Windows 8 : Deploying Applications Through Group Policy, Configuring Program Compatibility

1. Deploying Applications Through Group Policy

You can make applications available to users over the network through Group Policy. When you use Group Policy to deploy applications, you have two distribution options:

• Assign the application to users or computers. When an application is assigned to a computer, it is installed the next time the computer is started and is available to all users of that computer the next time users log on. When an application is assigned to a user, it is installed the next time the user logs on to the network. An assigned application can also be configured to be installed on first use. In this configuration, the application is made available through shortcuts on the user’s desktop or Start screen. With install-on-first-use configured, the application is installed when the user clicks a shortcut to start the application.

• Publish the application and make it available for installation. When you publish an application, the application can be made available through extension activation. With extension activation configured, the program is installed when a user opens any file with an extension associated with the application. For example, if a user double-taps or double-clicks a file with a .doc or .docx extension, Word could be installed automatically.

You deploy applications for computers using a Windows Installer Package (.msi file) and policies under Computer Configuration\Policies\Software Settings\Software Installation. You deploy applications for users using a Windows Installer Package (.msi file) and policies under User Configuration\Policies\Software Settings\Software Installation. The basic steps required to deploy applications through Group Policy are as follows:

1. For clients to access the Windows Installer Package, it must be located on a network share. As necessary, copy the Windows Installer Package (.msi file) to a network share that is accessible to the appropriate users.

2. In the Group Policy Management Editor, open the Group Policy Object from which you want to deploy the application. After it is deployed, the application is available to all clients to which the Group Policy Object applies. This means the application is available to computers and users in the related domain, site, or organizational unit (OU).

3. Expand Computer Configuration\Policies\Software Settings or User Configuration\Policies\Software Settings, press and hold or right-click Software Installation, point to New, and then tap or click Package.

4. Use the Open dialog box to locate the Windows Installer Package (.msi file) for the application, and then tap or click Open. You are then given the choice to select the deployment method: Published, Assigned, or Advanced.

5. To publish or assign the program, select Published or Assigned, and then tap or click OK. If you are configuring computer policy, the program is available the next time a computer affected by the Group Policy Object is started. If you are configuring user policy, the program is available to users in the domain, site, or OU the next time users log on. Currently logged-on users need to log off and then log on.

6. To configure additional deployment options for the program, select Advanced. You can then set additional deployment options as necessary.

2. Configuring Program Compatibility

If you want to install 16-bit or MS-DOS-based programs, you might need to make special considerations. Additionally, to get older programs to run, you might sometimes need to adjust compatibility options. Techniques for handling these situations are discussed in the following sections.

Special Installation Considerations for 16-Bit and MS-DOS-Based Programs

Many 16-bit and MS-DOS-based programs that don’t require direct access to hardware can be installed and run on Windows 8 without any problems. However, most 16-bit and MS-DOS-based programs do not support long file names. To help ensure compatibility with these programs, Windows 8 maps long and short file names as necessary. This ensures that long file names are protected when they are modified by a 16-bit or an MS-DOS-based program. Additionally, it is important to note that some 16-bit and MS-DOS-based programs require 16-bit drivers, which are not supported on Windows 8. As a result, these programs won’t run.

Most existing 16-bit and MS-DOS-based programs were originally written for Windows 3.0 or Windows 3.1. Windows 8 runs these older programs using a virtual machine that mimics the 386-enhanced mode used by Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1 Unlike on other recent releases of Windows, on Windows 8 each 16-bit and MS-DOS-based program runs as a thread within a single virtual machine. This means that if you run multiple 16-bit and MS-DOS-based programs, they all share a common memory space. Unfortunately, if one of these programs stops responding or “hangs,” it usually means the others will as well.

You can help prevent one 16-bit or MS-DOS-based program from causing others to hang or crash by running it in a separate memory space. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold or right-click the program’s shortcut icon, and then tap or click Properties. If the program doesn’t have a shortcut, create one, and then open the shortcut’s Properties dialog box.

2. On the Shortcut tab, tap or click Advanced. This displays the Advanced Properties dialog box.

3. Select the Run In Separate Memory Space check box.

4. Tap or click OK twice to close all open dialog boxes and save the changes.

Note

Running a program in a separate memory space uses additional memory. However, you’ll usually find that the program is more responsive. Another added benefit is that you are able to run multiple instances of the program—so long as all the instances are running in separate memory spaces.

Tip

The Windows command prompt (Cmd.exe) is a 32-bit command prompt. If you want to invoke a 16-bit MS-DOS command prompt, you can use Command.com. Type command in the Run dialog box.

Forcing Program Compatibility

Some programs won’t install or run on Windows 8 even if they work on previous versions of the Windows operating system. If you try to install a program that has known compatibility problems, Windows 8 should display a warning prompt telling you about the compatibility issue. In most cases, you should not continue installing or running a program with known compatibility problems, especially if the program is a system utility such as an antivirus program or a disk partitioning program, because running an incompatible system utility can cause serious problems. Running other types of incompatible programs can also cause problems, especially if they write to system locations on disk.

That said, if a program will not install or run on Windows 8, you might be able to run the program by adjusting its compatibility settings. Windows 8 provides two mechanisms for managing compatibility settings. You can use the Program Compatibility Wizard, or you can edit the program’s compatibility settings directly by using the program’s Properties dialog box. Both techniques work the same way. However, the Program Compatibility Wizard is the only way you can change compatibility settings for programs that are on shared network drives, CD or DVD drives, or other types of removable media drives. As a result, you can sometimes use the Program Compatibility Wizard to install and run programs that would not otherwise install and run.

