In Windows 8, 8.1, 10, program compatibility is determined through a special service. Program Compatibility Assistant functions to identify known issues occurring when running earlier installed programs and applications. If any difficulties are detected, the following message will appear on the screen:
In what cases can the assistant be disabled
- such a notification disturbs you and greatly slows down your work;
- after windows updates up to version 8, 8.1, 10 the system has been working correctly for several months and the “ This program may not work properly» appears rarely;
- there is 100% confidence in the quality of the used software.
There are many ways to stop this service in Windows 8, 8.1, 10.
Disabling Assistant
Option 1
Option 2
Repeat steps 3-5 from option 1.
You can also start the helper service if you need to. In this case, in the line "Startup type" you need to set "Automatically".
Option 3
Within a few minutes, the computer will complete the task. Do not take any other action during this time. To return to the previous settings, you need to do steps 1 to 7, and then mark " Disabled" or " Not set».
Screenshots are from Windows 10. In versions 8 and 8.1, changing the compatibility settings is the same.
Warning for inexperienced users:
The termination of the Program Compatibility Assistant service will create additional risks associated with conflicts between legacy programs and updated versions (8 - 10) and unstable job operating system from Microsoft.
Active users who own personal computer at the administrator level, disabling the Compatibility Assistant service will save a lot of time.
Related videos
The Compatibility Assistant monitors programs for known compatibility issues and can be useful for inexperienced users. The information in this guide is intended for advanced users and administrators.
The screenshots in the article show Windows 7, but in Vista everything is done the same way.
Disabling Compatibility Assistant on Local Machine
You may want to disable the helper on the local machine. For example, when testing programs in various conditions for writing articles, this saves a lot of time.
click button Start, in the search box type services.msc and press Enter.
Now scroll down to Program Compatibility Assistant Services, click on it right click mouse and then click Stop.
In response to this, you will briefly see the Service Control window, which will then disappear.
If you later decide to enable the assistant, simply select Run.
You may want to disable the assistant altogether. To do this, in the drop-down menu on (screenshot above), select Properties and in the window that opens, in the drop-down list Launch type, select Disabled.
Disabling the Compatibility Assistant Using the Local Group Policy Editor
Launch Local Editor group policy by typing gpedit.msc in the menu search box Start and press Enter.
Select Disable, then Apply and OK. Then close the Local Group Policy Editor.
We reiterate that we do not recommend disabling Compatibility Assistant for general users. Disabling it can lead to software conflicts and system instability. However, power users and administrators can get a lot of saved time and nerves from turning off the assistant.
If you encounter a problem when an outdated application refuses to work in the new operating system from Microsoft, use compatibility mode in Windows 10 to launch it. This article will teach you how to run programs and old games in the top ten that refuse to work in the latest OS environment, crash or function with errors.
Windows 10 prompts you to activate Compatibility Mode when launching applications whose previous working session crashed or was interrupted due to an error or by terminating the process. But this is not done in all cases.
Activating compatibility mode manually via shortcut properties or executable file is not always available, and sometimes requires you to run the troubleshooter tool. Let's look at both methods, and also figure out how to disable compatibility mode in Windows 10.
Turn on the mode in the properties of the shortcut of the executable file
The first way to activate compatibility mode in Windows 10 is using properties exe file or application shortcut.
- To do this, we call the "Properties" of the target object through context menu or the Alt+Enter key combination.
- Go to the "Compatibility" tab.
- In the "Compatibility Mode" section, check the box next to its name.
- Open the drop-down menu and select the version of the operating system for which the application is intended or in which it works without failures.
Compatibility is disabled by removing the check mark next to the only option in the "Compatibility Mode" section.
When using XP applications released about 10 years ago, you can try to run the program at a lower resolution, using 256 colors or without visual design. You can also tell the operating system that this application should be run as administrator each time in order to save the time required to call the context menu of the file to select the appropriate launch mode.
Enable mode through troubleshooting
In order to start the compatibility mode, you need to call the troubleshooting tool, which in the top ten is called "Running programs designed for other versions of Windows." You can call the tool through the Troubleshooting applet, located one of the last in the Control Panel when visualizing its elements as icons, or through the search bar.
The application must be run with administrator privileges. This will allow you to detect additional factors that cause problems in the functioning of the program.
After waiting a bit, we will see a list of software products installed on the PC, in which you should select the problematic program.
If the target utility is not in the list, select the first item "Not in the list", click "Next", and then specify the path to the executable file.
