Running XP Programs on Windows 7 Home Premium

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:54:32 +0100, Fokke Nauta

[snip]

No, this compatibility mode is a big achievement of W7. I found out that
a lot of applications which would run under XP will perfectly run in W7
under this compatibility mode.
Otherwise they would have been lost.

Yeah, but they screwed up not having that work in all editions of
Windows 7.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

But they *did* include it in all editions of 7 and Vista.

Well, maybe not Windows 7 Starter, although I would think it's there
too. I just checked - it is.

 

[Bob I]

You are correct. There is a stash in SysWOW64 of dll's from older
versions, as well as other software tricks, to avoid incompatibilities
with the latest system software and API. Compatibility mode uses the
appropriate set of those for the OS level you choose for a given
program.

Details are next to impossible to find; Google (at least in my hands)
mostly finds instructions on using it.

Just a "modern version" of "setver" ;-)

 

[BillW50]

No, this compatibility mode is a big achievement of W7. I found out that
a lot of applications which would run under XP will perfectly run in W7
under this compatibility mode.
Otherwise they would have been lost.

Huh? You told you that? This is just not a Windows 7 thing. Earlier
versions of Windows has this compatibility setting too. I don't recall
how far back it goes, but I am pretty sure it was in Windows 98 too, if
not earlier.

 

[BillW50]

You are correct. There is a stash in SysWOW64 of dll's from older
versions, as well as other software tricks, to avoid incompatibilities
with the latest system software and API. Compatibility mode uses the
appropriate set of those for the OS level you choose for a given
program.

Details are next to impossible to find; Google (at least in my hands)
mostly finds instructions on using it.

Whoa! That is totally different than what I am talking about! Totally
apples and oranges. I am talking about the compatibility setting under
Properties. I am not talking about the band aids that Microsoft has
planted in the x64 version to make it somewhat usable for 32 bit
applications. Don't confuse the two.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Whoa! That is totally different than what I am talking about! Totally
apples and oranges. I am talking about the compatibility setting under
Properties. I am not talking about the band aids that Microsoft has
planted in the x64 version to make it somewhat usable for 32 bit
applications. Don't confuse the two.

And what do you think I am talking about?

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Just a "modern version" of "setver" ;-)

No. It changes software too.

 

[Fokke Nauta]

Huh? You told you that? This is just not a Windows 7 thing. Earlier
versions of Windows has this compatibility setting too. I don't recall
how far back it goes, but I am pretty sure it was in Windows 98 too, if
not earlier.

I've never noticed this before. Perhaps it has always been there but I
never saw it. I never needed it as well.

Fokke