If you have an installation disc of an older OS, then this will be an easy fix for you. Install Microsoft's Virtual PC 2007, which is 100% completely free. Once installed, you can install an older OS onto the virtual machine, which you can then run these applications. This is one of the main reasons why the application is free, because Vista doesn't work with a lot of things.
I know some people are probably tired of hearing this suggestion from me, but it's one of the best solutions to this issue.
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I swear, troubleshooting is a science: the best discoveries are always on accident...