Using the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Wizard

You can configure compatibility settings only for programs you’ve installed. You can’t configure compatibility settings for programs included with the operating system. To try to automatically detect compatibility issues using the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Wizard, follow these steps:

1. Locate the program shortcut. Press and hold or right-click the program shortcut, and then tap or click Troubleshoot Compatibility. This starts the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Wizard, as shown in Figure 1.

   

   Figure 8-2. Troubleshoot program compatibility issues.

2. The wizard automatically tries to detect compatibility issues. To try to run the program you are troubleshooting with the recommended fixes, tap or click Try Recommended Settings. Next, review the settings that will be applied, and then tap or click Test The Program.

3. After running the program, tap or click Next, and then do one of the following:

   • Tap or click Yes, Save These Settings For This Program if the compatibility settings resolved the problem and you want to keep the settings.

   • Tap or click No, Try Again Using Different Settings if the compatibility settings didn’t resolve the problem and you want to repeat this process from the beginning.

   • Tap or click No, Report The Problem To Microsoft And Check Online For A Solution if the compatibility settings didn’t resolve the problem and you’d like to check for an online solution.

   • Tap or click Cancel if you want to discard the compatibility settings and exit the wizard.

To perform advanced troubleshooting and use the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Wizard to specify the compatibility settings to use, follow these steps:

1. In File Explorer, locate the program shortcut by navigating the menus under %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. Press and hold or right-click the program shortcut, and then tap or click Troubleshoot Compatibility. This starts the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Wizard.

2. Tap or click Troubleshoot Program. On the What Problems Do You Notice? page, you can specify information about problems you’ve seen. The selections you make determine the wizard pages you see when you tap or click Next. They include the following:

   • The Program Worked In Earlier Versions Of Windows But Won’t Install Or Run Now If you select this option, you are prompted on one of the subsequent wizard pages to specify which version. Because your choice sets the compatibility mode, choose the operating system for which the program was designed. When running the program, Windows 8 simulates the environment for the specified operating system.

   • The Program Opens But Doesn’t Display Correctly If you are trying to run a game, an educational program, or any other program that requires specific display settings, such as a program designed for Microsoft Windows 98, you can select this option and then choose the type of display problem you are seeing. Your selections restrict the video display: when you use 256 colors, 640 x 480 screen resolution, or both, Windows restricts the video display. This can help with programs that have problems running at higher screen resolutions and greater color depths. Your selections can also disable themes, desktop compositing (which prevents special visual effects on the desktop), and display scaling of high dots-per-inch (DPI) settings.

   • The Program Requires Additional Permissions If you choose this option, the program will be configured to run with administrator privileges.

   • I Don’t See My Problem Listed If you choose this option, the wizard displays optional pages for operating system and display issue selection. The wizard also sets the program to run as an administrator. Ultimately, choosing this option has the same effect as if you had selected all three of the previous options.

3. Review the compatibility settings that will be applied. If you don’t want to apply these settings, tap or click Cancel and repeat this procedure to select different options. If you want to apply these settings, tap or click Test The Program, and the wizard runs the program with the compatibility settings you specified.

4. After running the program, tap or click Next to continue. When you continue, you are prompted to confirm whether the changes fixed the problem. Do one of the following:

   • If the compatibility settings resolved the problem and you want to keep the settings, tap or click Yes, Save These Settings For This Program.

   • If the compatibility settings didn’t resolve the problem and you want to repeat this process from the beginning, tap or click No, Try Again Using Different Settings.

   • If the compatibility settings didn’t resolve the problem and you’d like to check for an online solution, tap or click No, Report The Problem To Microsoft And Check Online For A Solution.

   • If you want to discard the compatibility settings and exit the wizard, tap or click Cancel.

Note

If you’ve configured alternate display settings for a program, the program will run in the alternate display mode whenever you start it. To restore the original display settings, simply exit the program.

Setting Compatibility Options Directly

If a program you have already installed won’t run correctly, you might want to edit the compatibility settings directly rather than by using the wizard. To do this, follow these steps.

1. Press and hold or right-click the program’s shortcut icon, and then tap or click Properties.

2. In the Properties dialog box, tap or click the Compatibility tab. Any option you select is applied to the currently logged-on user for the program shortcut. To apply the setting to all users on the computer and regardless of which shortcut is used to start the program, tap or click Change Setting For All Users to display the Properties dialog box for the program’s .exe file, and then select the compatibility settings that you want to use for all users who log on to the computer.

   Note

   Programs that are part of Windows 8 cannot be run in Compatibility mode. The options on the Compatibility tab are not available for built-in programs.

3. Select the Run This Program In Compatibility Mode For check box, and then use the selection menu to choose the operating system for which the program was designed.

4. If necessary, use the options in the Settings panel to restrict the video display settings for the program. Select 256 colors, 640 x 480 screen resolution, or both, as required.

5. If necessary, you can also disable visual themes, desktop compositing, and display scaling of high DPI settings.

6. Tap or click OK. Double-tap or double-click the shortcut to run the program and test the compatibility settings. If you still have problems running the program, you might need to modify the compatibility settings again.