Page 408 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

Figure 6-16. Before Windows 10, uninstalling one of your apps sometimes required a power drill, a
blowtorch, and a six-volume instruction manual. Now it’s as easy as right-clicking in the “All apps
list” (left) or clicking the program’s name in Settings.

Program Compatibility Mode

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” If that’s not

Microsoft’s motto, it should be. Each successive version of Windows may
be better than the previous one, but each inevitably winds up “breaking”
hundreds of programs, utilities, and drivers that used to run just fine.

In principle, programs that were written for recent versions of Windows
should run fine in Windows 10. Unfortunately, some of them contain
software code that deliberately sniffs around to find out what Windows

version you have. These programs (or even their installer programs) may
say, “Windows what?”—and refuse to open.

Fortunately, Windows’ Compatibility mode has some sneaky tricks that can

fool them into running. You can use it to make “Let me run!” changes to a
stubborn app either the non-techie, wizardy way (you just answer questions
in a screen-by-screen interview format, and let Windows make the changes