Program installation is fairly straightforward. Not so
straightforward are troubleshooting the many things that can go wrong
and fixing problems. To solve problems that might occur, you first need
to understand the installation process. In many cases, the typical
installation process starts when Autorun is triggered. Autorun in turn
invokes a setup program. Once the setup program starts, the
installation process can begin. Part of the installation process
involves checking the user’s credentials to ensure that he or she has
the appropriate privileges to install the program and prompting for
consent if the user doesn’t. As part of installing a program, you might
also need to make the program available to all or only some users on a
computer.
Occasionally, Windows might not be successful in detecting the
required installation permissions. This can occur if the installation
manifest for the program has an embedded RequestedExecutionLevel setting that has a value set as RequireAdministrator.
Because the RequestedExecutionLevel setting overrides what the
installer detects in Windows, the installation process fails any time
you run the
installer with standard user permissions. To solve this problem, back
out of the failed installation by exiting, canceling the installation,
or taking another appropriate action. Next, locate the executable file
for the installer. Press and hold or right-click this file, and then
tap or click Run As Administrator to restart the installation process
with administrator privileges.
Application Control policies replace Software
Restriction policies. Software Restriction policies control the
applications that users can install and run on Microsoft Windows 2000,
Windows XP, and Windows Vista. Application Control policies control the
applications that users can install and run on Windows 7 and later, as
well as Windows Server 2008 Release 2 and later. Keep the following in
mind:
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When you are editing
a Group Policy Object, you can create and manage Software Restriction
policies by using settings for computers under Computer
Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Software
Restriction Policies, and settings for users under User
Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Software
Restriction Policies. Enforcement settings control how restrictions are
applied. Designated file types determine what is and what is not
considered an executable program.
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When you are editing a Group Policy Object, you can create and
manage Application Control policies by using settings for computers
under Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security
Settings\Application Control Policies. You can now create separate
rules for executable files, Windows installer files, and script files.
Rules can be applied by publisher, file path, or file hash. A publisher
rule gives you the most flexibility, enabling you to specify which
products and versions to allow. For example, you could allow Microsoft
Word 2007 or later.
When you insert an application disc, Windows 8 checks for a file named Autorun.inf.
If present, Autorun.inf specifies the action that the operating system
should take and might also define other installation parameters.
Autorun.inf is a text-based file that can be opened in any standard
text editor. If you were to examine the contents of one, you’d see
something similar to the following code:
[autorun]
OPEN=SETUP.EXE AUTORUN=1
ICON=SETUP.EXE,4
SHELL=OPEN
DisplayName=Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9
ShortName=PIS
PISETUP=PIP\pisetup.exe
This Autorun.inf file opens a file named Setup.exe when a disc is
inserted into a drive. Because Setup.exe is an actual program, this
program is invoked. The Autorun.inf file also specifies an icon to use,
the status of the shell, the program display name, the program’s short
name, and an additional parameter, which in this case is the location
of another setup program to run.
The file that Autorun.inf specifies to open won’t always be a program. Consider the following example:
[autorun]
OPEN=Autorun\ShelExec default.htm
This Autorun.inf
file executes via the shell and opens a file named Default.htm in the
computer’s web browser. It’s important to note that even in this case,
the document opened in the web browser contains links that point to a
setup program.
Tip
With an application disc in a drive, you can restart the Autorun process at any time. Simply open and then close the drive bay.
Application Setup and Compatibility
Most applications have a setup program that uses InstallShield, Wise Install, or Windows
Installer. When you start the setup program, the installer helps track
the installation process and should also make it possible to easily
uninstall the program when necessary. If you are installing
an older application, the setup program might use an older version of
one of these installers, and this might mean the uninstall process
won’t completely uninstall the program.
Even if you are absolutely certain that
a program has a current
installer, you should consider the possibility that you will need to
recover the system if something goes wrong with the installation. To
help ensure that you can recover your system, check that System Restore
is enabled for the drive on which you are installing the program so
that System Restore can create an automatic checkpoint before
installing the program.
Although the installers for most current programs automatically
trigger the creation of a restore point before making any changes to a
computer, the installers for older programs might not. Then, if you run into problems, you can try to uninstall the program or
use System Restore to recover the system to the state it was in prior
to the program’s installation.
Before installing any application, you should check to see whether
it is compatible with Windows 8. To determine compatibility, you can do
the following:
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Check the software packaging, which should specify whether the program is compatible. Look for the Windows 8 logo.
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Check the software developer’s website for a list of compatible operating systems.
Note
As part of the compatibility check, look for updates or patches for
the program. If any are available, install them after installing the
program.
Windows 8 attempts to recognize potential compatibility problems
before you install applications. If it detects one, you might see a Program
Compatibility Assistant dialog box after you start a program’s
installer. Often, this dialog box contains information about the known
compatibility issues with the program, and in many cases, it displays a
possible solution. For example, you might be advised to install the
latest service pack for the program before running the program on the
computer. In some cases, the Program Compatibility Assistant might
display the message “This program is blocked due to compatibility
issues.” Here, the program is blocked because it causes a known
stability issue with Windows, and you can’t create an immediate fix to
work around the problem. Your only options are to tap or click the
Check For Solutions Online button or tap or click Cancel. If you check
for solutions online, the typical solution requires you to purchase an
updated version of the program. If you cancel, you stop the installation process without checking for possible solutions.
