How to open old applications in Windows 10 using the Compatibility Assistant

If you like to keep your equipment up-to-date, you may have been surprised on occasion when trying to run an old application. Developments that previously worked in Windows versions and that now, when trying to execute, only show a warning warning that this application cannot be executed on the computer.

Do not panic. These are outdated applications and games that are not executable in the traditional way in Windows 10. This does not mean, however, that they cannot be started. And is that for that we have the “Compatibility Assistant”.

The Compatibility Assistant is your ally

Thanks to the “Compatibility Assistant” we can run those mythical games that arrived in the days of Windows 95 or Windows XP … And for that, we will only have to execute a few steps.

Using the “Compatibility Assistant” is very simple. It is a mode, as its name suggests, that allows us to simulate that our PC uses a version of the operating system that is earlier than the one it actually uses. Is about change some parameters when opening an application concrete so that it works without problems or at least to try.

To make use of the “Compatibility Assistant” you must click on the application’s shortcut and click on “Properties”, something you can also do from the “File Browser”, clicking with the right button of the mouse or the trackpad on the executable file that opens the application and choosing “Properties”.

Among the options that appear, we look at a call “Compatibility”. we must decide what type of compatibility we want to activate. Is about make Windows pretend to be an older version, to fool applications that check which version of Windows you are using. In this sense, we find the possibility of “Run this program in compatibility mode for” with the version of Windows you want to simulate, ranging from Windows Vista to Windows 8.

What’s more, the “Compatibility Wizard” offers other settings to help run old applications and games, although their availability changes (some are grayed out and cannot be activated) depending on the application that we are going to use:

• Reduced color mode: To maximize compatibility with older applications, this mode uses fewer colors.
• Run at 640 x 480 screen resolution– Changes the screen resolution to 640 x 480 pixels, a common resolution on computers from years ago.
• Disable full screen optimizations– fixes bugs and problems with apps and games that work in full screen.
• Run program as administrator– Give the app more permissions, which can fix problems in older apps.
• Register this program for reboot– The app will reopen automatically after restarting
• Change high DPI settings: It is useful for correcting visual problems as it allows you to change the DPI settings for this application.

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The news

How to open old applications in Windows 10 using the Compatibility Assistant

was originally published in

Engadget Windows

by
Jose Antonio Carmona

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