After selecting an application or specifying the path to its launch file, you will be prompted to select a diagnostic mode. To select a specific Windows versions specify the second mode "Program Diagnostics", and to automatically determine the compatible version of the operating system, stop at the first point.
After selecting the edition of the operating system, a window will appear with options for problems that were noticed while the application was running in the top ten.
If you know in which version of the operating system the application worked properly, indicate it or select "I don't know".
In the next dialog, click "Test the program" in order to test whether it functions during startup with the specified parameters. If the test was successful, click "Next".
For the subsequent call of the software with the specified parameters, select the first item in the last window, save the specified settings and close the window.
After looking for more problems, close the tool or view more information about the problem.
If the application refuses to work in compatibility mode with the selected Windows, try a different edition of the OS or use the recommended settings. As a last resort, you can always ask for help in resolving your issues by submitting a problem report to Microsoft representatives or searching the forums for an answer.
Compatibility mode disables some of the program's functionality to prevent data loss and ensure document compatibility with earlier versions of Excel. You can always remove the compatibility mode and convert the document to a more modern format. How to disable compatibility mode and in what situations you should not do this, you will learn from this lesson.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to work with documents that are created in more earlier versions Microsoft Excel, for example, Excel 2003 or 2000. When you open these workbooks, compatibility mode is enabled, sometimes referred to as compatibility mode. limited functionality.
In compatibility mode, some options are disabled, ie. You only have access to the commands that were used to create the document. For example, when you open a workbook created in Excel 2003, you can only use the tabs and commands that are available in Excel 2003.
The figure below shows how compatibility mode affects the availability of certain commands. AT this case some Excel functions 2013 such as Sparklines and Slices.
In order to remove the compatibility mode, you need to convert the book to a format that matches the current Microsoft versions excel. However, if you are working with users of other versions of the program, it is advisable to leave the book in compatibility mode so that the file format does not change.
Book conversion
If necessary, you can use all the functionality of Excel 2013, for this you need to convert the file to excel format 2013.
Please note that converting a file may change the original markup of the file.
Unfortunately, for many users, not all programs work in operating systems. Windows systems different versions are equally good. In order to solve this problem, employees Microsoft were able to create an option such as compatibility mode, which allows you to use files and other components of older versions of the system in a newer one.
For example, we can say that most of the programs that were written for Windows Vista, can be easily launched in the seventh version of the OS, but still some of them may give an error or not work at all. The same can be said about Windows XP, which accepts or does not accept components and programs written for Windows 95, 98 and 2000. And for the normal operation of all files and other components, compatibility mode is needed.
But still, it is worth figuring out how to start this mode and fix the problems that have arisen. Let's describe the main points on Windows 7. If you decide to install the program from old version Windows, but it does not work correctly when loading, then first of all you need to run a special tool that will fix compatibility problems with certain files.
It is it that is able to automatically detect and eliminate the most common problems that prevent installation or the correct launch of programs from older versions of Windows. Thus, you will make Windows 7 compatible with the components and files of previous versions of operating systems from Microsoft.
So, in order to run this tool, which will find and fix all problems, you need to go to the Start menu. After that, select the "Control Panel" item, and then enter the word "problems" in the empty search field, then click "Troubleshooting". Go to the "Programs" section and select a command that has a rather long name - "Run programs designed for previous versions of Windows." And after that, wait until the tool finds errors and fixes them, that is, until compatibility mode is enabled. When this happens, you can safely work with this program.
But it happens that it is not possible to fix the problem automatically. And in this case, there is also a way out, but only you will have to perform all the actions yourself. And for this method, you will have to clarify some data of certain programs and components. Recommendations for manual troubleshooting are given below:
1. Change program compatibility settings manually. To do this, you will need more information about running older programs in more new version operating system.
2. You must independently check the compatibility of components with the version of the operating system in which you are working. To do this, it is best to contact the official website of the program and the system itself.
But I want to note that this is a rather laborious work. And that is why it will be easier to find a similar program or file that will be designed specifically for your version of Windows.
If you still do not quite understand what compatibility mode is, then you can give an example on Microsoft program excel. Let's say you are running a document that was created in previous version system, but you cannot work in the seventh Windows, as you have an inscription in the heading "Reduced functionality mode". And in order to ensure that you work with this document, using all the options and features, you must enable Excel compatibility mode.
For the same purposes, this mode is required in Microsoft Office and other programs. And the conclusion suggests itself: the compatibility mode is quite a useful thing in which sometimes it is simply necessary.