in Windows 10 or Windows 8 and it looks all garbled, crashes, or does not run at all, you might need to resort to using the Compatibility Troubleshooter.

Old programs still have value for certain users. If Windows doesn't want to run your old programs right out of the box, you can attempt to save your aging software with the compatibility mode built into Windows 8 and Windows 10. Here's how:

1. In the Search bar, located at the bottom left corner, enter the name of the program you want to troubleshoot.

2. Right-click and select Open file location when it appears from your search.

3. After File Explorer opens to the app, right-click on the app and select Properties.

4. In the Properties window, select Compatibility.

5. Select Run compatibility troubleshooter.

6. Under Select troubleshooting option, select Troubleshoot program.

7. Under Test compatibility settings for the program, select Test the program.

8. If the issue was resolved, the program will launch.

9. You'll have 3 options to select from. If the problem is fixed, select Yes, save these settings for this program. If you're still having problems, select No, try again using different settings. This will launch another round of testing. Or, as a last resort, choose No, report the problem to Microsoft and check online for a solution.

Program Still Not Working?

If, however, your program is still not working, select No, try again using different settings. At this point, you'll be asked a series of questions that you'll need to answer to help pinpoint the exact issue. Windows will use your input to fine-tune its suggestions until you find something that works, or until you give up.

Run the Compatibility Troubleshooter From EXE

You can also troubleshoot starting fromt the EXE file. To run this helpful utility right-click the program's executable file, typically an EXE, and click Troubleshoot compatibility.

Windows will attempt to determine the problem your program is having and select settings to resolve it automatically. Select Try recommended settings to give Windows' best guess a shot. Select Test the program to attempt to launch your problem software using the new settings. If User Account Control is enabled you'll need to grant administrator permission for the program to run.

At this point, you may find your issues are resolved and the software is running perfectly, then again it may be running the same or even worse than before. Make your observations, close the program, and click Next in the Troubleshooter.

If your program works, select Yes, save these settings for this program. Congratulations, you're done.

Manually Configure Compatibility Mode

If you don't have luck with the troubleshooter, or you know right out of the gate what sort of settings you'll want to use, you can try manually setting the Compatibility Mode options.

To manually select your own compatibility mode options, right-click your old program's executable file and click Properties. In the window that pops up, select the Compatibility tab to view your options.

Start off by selecting Run this program in compatibility mode for and select the operating system your program was designed for from the drop-down list. You'll be able to select any version of Windows going all the way back to Windows 95. This one change may be enough for your program to run. Select Apply and try it out to see.

If you're still having trouble, return to the Compatibility tab and take a look at your other options. You can make a few additional changes to the way your program runs:

• Reduce color mode — Runs the program in 8-bit or 16-bit color mode which helps when your program throws an error saying it needs to run in one of these modes.
• Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution — Changes your display to a much smaller resolution which helps if your program opens a tiny window and won't switch to full screen.
• Disable display scaling on high DPI settings — (Windows 8) Turns off automatic resizing which helps when your program displays incorrectly when large-scale fonts are selected.
• Change high DPI settings — (Windows 10) Does similar to the above setting but has additional advanced scaling settings.
• Run this program as an administrator — Elevates the privileges of the user to run the program as an administrator.

Once you've made your selections, try applying the settings and testing your application again. If all goes well, you should see your program start without issue.

Alas, this is not a perfect solution and certain applications may still fail to work properly. If you come across such a program, check online to see if a newer version is available for download. You can also use the troubleshooter mentioned above to alert Microsoft to the issue and check for a known solution online.

Also, don't be shy about using the old reliable Google search to find out if anyone else has come up with a solution for running your program.