Windows Compatibility Mode
XP has been touted as the "gamers' platform," but there are a number of caveats, and not all games work, and neither do all very old 16-bit DOS applications applications.
Troubleshooting 16-Bit MS-DOS-Based Programs
16-bit DOS applications will suffer due to the Windows 95/98/Me multi-tasking being completely different to that of NT. Choppy sound and motion in 16-bit programs are more than likely to be a result of that difference. 16-bit applications use cooperative multitasking, which means they can only use the CPU after something else has finished with it. 32-bit Windows applications use pre-emptive multitasking, where process priority is used to control process interruptions. If you are experiencing choppy sound and motion with a 16-bit DOS application, there probably is not much you can do about it. No version Windows NT supports 16-bit programs that require unrestricted access to hardware. If your program requires such access, your program will not work in Windows XP, or any other version of NT. Read the Troubleshooting MS-DOS-Based Programs knowledge base article for more information.
Troubleshooting 16-Bit Windows Programs in Windows XP
Many different 16-bit programs designed to run under Microsoft Windows 3.1 have been tested with Windows XP. When you troubleshoot a 16-bit Windows-based program that is not working properly under Windows XP, consider the following knowledge base article; How to Troubleshoot 16-Bit Windows Programs in Windows XP.
More on Troubleshooting Compatibility Issues
The Microsoft How to Troubleshoot Program Compatibility Issues in Windows XP article describes how to troubleshoot the most common program compatibility issues you may encounter on your Windows XP-based computer.
About Compatibility Mode
Compatibility mode essentially does only three things:
1) It tells lies to the application about the version of DOS installed, similar to the old DOS SETVER command.
2) It allows for the setting of video options such as resolution and stopping XP themes being applied to the application window.
3) It allows advanced text services, such as speech recognition, to be turned off.
If your application does not function with any of the above compatibility options, make sure you have Windows XP themes turned off. For more information on the compatibility options within XP, try these articles:
Using Program Compatibility Mode
Also read the Before You Buy page on this site with a view to obtaining patches or drivers from the software vendor.
Advanced Windows XP Application Compatibility
The How to Use QFixApp.exe in Windows XP article describes the Quick Fix utility (Qfixapp.exe) that is included with the Application Compatibility Toolkit 2.0 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Qfixapp.exe includes solutions that provide easy ways to fix programs.
When you use the Compatibility Administration Tool, you can turn on and off any of the internal system fixes, browse for fixed programs on system drives, and create multiple fix packages that can be propagated and installed on other computers to resolve compatibility issues..
Revision Date: 29 Nov 2003