As you may remember, last week, I wrote an article about the Windows Vista Program Compatibility Wizard you can use if you're having trouble getting some of your programs to work on your Vista computer. (If you missed out on that tip, you can read it right here). After it appeared in the newsletter, I received several e-mails and even a few phone calls with questions about it. It seemed like a lot of you were having trouble finding the feature, so I thought I'd take some time today to clear all of that up. Here we go!
After so many of you told me you couldn't find the Program Compatibility Wizard, I got to thinking that maybe it wasn't available with every edition of Vista. I tested the tip on a Vista Home Basic computer and it worked just fine, so I thought maybe it wouldn't work for everyone. I thought that was strange, but I know it has happened with other things, so it was possible. But then I started researching it a little more and luckily, that's not the case at all. Keep reading as we solve this mystery!
In order to find the Program Compatibility Wizard, you have to be in a certain Control Panel view. In Vista, there is a Control Panel Home view and a Classic view and you must be in the Control Panel Home view to find the Wizard. If you happen to be in the Classic view, you won't be able to find it. So, to check on that, go to Start, Control Panel and look in the top left hand corner. You will see a dot next to whichever view you're in. If you're not in the right one, simply click on Control Panel Home and you'll be taken to the correct spot. You can then go to Programs and click on the option that says "Use an older program with this version of Windows." Then just follow along with the wizard and you'll be all set. I hope this clears up all of the confusion!
~ Erin
Re-Published by Computer Software Hardware Tips
