There is a little known tool to solve compatibility problems in Windows called the Application Compatability Toolkit.  The tool will automatically apply fixes to hundreds of programs to enable them to run under your current Windows version. You can find the Application Compatibility Toolkit at this URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/appcompatibility/default.mspx.

Now at version 5.5, the Application Compatibility Toolkit helps us users understand our application compatibility situation by identifying which applications are compatible with the Windows 7 RC and Windows Vista operating systems and which require patches or upgrades.

Once you install the tool, open the Compatibility Administrator window and search for the application you want to fix at the left side of the screen.  Hundreds of known incompatible apps are listed in the left side of the screen while the right side displays the components that will be fixed by the toolkit.

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If you click an item in the list it will display the description of the fix:

image Use this tool to apply fixes to known incompatible Windows programs.  The tool’s weakness is that it doesn’t cover all programs – you will need to check the vendor of the program that is not in the list of fixed programs.

This is a great cost savings tool because if there is a fix already for your existing app, you won’t have to buy a newer version of the software just to make it work with your Windows OS.

Ben Carigtan shows you how it’s done.