Why am I unable to start MATLAB 7.7 (R2008b) or earlier on a computer running Windows 7, Server 2008R2, or newer?

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MathWorks Support Team on 27 Dec 2010

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Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 2 Mar 2021

While trying to start MATLAB, I receive an error message or MATLAB fails to start, or I have MATLAB installed under Windows 7, but I cannot get it to start.

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Answer 1

MathWorks Support Team on 1 Apr 2021

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Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 2 Mar 2021

Releases prior to MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a) are not supported on Windows operating systems newer than Windows 7. Releases prior to MATLAB 7.11 (R2010b) are not supported on Windows Server 2008R2 or newer. For more information on supported system requirements see the link below.

https://www.mathworks.com/support/requirements/matlab-system-requirements.html

As a workaround, try running MATLAB in compatibility mode for an earlier release of Windows. To do so:

1. Right click on the shortcut for MATLAB and select the "Properties" option.

2. Go to the "Compatibility" tab or the shortcut properties.

3. Check the box "Run this program in Compatibility Mode for:".

4. Set this field to "Windows Vista" or "Windows XP".

NOTE: You may need to check "Change Settings For All Users" and the option to "Disable visual themes."

5. Press OK to confirm the settings.

Try launching MATLAB from the shortcut once more. If MATLAB still fails to start, try changing your theme to Windows Classic. To do so:

1. Right-click an empty space on your desktop and select Personalize.

2. Under the Basic and High Contrast Themes, select Windows Classic to change the theme to the Windows Classic mode.

**PLEASE NOTE**

Windows Classic Theme is not available in Windows 8.

Once the theme has been changed you may be able to start MATLAB. If MATLAB still does not start, you may need to update to a supported release of MATLAB in order to use MATLAB on this computer.