Compatibility problems? Tricks for outdated software to work in Windows 8

One of the biggest fears when changing operating systems is the possibility that some applications that we use frequently are not compatible with the new versionWe are talking about that program to edit multimedia files or those drivers that are not updated and that make us reluctant to change, even if it is for the better.

However, this problem has some simple solutions in the case of Windows 8 and thus fear nothing. First of all because all programs developed for Windows 7 are also compatible with the new edition.Secondly, because we have two tools dedicated to this purpose: the compatibility center and the assistant.

Windows 8 Compatibility Center

The Windows 8 Compatibility Center is the perfect service to check if something will work for us in the operating system even without having updated; before installing it. It is as simple as entering the dedicated web page and entering what we want to check in the search engine. We will immediately know if it is compatible with Windows 8 thanks to the contributions of other users.

Useful both in the case of devices (keyboards, mice, printers, cameras, etc.) and software (games or tools), a quick glance will save us scares in the future. If we have skipped this previous step or, despite everything, something does not work for us, then it is when we move on to the second point.

Compatibility Wizard

Is there a device or executable that worked perfectly on an old version of Windows and now doesn't? Don't worry, maybe we can solve the problem. That's what the Compatibility Wizard is for. Using it is as simple as right-clicking your mouse and selecting “Troubleshoot Compatibility”. A wizard will try to find the most suitable configuration.

Fixed up? Perfect. If not, then there are a couple of things we can do manually. For one, try to run the program as “administrator”, this will give the application full permissions and will probably fix the most elementary cases. It is done from the floating menu itself that will appear with the right mouse button.We confirm the action and that's it.

Finally we can try to open the file with each of the previous versions of Windows until we find the one that solves the problem. To do this we must access the properties window through the contextual menu. Once there, select the compatibility tab, check the first box and select the one with which we think it will work. Below we will also have other configuration options A few tests with the “trial and error” model should be enough to find the best configuration.

In any case, remember that the installation of Windows 8 will check all our devices to see if there is any problem, just like with installed programs. This being the case, it is most likely that everything will work perfectly and nothing will hinder our experience. If not, we will always have these little tricks.

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