How to troubleshoot program compatibility issues in Windows Vista KB927386

This article describes the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that explain how to troubleshoot issues that may occur because a program is incompatible with Windows Vista. Program compatibility issues may occur when you set up Windows Vista, when you install a program on a computer that is running Windows Vista, or when you try to run an existing program after you upgrade the computer to Windows Vista. The following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles address these issues.

Verify program compatibility before you install Windows Vista

Before you install Windows Vista on the computer, you can use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to help determine whether a program is compatible with Windows Vista. If the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor determines a program is incompatible with Windows Vista, the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you resolve the issue. For more information about how to use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to determine whether incompatibility issues exist on the computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Windows Vista Setup does not finish because of program incompatibility

When you try to upgrade a computer to Windows Vista, program incompatibility issues may prevent the Setup program from installing Windows Vista. You may also receive an error message or a warning message from the program that is incompatible with Windows Vista. For more information about how to troubleshoot program incompatibility issue that prevent you from upgrading to Windows Vista, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

A program is installed incorrectly on a Windows Vista-based computer

You may try to install a new program or an older program on a computer that is running Windows Vista. However, that program may not be installed correctly. For example, this problem may occur if you purchase a computer that has Windows Vista preinstalled, and then you want to install a program that you own.

You may experience this problem if the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA) prevents a program from being installed. Alternatively, PCA may also help automatically fix compatibility issues during the program installation process.

You may have to use compatibility mode to install some older programs on your computer. For more information about how to troubleshoot issues that may prevent a program from being installed on Windows Vista, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

A program does not run as expected after it is installed on a Windows Vista-based computer

After you upgrade a computer to Windows Vista, some programs may not as expected or may not work at all. To resolve this issue, use the following methods:

•	Use common compatibility mode fixes for programs that are already installed on the computer.
•	Determine whether other programs or services are causing problems with the program that does not work correctly.
•	Troubleshoot other possible causes that prevent the program from running correctly.

For more information about how to troubleshoot programs that do not as expected after Windows Vista is installed, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: