Keeping up with the Vistas of this world

Compatibility mode

This runs the software using settings from a previous Windows version, such as XP. Use this setting if you know that the program was made for a specific older version of Windows.

Run in 256 colors

This setting uses a only 256 colors in the program. Some very old programs only use fewer colors and break if they are offered too large a color palette.

Run in 640 × 480 resolution

This setting tells the program to run only in a smaller-sized window. Try it if the graphics appear jagged or have glitches likely the program is trying to draw in 640x480 mode but the ‘larger’ resolutions available confuses it.

Disable visual themes

This disables Windows themes on the program. This is where you notice problems with the menus, buttons, or the title bar of the program. It’s the operating system that usually causes the issue, as it tries to draw special ‘theme’ graphics that the older software cannot handle properly.

Disable desktop composition

Ugly as it may be, this turns off transparency and other advanced display features. If the program’s window movement appears erratic or you notice other display problems (such as tearing or glitches), use this option.

Disable display scaling on high DPI settings

This is a more advanced setting. It turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font sizes are used. If your larger fonts are interfering with the appearance of the program, try this setting.

Privilege level

This runs the program as an Administrator, much the same way as you would have in XP. Some older programs require Administrator privileges to run properly. If you are not currently logged on as an administrator in Vista, this option is not available to you.

Show settings for All Users

This option lets you decide which settings will apply to specific users on your computer. This is useful if you have multiple levels of logons or multiple users on your machine.

If you are really interested in learning how to make programs compatible with Vista, or just want to get one troublesome program to play nice, Microsoft has created the Vista Application Compatibility Training download just for you. While aimed primarily at developers, it contains a lot of useful information and is an excellent introduction to the most common Vista compatibility issues you might run across. It is over a gigabyte in size, though, so I recommend that you use Microsoft’s File Download Manager to get it. It looks for Internet Explorer as a default browser to use in the presentation, though, so Firefox users may need to be creative to run it. In an ironic twist, Microsoft also lists the FDM as not being Vista-compatible without a small user change before installing.

Games are the programs that break most easily under Vista, especially the older ones. While some games are coded to follow ‘official’ guidelines, many are not and so cause problems when trying to run under Vista. To help you start out on the road to making games Vista-happy, there are several sites out there that have compiled partial lists of games that do and do not work under Vista, plus other software compatibility listings, such as Games IexWiki Vista-Compatible Software List, or Windows Vista Software Compatibility List

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