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Windows 8 : Installing Programs - Working with Autorun, Application Setup and Compatibility, Making Programs Available to All or Selected Users

10/13/2013 7:36:00 PM

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:

  • 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.

  • 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.

Working with Autorun

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:

  • Check the software packaging, which should specify whether the program is compatible. Look for the Windows 8 logo.

  • 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:

  • 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.

  • Remove Program Compatibility Property Page If enabled, the Compatibility tab isn’t available on Properties dialog boxes for programs.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Next, navigate to the Start Menu\Programs folder for all users. This hidden folder is under %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\.

  4. 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:

  1. In File Explorer, navigate to the all-users Start Menu folder. This hidden folder is under %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Other  
  •  Windows 7 : Windows Management and Maintenance - Additional Tools
  •  Windows 7 : Windows Management and Maintenance - System Tools Folder in Start Menu
  •  Windows 7 : Windows Management and Maintenance - Administrative Tools
  •  Outlining AD DS Changes in Windows Server 2012 (part 3) : Auditing Changes Made to AD Objects
  •  Outlining AD DS Changes in Windows Server 2012 (part 2) : Restarting AD DS on a Domain Controller, Implementing Multiple Password Policies per Domain
  •  Outlining AD DS Changes in Windows Server 2012 (part 1) : Restoring Deleted AD DS Objects Using the Active Directory Recycle Bin
  •  Windows Server 2012 : Understanding AD DS Replication, Outlining the Role of DNS in AD DS
  •  Settings Breakdown for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista : Policies (part 6) - Administrative Templates
  •  Settings Breakdown for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista : Policies (part 5) - Security Settings - Public Key Policies, Software Restriction Policies
  •  Settings Breakdown for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista : Policies (part 4) - Security Settings - Wired Network, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
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