Make older apps or programs compatible with Windows 10

Most apps (and other programs, like games or utilities) that were created for earlier versions of Windows will work in the most recent version of Windows 10, but some older ones might run poorly or not at all. Here are some ways to fix common issues with older programs.

To check which version and build of Windows you’re running, in the search box on the taskbar, enter winver and then select Enter.

If you have printer or scanner problems after a Windows 10 upgrade or update, see Fix printer problems after updating or upgrading to Windows 10.

If you have Bluetooth problems after a Windows 10 upgrade or update, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows 10.

First, try running the compatibility troubleshooter:

In the search box on the taskbar, type the name of the program or app you want to troubleshoot.

Select and hold (or right-click) it, and then select Open file location .

Select and hold (or right-click) the program file, select Properties, and then select the Compatibility tab.

Select Run compatibility troubleshooter.

If that didn’t work, you can try adjusting the settings Compatibility tab. Here’s what to look for and what each setting does when it’s selected.

Compatibility settings

Runs the program using settings from an earlier version of Windows. Try this setting if you know the program is designed for (or worked with) a specific version of Windows.

Reduced color mode

Uses a limited set of colors in the program. Some older programs are designed to use fewer colors.

Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution

Try this setting if the graphics for the program appear jagged or are rendered incorrectly.

Change high DPI settings

If your program isn’t displayed correctly on a PC with a high-DPI display (its features are blurry or are too big or too small), select Change high DPI settings, and then try one of these options in the Properties dialog box:

Choose which DPI to use

In the Program DPI section, select Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program instead of the one in Settings to use the DPI settings you want to use for this program.

Note: This changes the DPI only for the app you’re adjusting. If you want to adjust this for all apps, select Start > Settings > Advanced scaling settings and follow the instructions.
For more info about changing the setting for all apps, see Fix apps that appear blurry.

For Use the DPI that’s set for my main display when, select one of the following:

I signed in to Windows Use the DPI that was set for your main display when you signed in to Windows. This is the default setting.

I open this program – Use the DPI that was set for your main display at the time you open the specific program.

Change the application’s high-DPI scaling mode

In the High DPI scaling override area, select Override high DPI scaling behavior, and then try one of the following options:

Application – Disable all Windows scaling settings and only use the app developer’s setting. This option was called Disable display scaling on high DPI settings in previous versions of Windows.

System – Overrides the program’s DPI settings and makes it run like it would on a low-DPI display. On a high-DPI display, this will make the program appear blurry.

System (Enhanced) – Windows will try to use enhanced DPI scaling for this program. As a result, some programs will display with crisp text on high-DPI displays. This won’t work for all programs.

Run this program as an administrator

Some programs require administrator permissions to run correctly. Sign in to your PC as an administrator to use this option.

Change settings for all users

Apply the settings for that program to all accounts on the PC, and select Change settings for all users. You might be prompted for an admin password or to confirm your choice.

How to play old pc games on windows 10

Replies (3) 

Hi Teknosfinest , I am Dexter, an Independent Advisor, here to help you.

Most of the 90’s pc games are obsolete and can’t run in Windows10, cause they were programed under Windows 9x or even older.

For the Windows 9x’s games, I would suggest you run them from a virtual machine with Windows XP, here’s an article worth to refer:

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let me know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it’s resolved.
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The first two Resident Evil games sold on line these days are remastered versions and should have no issues running on Win10.

The vast majority of games that ran on Win7 (XP too) will run on Win10.

[EDIT: If your machine uses Integrated graphics such as Intel HD graphics, note that Steam don’t guarantee Res Evil will run

with integrated graphics. Even newer ‘high’ end models. ]

What other games are you having problems with, and what brand and model cpu and graphics processor does your machine use ?

— Some games from Steam require running Steams Verify integrity of game files tool to be run after each Win10 version update,

and from time to time, others may get corrupted files which can be fixed in the same way

( R\click on the games title in your Steam Library and select Properties > Local Files )

— Steam, and other on line game retailers such as — Good Old Games — fix most issues with old games that may cause problems

running on on Win10. If they didn’t, and still sold them, there would be hell to pay, but some games may still need to

use Compatibility with XP sp2, and more rarely Win98. . However, using Compatibility with and older version of Windows is

not often required.

Note that to use Compatibility with Steam games you either have to do so in the games .exe file in the games install folder,

or make a shortcut from the .exe file and send it to the desktop to replace the shortcut Steam creates (you can delete the Steam shortcut).

This is because Steam use a ‘Web Document’ as a shortcut (why I have no idea) which has no Compatibility tab.

Occasionally a game may require ‘tweaks’ to the games configuration settings, and in that instance you should be able to find the required

tweaks in the Steam forums.

This includes the pre 2000 games that ran using DOS vs DirectX (they install the game with DOS Box which creates an

‘virtual’ DOS environment).

Installing a XP on a virtual machine for games that were developed for XP is actually very rarely required. Even XP can’t run

DOS based games.

— The most commonly required Compatibility setting on Win10 is with old games that are limited to low resolutions (1024×760 and lower)

that use the non-wide screen 4:3 aspect ratio is the Change High DPI Settings option.

In most cases these games will launch but they display off centre (down and to the right) which make it impossible to play the game,

but there are a few games that need this setting that will crash while launching.

