Windows 2000 Compatibility Tab

Have you ever wondered, if Windows 2000 also have a compatibility tab for executables, just like Windows XP/2003 (and all future versions) has?


The answer is that it has this handful feature, just it's hidden by default.
To enable it, you will need to have at least Service Pack 2 applied.
But, unfortunately it only has 3 compatibility modes to choose from:

• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows NT with SP5
  ...but it's still more than nothing.

To enable it, just follow the steps provided by Microsoft:

1. Log on as Administrator.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK, where %SystemRoot% is the drive and folder in which Windows is installed:
   regsvr32 %systemroot%\apppatch\slayerui.dll

No restart required. After the DLL file registered successfully, you can use it almost the same way as in Windows XP and later (right click on the file, select Compatibility tab, and select a compatibility layer).
The only difference is that it's only working with shortcuts!
Unfortunately you can't select compatibility mode for the EXE file directly, you have to make a shortcut of it first, then set the compatibility option on the shortcut.

Extra info: you can set compatibility option for system files as well :)
In Windows XP and upwards, they are protected and can't be set in compatibility mode, but in Windows 2000 this can be done, so be careful what file you select to run in compatibility layer!
(however, setting wrong compatibility option on a shortcut to a system file won't hurt anybody)


More info can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279792