5.2 Compatibility Administrator
The Microsoft Compatibility Exchange is a source for
information on application compatibility problems and their possible
solutions, which Microsoft maintains and updates on a regular basis.
To access this resource, you use the Compatibility Administrator
application, which is included in the ACT in 32-bit and 64-bit
versions. When you open the application, as shown in Figure 7, you can browse
through a list of hundreds of applications in the left pane, and see
the available compatibility fixes for the selected application on
the right.
5.3 Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool
As Web-based applications become increasingly more
complicated, they also become increasingly likely to experience
compatibility issues. To isolate these issues, it is not enough to
test the browser application itself, you must also test the specific
Web sites that your users need to access. ACT includes a program
called the Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool that enables
you to scan Web pages and applications in real time.
When you run the program and click the Enable button, the tool
begins to monitor all of your browser activities, as you access the
sites you want to test. By performing all of the functions the Web
application offers, you can gather a complete debugging log in the
tool’s Live Data window, as shown in Figure 8.
5.4 Standard User Analyzer
UAC is a common
source of compatibility issues because applications designed for
previous versions of Windows might not receive the access they
require to run. ACT includes a tool, primarily intended for
application developers, that tests for these issues, much in the
same way that the Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tools examine
Web-based applications.
The Standard User Analyzer, using a wizard-based or manual
format, executes an application you select, and as you access the
application’s various functions, the analyzer displays its
activities in real time, as shown in Figure 9, and stores them in a
log.
