Compatibility mode loses progress on Diablo 2 character

[Coleman6488]

I installed Diablo 2 and the expansion on my windows 8 computer. I started a character and got pretty far and noticed lag issues. I then put the program in compatibility mode and when I went back all my characters progress was lost, it was basically a new game. If I turn compatibility mode off, the progress returns. How can I get my characters save to work in compatibility mode so I can continue without performance issues?

 

[hang-the-9]

I think compatibility mode run the program in a virtual setup to emulate the older operating system, that setup then gets wiped.
See what the system looks like when you run the program and check the program files for Diablo, you may need to copy the files manually and copy them into the virtual system.