Application compatibility database windows 7

Creating a Custom Compatibility Database You must apply compatibility fixes, compatibility modes, and AppHelp messages to an application and then store them in a custom database. To create a custom database, perform the following steps: On the Compatibility Administrator toolbar, click New. To save a custom database, perform the following steps: On the Compatibility Administrator toolbar, select Save from the File menu. In the Database Name dialog box, type a name for the compatibility database and then click OK.

In the Save Database dialog box, type the path and file name of the new compatibility database and then click Save. Creating a Compatibility Fix The Compatibility Administrator provides several compatibility fixes found to resolve many common application compatibility issues.

To create a new compatibility fix, perform the following steps: In the left pane of the Compatibility Administrator, click the custom database to which you will apply the compatibility fix. Type the name of the application to which this compatibility fix applies, type the name of the application vendor, browse to the location of the application file.

Select an operating system to emulate, click any applicable compatibility modes to apply to your compatibility fix, and then click Next. If you know that an application worked properly with a previous operating system version, such as Window XP, you can apply the existing compatibility mode and then test the application to ensure that it works on Windows 7.

Select any additional compatibility fixes to apply to your compatibility fix. Click Test Run to verify that your choices enable the application to work properly. When you are satisfied that the application works, click Next. Click Auto-Generate to automatically select the files that the Compatibility Administrator recommends to represent your application and then click Finish.

The Compatibility Administrator adds your compatibility modes, fixes, and matching information to your custom database, and the information appears in the right pane. Creating a Compatibility Mode The Compatibility Administrator provides several compatibility modes, which are groups of compatibility fixes found to resolve many common application compatibility issues. We recommend that you use one of two strategies to deploy your compatibility fixes into your organization.

They are:. One strategy for deploying compatibility fixes is to create a custom compatibility-fix database that contains a single entry that is applied directly to the application-installation package. While this is the most straightforward method of deployment, it has been shown that this method can become overly complex, especially if you are fixing a large number of applications.

If the following considerations apply to your organization, you should avoid this strategy and instead consider using a centralized compatibility-fix database, as described in the next section.

Custom compatibility-fix databases are actual databases. Therefore, if you have applications to be fixed, it will take longer to open and query single-row databases for a match, instead of a single database with rows. You might determine that your initial set of compatibility fixes is not comprehensive, and that you must deploy an updated version of the compatibility-fix database to resolve the additional issues.

If you deployed the initial set by using the application-installation package, you will be required to locate each client computer that is running the application and replace the compatibility fix.

The other recommended strategy for deploying compatibility fixes into your organization is to create and manage either a single custom compatibility-fix database, or else to create and manage several custom databases for large subsets of your organization.

This strategy will help to enforce your company policy and to provide consistent updates for application fixes that you discover later. This approach tends to work best for organizations that have a well-developed deployment infrastructure in place, with centralized ownership of the process. We recommend that you consider the following before using this approach:. Does your organization have the tools required to deploy and update a compatibility-fix database for all of the effected computers?

If you intend to manage a centralized compatibility-fix database, you must verify that your organization has the required tools to deploy and update all of the affected computers in your organization. Do you have centralized resources that can manage and update the centralized compatibility-fix database? You must ensure that you have identified the appropriate owners for the deployment process, for the applications, and for the database updates, in addition to determining the process by which compatibility issues can be deployed to specific computers.

If you decide to use the centralized compatibility-fix database deployment strategy, you can merge any of your individual compatibility-fix databases.

We recommend merging your databases based on the following process. Verify that your application-compatibility testers are performing their tests on computers with the latest version of your compatibility-fix database.

For example, Custom DB1. The fix intercepts the function call to create the object and replaces the word Global with Local. MakeShortcutRunas The problem is indicated when an application fails to uninstall because of access-related errors. The fix locates any RunDLL. After it applies this fix, the installer will create a shortcut that specifies a matching string to run during the application installation, thereby enabling the uninstallation to occur later.

MirrorDriverWithComposition The fix allows mirror drivers to work properly with acceptable performance with desktop composition. MoveToCopyFileShim The problem occurs when an application experiences security access issues during setup. CopyFile APIs avoid moving the security descriptor, which enables the application files to get the default descriptor of the destination folder and prevents the security access issue.

OpenDirectoryAcl The problem is indicated by an error message that states that you do not have the appropriate permissions to access the application. The fix reduces the security privilege levels on a specified set of files and folders. The performance issues are visible in certain low-end cards at certain resolutions where the x buffer is scaled to fit the display resolution. PreInstallDriver The fix preinstalls drivers for applications that would otherwise try to install or start drivers during the initial start process.

ProcessPerfData The problem is indicated by an Unhandled Exception error message because the application tried to read the process performance data registry value to determine if another instance of the application is running. The fix handles the failure case by passing a fake process performance data registry key, so that the application perceives that it is the only instance running. Note: This issue seems to occur most frequently with.

NET applications. PromoteDAM The fix registers an application for power state change notifications. PropagateProcessHistory The problem occurs when an application incorrectly fails to apply an application fix. ProtectedAdminCheck The problem occurs when an application fails to run because of incorrect Protected Administrator permissions. The fix addresses the issues that occur when applications use non-standard Administrator checks, thereby generating false positives for user accounts that are being run as Protected Administrators.

In this case, the associated SID exists, but it is set as deny-only. RedirectCRTTempFile The fix intercepts failing CRT calls that try to create a temporary file at the root of the volume, thereby redirecting the calls to a temporary file in the user's temporary directory. The fix intercepts the CoCreateInstance call for the missing filter and then redirects it to a supported version. RedirectShortcut The problem occurs when an application cannot be accessed by its shortcut, or application shortcuts are not removed during the application uninstallation process.