For some strange reason Win10 often forces this setting on games that don’t need it and fails to do so with most games

that do need it.

— Old disc based games will also run on Win10 but many will need a noCD fix\hack due to several issues with copy protections

systems, the biggest of those being with SafeDisk. More details on that in my post at —this thread—

Another problem with a lot 90’s disc based games is they use a 16bit installer, which does not work on 64bit Windows.

Once installed the games will run though. Some of the more popular games that had 16bit installers have a fan based customised

installer available on various forums, which will work with 64bit Windows (I used one with Grim Fandango on Win7).

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hi i am just wondering how i can play old pc games on my windows 10 gaming pc, it’s games like resident evil 1 1996 version and so on!, i have a steam account and i can get certain old games on it but not all!, so is there any suggestions where i can get alot of old games like resident evil to run on my windows 10 gaming pc?

I havnt found a single game that isnt written for Win 98, that did not work on Win 10, after fiddling with settings like admin rights, compability and colors.

But, to steal the powerful word of Apple. «It simply just works»

Thats Win 10, now.

Microsoft should BRAG more about this. Every single real Win 10 license, which is updated to at least one of the versions they support (about a year in between) and you logged into your account no longer then 2 years.

You get 1st class support!

Phone or chat. I prefer chat because I am a tech myself, and its eaiser to just write answers which any other tech see
«oh, ok, Ill skip the first 20 questions and go right to the problem»

When you talk to Microsoft Win 10 support. You do NOT get the «hallå yxskaft» answer like from Facebook.

You get the same quality only Apple been giving out. FOR FREE.

The difference in Apple and Microsoft 10 Support, which I tried both,
— Apple just works. And mostly the solution is a button the user hasnt pressed.
— Win 10 is still windows. Stuff may not make sense. A microsoft TECH, then, in a very secure way, logs into your computer, with your permission. Using tools on THEIR Side (not yours), and Voila. problem solved.

Cost? NOTHING! As long as you have a Valid Win 10 licens.

How to Find Windows 10 Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements

Here’s an overview of how to find computer specification requirements, versions, and languages available for Windows 10.

Table of Contents

System requirements for installing Windows 10

These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard drive size:

32GB or larger hard disk

Note: See below under “More information on hard drive space to install or update Windows 10” for more details.

Compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800×600 Internet Connection:

Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode, and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Activity Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here.

There may be additional requirements over time for updates, as well as requirements to turn on specific features within the OS.

Keeping Windows 10 up-to-date

Windows 10 is designed to deliver updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Two types of updates may be provided: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include both security and non-security updates and are typically targeted to be released once a month. Feature updates also include security and non-security fixes as well as new features to Windows 10 and are typically provided twice a year. Ensuring that your device receives these updates and is kept up-to-date is important for your device security. Windows 10 periodically checks for updates so you don’t have to. When an update is available—and sufficient free disk space is available on your device—it will be automatically installed. So that Windows 10 continues to stay updated, it’s important to ensure your device has sufficient free space. See additional applicable details in the following notes.

Important notes about updates:

• A device might not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, if it lacks current drivers or sufficient available hard drive space, or if it’s otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Visit the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet or the Lifecycle FAQ for Windows products to learn more about the servicing timeline for each feature update.
  • Some of the disk space needed for installing updates is only temporarily required. Typically, ten days after installing an update, a disk cleanup will be automatically performed to delete copies of the older, unneeded Windows files and free up space again.
• Not all features in an update will work on all devices.
• An internet connection is required to perform updates and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.
• If you need assistance installing an update, Windows 10 Update Assistant may be able to help.

More information on hard drive space requirements to install or update Windows 10

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of space needed to download and install Windows updates, are highly variable as they depend on a variety of factors. Visit here to learn why. The factors that impact the amount of free hard drive space needed to take an update include: the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine, the amount of disk space available to reuse from Windows files, such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file, which applications are installed on your device and how those applications store data. Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB. The 32GB or larger drive requirement is set to leave space for users to install apps and to keep data on the device. Installing Windows or updating from a previous version of Windows on devices with less than 32GB storage will continue to work if the device has enough free space available. When updating, Windows will attempt to automatically free up enough hard drive space and guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient. You can also take steps to free up space on your own. For more information, see Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update or visit the related FAQ.

Feature-specific requirements for Windows 10

In addition to the requirements above that are needed to run Windows, some features have additional requirements. In some cases, features included with updated versions of Windows 10 will be best experienced with newer processors. For specific hardware support please refer to your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Below are some additional details regarding requirements for key features:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (available with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise only) requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher and Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI. BitLocker can be used on devices without TPM, but you will need to save a startup key on a removable device such as a USB flash drive. TPM 2.0 and InstantGo support is required when you want to automatically encrypt the local drive when joining a device to Azure Active Directory (AAD). Check with your PC manufacturer to confirm if your device supports the correct TPM version and InstantGo for the scenario you want to enable.
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Australia and India.
• Microsoft account is required for some features.
• Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
• Movies & TV application is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Movies & TV information page.
• Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database.
• Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page.
• Snap: The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
• Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:
  • High fidelity microphone array
  • Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed
• Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter «tablet mode» automatically.
• Touch: To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric (finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
• Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
• Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
• Wi-Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi-Fi Direct Printing.