3. Detecting Incompatibilities
After you have compiled an inventory of the applications that
you plan to use on your Windows 7 workstations, you can choose from
two basic methods for determining whether they are compatible with the
operating system and the workstation configuration. You can consult a
list or database of known incompatibilities, or you can test the
applications yourself.
Consulting Internet Resources
For a large enterprise deployment, this should not be an
either/or decision; you should do both. It is always a good idea to
check outside resources, to reap the benefit of other peoples’
experiences. Microsoft maintains an extensive database of
compatibility issues, based on their own product testing and on
information supplied by other users. The Microsoft Application
Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) enables you to collect your own
information and compare it with this database. There are also
third-party resources available, including the application
manufacturers and peer forums.
Testing for Incompatibilities
The job does not end with Internet research, however. The
workstation testing that is part of the deployment’s Build stage,
both in the lab and in a production deployment, must include all of
the applications that the users need, configured and ready for use.
The testers must then simulate actual working conditions as closely
as possible and perform all of the tasks that the users need to
perform. If they encounter any probability problems, they must
document the circumstances carefully so that you can reproduce the
problem later when you are evaluating solutions.
The Application Compatibility Toolkit contains a variety of
tools that can help you in the process of testing for application
incompatibilities.
4. Evaluating Application Incompatibility Solutions
When you discover a compatibility issue between an
application and Windows 7 or between applications, you can choose from
a number of ways to address the problem. The most obvious solution is
simply not to use the application. You can try to obtain a patch or an
updated version from the manufacturer, or you can seek out a competing
application from another manufacturer. However, before you switch
products, you might want to try some of the solutions in the following
sections.
4.1 Using Compatibility Modes
It is not unusual for older, legacy applications to have
difficulty running on Windows 7. This is especially true for
applications designed for Windows XP and earlier versions. To
address these incompatibilities in a manner that is understandable
to nearly all end users, Windows 7 provides a series of
compatibility modes. A compatibility mode is a set of routines that
enables Windows 7 to emulate an earlier Windows version.
For example, if you install an application that was designed
for the original Windows XP release and it does not run in Windows
7, you can open the Properties sheet for the application’s
executable file and select the Compatibility tab, as shown in Figure 3.
On the Compatibility tab, selecting the Run The
Program In Compatibility Mode check box enables you to select one of
the following compatibility modes, corresponding to the various
Windows and service pack releases:
-
Windows 95
-
Windows 98 / Windows Me
-
Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5)
-
Windows 2000
-
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
-
Windows XP (Service Pack 3)
-
Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1)
-
Windows Server 2008 (Service Pack 1)
-
Windows Vista
-
Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
-
Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)
Caution
EMULATED, NOT
IMITATED
Configuring an executable file with a compatibility mode
does not guarantee that the application will run. Compatibility
modes provide some of the fundamental characteristics of the
earlier operating systems, but they do not emulate them in every
way.
In addition to the operating system emulations, the
compatibility tab also enables you to configure the following
settings:
-
Run In 256
Colors. Configures the program to run with a limited color
depth
-
Run In 640 x 480 Screen
Resolution. Configures the program to run with a limited screen
resolution
-
Disable Visual
Themes. Disables display modes that can interfere with the
program’s interface
-
Disable Desktop
Composition. Disables window transparency and other Aero display
features while the application is running
-
Disable Display Scaling On High
DPI Images. Disables application resizing because of large font
sizes
-
Run This Program As An
Administrator. Executes the program with elevated privileges
After you select settings on the Compatibility tab, the system
retains them for the current user. If you also click the Change
Settings For All Users button, the system applies the same settings
to all users logging on to the computer.
