Some older programs might run poorly or not at all. If a program written for an earlier version of Windows doesn't run correctly, use the Program Compatibility Wizard to change the compatibility settings for the program. To change settings for a program manually, use the individual program's Compatibility tab.
If changing the settings does not fix the problem, go to the program manufacturer's website to see if there is an update for the program.
For more :http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-vista/Make-older-programs-run-in-this-version-of-Windows