Tools for Creating a Custom Application Compatibility Database
In addition to the user interface tools for application compatibility, there are two tools that are designed for the use of experienced system administrators and IT support staff: QFixApp and CompatAdmin. These are especially helpful in supporting applications not catalogued in the local or online application compatibility databases. Both can be found in the Application Compatibility Toolkit, available online from Microsoft.
QFixApp
QFixApp is a small application that provides an interface to the database of compatibility fixes included with the operating system. The tool is relatively simple to use: You need only browse for the executable file to be fixed and select the compatibility modes or fixes you want to apply (see Figure 5 below). This is a manual process—not semi-automated like that of the Program Compatibility Wizard—but it enables you to gain precise control over the compatibility fixes applied to your application. Another benefit to QFixApp is that it doesn’t require the application to be included in the list of applications with known compatibility problems. QFixApp can be very useful to those who want to determine the correct fixes to apply to their custom applications.
F
igure 5. QFixApp allows precise control over the fixes to apply to applications.
The QFixApp.exe tool enables you to select any executable file and apply to it one or more of the fixes available in the SysMain database (of which there will be approximately 200 shipped with the product). You can use QFixApp to identify which combinations of fixes enable your application to work on Windows XP.
To use QFixApp, begin by deciding whether you want to use a compatibility mode or a compatibility fix. The Layers tab allows you to choose compatibility modes, and the Fixes tab allows you to specify individual fixes, alone or severally. It is usually best to begin with a compatibility mode if you know that the application ran successfully on another version of Windows. Once you have made your selections, click the Run button, and QFixApp will then test the combination of fixes. (QFixApp uses the support utility ShimDBC.exe to test the group of selected fixes.)
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