title: Visual Studio 2012 Install Fails: Program Compatibility Mode is on
body: <p>I'm trying to install Visual Studio 2012 Express for Windows Desktop and every time I run the installer I get this error: </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>"Windows Program Compatibility mode is on. Turn it off and then try setup again." </p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I checked the file properties and compatibility mode was off. Googling found that <a href="http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/ed9046f1-9f1c-4311-b8dc-d152c7a4ee1e/vs-2012-web-install-fails-on-windows-81-with-compatibility-mode-error?forum=vssetup" rel="noreferrer">changing the name to "<code>vs_premium.exe</code>" or "<code>vs_ultimate.exe</code>"</a> or <a href="http://peerprogrammer.blogspot.com/2012/08/error-visual-studio-visual-studio-setup.html" rel="noreferrer">changing the registry keys</a> might help, but the name changes had no effect, and there were no registry keys to delete. I have restarted my machine several times to no avail. </p>
  
  <p>Changing to Visual Studio 2013 is not an option for me, as my work computer has Visual Studio 2012 on it which they will not update to 2013, and I need to work on my project on both computers. </p>
  
  <p>The computer I am using has a Windows 8.1 HP Pavilion g6. I have installed Visual Studio 2013 for Windows Desktop, Web, and Windows, as well as the 30-day trial for Professional (which has recently expired). I have also installed Visual Studio 2012 for Windows Phone but I have not used it yet.</p>