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 he or she has the appropriate privileges
to install the program, and prompting for consent if he or she doesn't.
As part of installing a program, you might also need to make a program
available to all or selective users on a computer.
Working with Autorun
When you insert an application CD or DVD into a
CD or DVD drive, Windows Vista checks for a file named Autorun.inf. If
present, Autorun.inf specifies the action that the operating system
should take and can also define other installation parameters.
Auto-run.inf is a text-based file that can be opened in any standard
text editor. If you were to examine the contents, 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
the CD or DVD is inserted into the CD or DVD drive. Because the file 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 specified to open won't always be a program. Consider the following example:
[autorun]
OPEN=Autorun\ShelExec default.htm
This Autorun.inf file executes a shell and opens a file
named Default.htm when the CD or DVD is inserted into the CD or DVD
drive. As a result, when Autorun.inf is triggered, Default.htm opens 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 CD or DVD in a drive, you can
restart the Autorun process at any time. Simply open and then close the
drive bay.
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Application Setup and Compatibility
Most applications have a setup program that uses
InstallShield, Wise Install, or Microsoft 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.
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 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, you
should create a System Restore checkpoint before installing the
program.
Then if you run into problems, you can try to uninstall the program and
use System Restore to recover the system to the state it was in prior
to installing the program.
Before installing any application, you should check to
see whether it is compatible with Windows Vista. To determine
compatibility, you can perform the following check:
-
Check the software packaging, which should specify whether the program is compatible. Look for the Microsoft Windows Vista logo.
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Check the software developer's Web site for a list of compatible operating systems.
| Note |
Also as part of the compatibility check, check
for updates or patches for the program. If available, install updates
or patches after installing the program.
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With legacy applications, Windows Vista uses the
Program Compatibility Assistant to automatically make changes for known
compatibility issues. If the Program Compatibility Assistant detects a
known compatibility issue when you run a legacy 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 elect to manually configure compatibility.
For legacy applications, you can also use the
Compatibility Administrator (CompatAdmin.exe), provided in the Windows
Application Compatibility Toolkit, to create an application manifest
that sets the application's run level. The Compatibility Administrator
can also help identify other types of compatibility issues with legacy
applications. The Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit can be
downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows/appcompatibility/default.mspx.
Permissions Required for Installing, Uninstalling, and Maintaining Applications
To install programs under Windows Vista, you must
either use an account with administrator permissions or provide
administrator permissions when prompted. Keep the following in mind:
-
If you are using a standard user account, you
will be prompted for consent when you run the application's setup
program. If prompting for consent is disabled, you will not be able to
install applications.
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If you are using an administrator account, you
will be prompted for consent when you run the application's setup
program. If prompting for consent is disabled, the application's setup
program will run immediately.
Administrator privileges are also required to
uninstall applications. In many cases, however, you can perform
maintenance tasks, such as modifying or repairing an application, with
a standard user account.
Making Programs Available to All or Selected Users
Usually when you install a program, the program
is made available to all users on a computer. This occurs because the
program's shortcuts are placed in the Start Menu folder (%SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start
Menu) for all users so that any user who logs on to a system has access
to the 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 only
available to the currently logged on user and you want other users to
have access to the program, you'll need to take one of the following
actions:
-
Log on to the computer using each user account
that should have access to the program. Then rerun setup. In this way,
you can selectively make the program available to the appropriate
users. You will also need to remember to run setup again each time 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 folder for all users. Copy or
move the program shortcuts from the currently logged on user's profile
to the Start Menu 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:
-
Right-click the Start button and select Explore.
This starts Windows Explorer with the currently logged on user's Start
Menu folder selected.
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Under Programs, right-click the folder for the
program group or the shortcut you want to work with. Then select Copy
or Cut from the shortcut menu.
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Right-click the Start button and select Explore
All Users. This starts Windows Explorer with the Start Menu folder for
all users selected.
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Right-click Program and then select 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:
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Right-click the Start button and select Explore
All Users. This starts Windows Explorer with the Start Menu folder for
all users selected.
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Select Program, right-click the folder for the program group or shortcut that you want to work with, and select Cut.
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Right-click the Start button and select Explore.
This starts Windows Explorer with the currently logged on user's Start
Menu folder selected.
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Right-click Programs and then select Paste. The
program group or shortcut should now be available only to the currently
logged on user.
| Note |
Moving the 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. Using the Run dialog box or from
Windows Explorer, other users on a computer will still be able to run
the program.
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