In part one of this (hopefully) two part series, we’ll examine the Troubleshooting control panel in Windows 7, specifically its program compatibility wizard. Don’t want to use Windows XP mode? Maybe this tool will help.

Troubleshooting in Windows has always been a mixed bag. The operating system’s error messages typically range from unhelpfully ambiguous (Windows cannot eject this drive, one or more applications may be using it) to downright cryptic (my personal favorite is the Windows 9x-era “Your computer has performed an illegal operation”). In the vast majority of cases, users are stuck with puzzling out the problem on their own.

Microsoft has taken a step toward changing that with the new Troubleshooting applet in the Control Panel. Let’s see how useful this addition to Windows really is.

You’ll find the Troubleshooting panel in the Control Panel, or by typing “troubleshooting” into the Search bar in the Start menu. The first time you launch it, the applet may ask you if you’d like to keep it up to date using the Internet – I see no reason not to, and so this guide assumes that you’re keeping the Troubleshooting panel updated.

Troubleshooting panel

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