The fix redirects all of the shortcuts created during the application setup to appear according to a specified path. Desktop or Quick Launch shortcuts: You must manually place the shortcuts on the individual user's desktop or Quick Launch bar. This issue occurs because of UAC restrictions: specifically, when an application setup runs by using elevated privileges and stores the shortcuts according to the elevated user's context.

In this situation, a restricted user cannot access the shortcuts. You cannot apply this fix to an. RelaunchElevated The problem occurs when installers, uninstallers, or updaters fail when they are started from a host application. The fix enables a child. The fix retries the OpenService API call and verifies that the user has Administrator rights, is not a Protected Administrator, and by using read-only access.

Applications can test for the existence of a service by calling the OpenService API but some applications ask for all access when making this check. This fix retries the call but only asking for read-only access. The fix enables the application to run by using elevated privileges. The fix is the equivalent of specifying requireAdministrator in an application manifest.

The fix enables the application to run by using the highest available permissions. This is the equivalent of specifying highestAvailable in an application manifest. RunAsInvoker The problem occurs when an application is not detected as requiring elevation. The fix enables the application to run by using the privileges that are associated with the creation process, without requiring elevation. This is the equivalent of specifying asInvoker in an application manifest.

SessionShim The fix intercepts API calls from applications that are trying to interact with services that are running in another session, by using the terminal service name prefix Global or Local as the parameter. At the command prompt, you can supply a list of objects to modify, separating the values by a double backslash. Or, you can choose not to include any parameters, so that all of the objects are modified.

Therefore, applications that require access to Session 0 automatically fail. SetProtocolHandler The fix registers an application as a protocol handler. You can control this fix further by typing the following command at the command prompt: Client;Protocol;App Where the Client is the name of the email protocol, Protocol is mailto, and App is the name of the application. Note: Only the mail client and the mailto protocol are supported.

You can separate multiple clients by using a backslash. SetupCommitFileQueueIgnoreWow The problem occurs when a bit setup program fails to install because it requires bit drivers. The fixdisables the Wow64 file system that is used by the bit editions of Windows, to prevent bit applications from accessing bit file systems during the application setup.

ShimViaEAT The problem occurs when an application fails, even after applying acompatibility fix that is known to fix an issue. Applications that use unicows. The fixapplies the specified compatibility fixes by modifying the export table and by nullifying the use of module inclusion and exclusion. ShowWindowIE The problem occurs when a web application experiences navigation and display issues because of the tabbing feature.

The fixintercepts the ShowWindow API call to address the issues that can occur when a web application determines that it is in a child window. Sonique2 The application uses an invalid window style, which breaks in DWM. This fix replaces the window style with a valid value. SpecificInstaller The problem occurs when an application installation file fails to be picked up by the GenericInstaller function.

The fixflags the application as being an installer file for example, setup. SpecificNonInstaller The problem occurs when an application that is not an installer and has sufficient privileges generates a false positive from the GenericInstaller function. The fixflags the application to exclude it from detection by the GenericInstaller function. This fix resolves the issue. UIPIEnableCustomMsgs The problem occurs when an application does not properly communicate with other processes because customized Windows messages are not delivered.

The fixenables customized Windows messages to pass through to the current process from a lower Desktop integrity level. This fix is the equivalent of calling the RegisterWindowMessage function, followed by the ChangeWindowMessageFilter function in the code. You can control this fix further by typing the following command at the command prompt: MessageString1 MessageString2 Where MessageString1 and MessageString2 reflect the message strings that can pass.

Note: Multiple message strings must be separated by spaces. UIPIEnableStandardMsgs The problem occurs when an application does not communicate properly with other processes because standard Windows messages are not delivered.

The fixenables standard Windows messages to pass through to the current process from a lower Desktop integrity level. This fix is the equivalent of calling the ChangeWindowMessageFilter function in the code.

You can control this fix further by typing the following command at the command prompt: Where reflects the first message ID, reflects the second message ID, and reflects the third message ID that can pass. Note: Multiple messages can be separated by spaces. VirtualizeDeleteFileLayer The fix virtualizes DeleteFile operations for applications that try to delete protected files.

VirtualRegistry The problem is indicated when a Component failed to be located error message displays when an application is started. The fixenables the registry functions to allow for virtualization, redirection, expansion values, version spoofing, the simulation of performance data counters, and so on.

For more detailed information about this application fix, see Using the VirtualRegistry Fix. VirtualizeDeleteFile The problem occurs when several error messages display and the application cannot delete files.

The fixmakes the application's DeleteFile function call a virtual call in an effort to remedy the UAC and file virtualization issues that were introduced with Windows Vista. This fix also links other file APIs for example, GetFileAttributes to ensure that the virtualization of the file is deleted. The use of HKCU is preferred if an application is not elevated and is ignored if the application is elevated. You typically will use this compatibility fix in conjunction with the VirtualizeRegisterTypeLib fix.

WaveOutIgnoreBadFormat This problem is indicated by an error message that states: Unable to initialize sound device from your audio driver; the application then closes.

The fixenables the application to ignore the format error and continue to function properly. WinxxRTMVersionLie The problem occurs when an application fails because it does not find the correct version number for the required Windows operating system.

All version lie compatibility fixes address the issue whereby an application fails to function because it is checking for, but not finding, a specific version of the operating system. The version lie fix returns the appropriate operating system version information. For example, the VistaRTMVersionLie returns the Windows Vista version information to the application, regardless of the actual operating system version that is running on the computer.

Wing32SystoSys32 The problem is indicated by an error message that states that the WinG library was not properly installed.

The fixdetects whether the WinG32 library exists in the correct directory. Important: The application must have Administrator privileges for this fix to work. The fixforces the application to follow these steps: Open the Compatibility Administrator, and then select None for Operating System Mode.

Type vbrun Save the custom database.