How to Run a Program in Compatibility Mode

因为应用程序跑在兼容模式下的时候，通过读取注册表RegQueryValueEx和GetVersionEx得到的系统名称和版本号是兼容模式下的操作系统名称和版本号，所以不得不加以区分和设定，一下是三种设置兼容模式和非兼容模式的方法：

OPTION ONE

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To Set Compatibility Mode of Application in Properties Page

1. Right click on the program's  shortcut (LNK file),  .EXE file,  BAT file,  CMD file, or  MSI file.

2. Click on  Properties.

3. Click on the  Compatibility tab. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  If the Compatiblity options are grayed out, then it is a 64 bit program and cannot be changed.

 

4. To Run a Program in Compatibility Mode in Only your User Account 
NOTE:  Runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows. Try this setting if you know the program is designed for (or worked in) a specific previous version of Windows.

A) Check the  Run this program in compatibility mode for box. (see screenshot below)

B) Click on the drop down menu arrow and select which version of Windows the program was made for. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  Always pick the latest Windows version the program was written for to have a better chance of itrunning properly in Windows 7.

   Warning

MSI files (right screenshot below) will only have the  Previous version of Windows option available for it. This option will allow Windows 7 to automatically use the previous version compatibility mode it thinks is best for the MSI file to run properly as. You will not be able to do steps 5 and 6 below.

 

5. To Change the Settings for a Program in Only your User Account

A) Check or uncheck the settings you want for the program. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  See the table below the screenshot for a description of each setting.

Setting	Description
Run in 256 colors	Uses a limited set of colors in the program. Some older programs are designed to use fewer colors.
Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution	Runs the program in a smaller-sized window. Try this setting if the graphical user interface appears jagged or is rendered improperly.
Disable visual themes	Disables themes on the program. Try this setting if you notice problems with the menus or buttons on the title bar of the program.
Disable desktop composition	Turns off transparency and other advanced display features. Choose this setting if window movement appears erratic or you notice other display problems.
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings	Turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font size (DPI) is in use. Try this setting if large-scale fonts are interfering with the appearance of the program.

6. To Change the Privilege Level of a Program in Only your User Account
NOTE:  Runs the program as an administrator. Some programs require administrator privileges to run properly. If you are not currently logged on as an administrator, this option is not available.

A) Check or uncheck the  Run this program as an administrator box to enable or disable this option. (see screenshot below)

7. To Change These Settings for All Users
NOTE:  You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this step.

A) Click on the  Change settings for all users button. (See screenshot below)

B) Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 in this new window to apply them to all users on the computer, and click on  OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  Changes made here will override and gray out the same setting in the window used in step 4, 5, or 6 above.

8. Click on  OK to apply the changes. (see screenshot below step 3)

OPTION TWO

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Set Compatibility Mode of Application using "Troubleshoot compatibility"

NOTE:   This option opens the Program Compatibility wizard to let Windows 7 help decide what is best to try and make the program compatible .

1. Right click on the program's  shortcut (LNK file),  .EXE file,  BAT file,  CMD file, or  MSI file, and click on  Troubleshoot compatibility. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  You will not have the Troubleshoot compatibility option available for pinned items in the  Start Menu  or on the taskbar.  You will only have the Troubleshoot compatibility option available for 3rd party programs in the Start Menu - All Programs area instead.

2. You will see this for a moment while Windows 7 is detecting what the issues may be with the program. (see screenshot below)

3. The wizard will now give you a list of choices to choose from. Select the option you would like to try, then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions until you are through troubleshooting the compatibility issue with the program. (see screenshot below)

OPTION THREE

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To Set Compatibility Mode of Application in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu, then type  regedit in the search box and press  Enter.

2. If prompted by  UAC, then click on  Yes.

3. In regedit, navigate to each location below one at a time and do the steps below for each location. (see screenshot below) 

Code:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

 

4. To Run a Program in Compatibility Mode

A) In the right pane of  Layers, right click on a empty area and click on  New, then on  String Value. (see screenshot below)

 

B) Type in the full path of the program's  exe file and press Enter, then right click on the full path and click on Modify. (see screenshot below)

 

C) Type in a single or combination of  Data values (see tables below) for how you want to run the program as, and click on  OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:  If you use more than one Settings, then you must add them in the order they are in the table below.

[Compatibility Mode (only one)] + space +  [Settings (one or more with a space inbetween)] + space + [Privilege Level]

   Tip

EXAMPLE ONE: 
To run a program as if it was in  Windows Vista SP2 (Compatibility Mode), and  Run in 256 colors (Settings), and to run as administrator you would type:

VISTASP2 256Color RUNASADMIN

EXAMPLE TWO:
Say you also wanted to  Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution (2nd Settings) with the above example, you would type:

VISTASP2 256Color 640x480 RUNASADMIN

Compatibility Mode	Data Value
Windows 95	WIN95
Windows 98 / Windows Me	WIN98
Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5)	NT4SP5
Windows 2000	WIN2000
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)	WINXPSP2
Windows XP (Service Pack 3)	WINXPSP3
Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1)	WINSRV03SP1
Windows Server 2008 (Service Pack 1)	WINSRV08SP1
Windows Vista	VISTARTM
Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)	VISTASP1
Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)	VISTASP2
Windows 7	WIN7RTM

Settings	Data Value
Run in 256 colors	256Color
Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution	640x480
Disable visual themes	DISABLETHEMES
Disable desktop composition	DISABLEDWM
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings	HIGHDPIAWARE

Privilege Level	Data Value
Run this program as an Administrator	RUNASADMIN

5. To Stop a Program from Running in Compatibility Mode

A) In the right pane of  Layers, right click on the full path  Name and click on  Delete. (see screenshot below)

 

B) Click on  Yes to confirm deletion. (see screenshot below)

6. Close regedit when done.
NOTE:  Some programs may require you to restart the computer for this to be applied.

That's it! FYI