If the installation continues but fails
for any reason before it is
fully complete (or to properly notify the operating system regarding
completion), you’ll also see a Program
Compatibility Assistant dialog box. In this case, if the program
installed correctly, tap or click This Program Installed Correctly. If
the program didn’t install correctly, tap or click Reinstall Using
Recommended Settings to allow the Program Compatibility Assistant to
apply one or more compatibility fixes, and then try again to run the
installer.
When you start programs, Windows
8 uses the Program Compatibility Assistant to automatically make
changes for known compatibility issues as well. If the Program
Compatibility Assistant detects a known compatibility issue when you
run an application, it notifies you about the problem and provides
possible solutions for resolving the problem automatically. You can
then allow the Program Compatibility Assistant to reconfigure the
application for you, or you can manually configure compatibility .
Policies in the Administrative Templates policies for Computer
Configuration under Windows Components\Application Compatibility are
also used to control compatibility settings. They include:
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Prevent Access To 16-Bit Applications
If enabled, the MS-DOS subsystem is prevented from running on
computers. This also means any 32-bit program with 16-bit installers or
other 16-bit components can’t run.
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Remove Program Compatibility Property Page If enabled, the Compatibility tab isn’t available on Properties dialog boxes for programs.
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Turn Off Application Compatibility Engine
If enabled, Windows is prevented from checking the compatibility
database for known issues when programs are started. While this might
boost system performance when starting applications, it can result in a
stop error on a blue screen if incompatible programs are run on the
system and not configured properly.
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Turn Off Program Compatibility Assistant
If enabled, legacy applications will run without Switchback protection.
Switchback is a compatibility feature that works with legacy
applications to address general compatibility issues that legacy
applications are known to have when running on current Windows
releases. While this might boost application performance, applications
with incompatibilities may become unresponsive or cause other problems
on the system.
Making Programs Available to All or Selected Users
On Windows 8, Start replaces the traditional menu system. Desktop
apps are automatically added to Start when you install them and will
have a Start tile. A start tile makes it easy to start and manage the
app. You can press and hold or right-click the tile to display
management options.
Tile options available depend on the type of tile. Live tiles can
display updates, and these updates can be turned on or off. Some tiles
can be displayed in various sizes and you may be able to make a tile
smaller or larger. If you no longer want a tile to be displayed on Start, you can choose the Unpin From Start option.
After installation, most desktop
programs should have related tiles on the Start screen and related
options on the All Apps list. This occurs because a program’s
shortcuts are placed in the appropriate subfolder of the Start
Menu\Programs folder (%SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start
Menu\Programs) for all users
so that any user who logs on to the system has access to that program.
Some programs prompt you during installation to choose whether you want
to install the program for all users or only for the currently
logged-on user. Other programs simply install themselves only for the
current user.
If setup installs a program so that it is available only to the
currently logged-on user and you want other users to have access to the
program, you need to take one of the following actions:
-
Log on to the computer with each user account that should have
access to the program, and then rerun Setup to make the program
available to these users. You also need to run Setup again when a new
user account is added to the computer and that user needs access to the
program.
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For programs that don’t require per-user
settings to be added to the
registry before running, you can in some cases make the program
available to all users on a computer by adding the appropriate
shortcuts to the Start Menu\Programs folder for all users. Copy or move
the program shortcuts from the currently logged-on user’s profile to
the Start Menu\Programs folder for all users.
If you want to make a program available to all users on a computer,
you can copy or move a program’s shortcuts by completing the following
steps:
-
In File Explorer, navigate to the currently logged-on user’s
Programs folder. This is a hidden folder under
%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. In File
Explorer, you view hidden items by selecting the Hidden Items check box
on the View tab.
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In the Programs folder, press and hold or right-click the folder for
the program group or the shortcut you want to work with, and then tap
or click Copy or Cut on the shortcut menu.
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Next, navigate to the Start Menu\Programs folder for all users. This
hidden folder is under %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\.
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In the Programs folder, press and hold or right-click an open space,
and then tap or click Paste. The program group or shortcut should now
be available to all users of the computer.
If you want to make a program available only to the currently
logged-on user rather than all users on a computer, you can move a
program’s shortcuts by completing the following steps:
-
In File Explorer, navigate to the all-users Start Menu folder. This
hidden folder is under
%SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu.
-
In the Programs folder, press and hold
or right-click the folder for a program group or the program shortcut
that you want to work with, and then tap or click Cut.
-
In File Explorer, navigate to the currently logged-on user’s
Programs folder. This is a hidden folder under
%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu.
-
In the Programs folder, press and hold or right-click an open space,
and then tap or click Paste. The program group or shortcut should now
be available only to the currently logged-on user.
Note
Moving a program group or shortcut hides the fact that the
program is available on the computer—it doesn’t prevent other users
from running the program by using the Run dialog box or File Explorer.
