Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.

0 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

March 2008

Summary: This document provides answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.0.

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Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3 Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................................... 4 General ACT Questions ...................................................................................................... 4 Q: How do I get started with ACT? ................................................................................. 4 Q: What are the supported operating systems? ............................................................. 4 Q: Does ACT work on 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system? ..................... 4 Q: Does ACT work on Windows 2000? .......................................................................... 4 Deployment Planning Questions ......................................................................................... 5 Q: How do I choose which computers to deploy DCPs to?............................................. 5 Q: What resources are required to run the ACT Log Processing Service? ..................... 5 Q: What is the resource usage of ACT? ......................................................................... 5 Q: How can we provide access to ACT for testers and users? ....................................... 5 Data Collection Packages and Data Collection Questions .................................................. 6 Q: How do I uninstall a data collection package (DCP)? ................................................ 6 Q: Do I have to restart the client computer to get a DCP to collect data? ....................... 6 Q: Can I use ACT 5.0 to help upgrade to the Windows XP operating system? .............. 6 Q: Why am I getting an executable is not a valid 32 bit app error? .............................. 6 Q: Why am I getting the following errors? ....................................................................... 7 Q: Why arent my DCPs sending data to the ACT Log Processing share?..................... 7 Q: Why cant I restart ACT Log Processing Service? ..................................................... 7 Q: Can I import application data from SMS or SCCM? ................................................... 8 Data Analysis Questions ..................................................................................................... 8 Q: Is there a published schema for ACT 5.0? ................................................................ 8 Q: Can I delete a computer or application from my ACT database? ............................... 8 Q: Where is the update evaluator for Windows Vista? ................................................... 8 Setup Analysis Tool Questions............................................................................................ 8 Q: What should I do when the SAT stops responding in a virtual environment? ............ 8

Introduction
This forum is intended for the users of Microsofts Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT). ACT includes a set of tools that are created to help enterprise IT professionals to manage the deployment of the Windows operating system across many computers. If you are searching for other compatibility-based issue support, you can view the following resources: I am using an application that does not appear to function properly on Windows Vista. If you are a home or small business user who is experiencing application issues with Windows Vista, you can get support from the Windows Vista Community (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108677) Web site. Does the vendor support your software on Windows Vista? You can check out our list of applications that are known to be supported on Windows Vista by going to the Windows Vista AppReadiness (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110634) Web site. I am developing an application that does not appear to function properly on Windows Vista. If you are a developer who is creating applications that will work on Windows Vista, you can get additional support from the Application Compatibility for Windows Vista (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108680) MSDN Web site.

2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The following sections will answer the most frequently asked questions about ACT. If you do not see your question here, we recommend that you post your question to the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Toolkit (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108682) forum.

General ACT Questions

This section provides answers to the general ACT-related questions.

Q: How do I get started with ACT?

For detailed information about using ACT, which includes the following tools: Application Compatibility Manager Compatibility Administrator Standard User Analyzer Setup Analysis Tool Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool

You can download the ACT 5 Step by Step Guides (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110630)

Q: What are the supported operating systems?

ACT is fully supported on the following operating systems: Windows Vista Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Important ACT is not supported on Windows Server 2008 nor is it supported on Windows NT.

Q: Does ACT work on 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system?

ACT is not supported on any 64-bit version of the Windows operating system. However, ACT does assist with migrating to a 64-bit version of the Windows operating system by reporting on 64-bit incompatibilities. In addition, you can use the Setup Analysis Tool (SAT) to detect 16-bit components and 32-bit device drivers, which are not compatible with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

Q: Does ACT work on Windows 2000?

The Application Compatibility Manager and the ACT tools are not supported on the Windows 2000 operating system; however, you can deploy any of the following compatibility evaluators to a computer running Windows 2000: Inventory Collector User Account Control Compatibility Evaluator (UACCE) Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE) Windows Vista Compatibility Evaluator (WVCE)

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Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

Important The Internet Explorer Compatibility Evaluator (IECE) is not supported for deployment to computers that are running Windows 2000 because you must test your Web sites by using Internet Explorer 7, which is not supported on Windows 2000.

Deployment Planning Questions

This section provides answers to the most frequently asked deployment planning questions.

Q: How do I choose which computers to deploy DCPs to?

It is not possible for me to deploy my data collection packages (DCPs) to every computer in my organization. So, how do I choose which computers I should deploy to? This decision must be based on your organizations business requirements. However, there we do recommend the following: 1. You must ensure that all device drivers are captured so the proper impact can be assessed during an operating system or security upgrade, in addition to locating potential issue and solution data provided by Microsoft Corporation, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and the ACT Community. 2. You must sample each unique hardware configuration so you can synchronize with the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange and obtain the relevant driver compatibility issues. For more specific details and additional DCP deployment considerations, you can download the ACT 5.0 Deployment Planning Guide, located under the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82101) Web site.

Q: What resources are required to run the ACT Log Processing Service?
You can run the ACT Log Processing Service on any computer that has enough disk space. There is no requirement for a minimum processing speed (CPU) or memory (RAM) allotment; however, for larger deployments we do recommend that you have a minimum processor speed of 3GHz and a minimum memory allotment of 2 GB. Refer to either the ACT 5 online Help system or the ACT5 Deployment Guide for more information.

Q: What is the resource usage of ACT?

Resource usage includes the client computers disk space, the required network bandwidth, the CPU time, and the ACT Log Processing Service server. For specific details, you can review the DCP Log File Processing and Disk Space Utilization section of ACT 5.0 Deployment Planning Guide, located under the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82101) Web site.

Q: How can we provide access to ACT for testers and users?

The Application Compatibility Manager enables you to restrict access for the testing and remediation processes being done by the various application owners throughout your organization. To enable the restricted access, follow these steps.

2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

1. Provide read and write access to the database for any users that require access to the compatibility reports. 2. Start the Application Compatibility Manager for the first time, and then select the View and manage reports only option from the Configuration Type Selection page of the ACT Configuration Wizard. Selecting this option creates an instance of the ACT that cannot connect to the ACT Log Processing Service, but enables users to create data collection packages and to analyze their data. The users to which you provided the read and write access will now be able to record their assessment ratings, their issue reproduction steps, and their solutions. In addition, you can create queries for each group and enable them to review only the relevant information for their specific applications.

Data Collection Packages and Data Collection Questions

This section provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about data collection packages (DCPs) and the data collection process.

Q: How do I uninstall a data collection package (DCP)?

To manually uninstall a DCP, you can: 1. Open a Command Prompt window, navigate to the %Program Files%\Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5\Agent Framework Install directory, and then type:
afsetup.exe /uninstall

-OR2. You can use the Add or Remove Programs application, which is available in the Control Panel, to uninstall the Microsoft Application Compatibility Data Collector 5.0 application. Important You should only do this procedure in an emergency. Under normal circumstances, the data collection package will automatically uninstall when it is done.

Q: Do I have to restart the client computer to get a DCP to collect data?

The only time you will have to restart the client computer is if the DCP includes either the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE) or the Windows Vista Compatibility Evaluator (WVCE), and if the client computer is running Windows 2000. All other evaluators, and even the above mentioned evaluators on the other supported operating systems, do not require a restart.

Q: Can I use ACT 5.0 to help upgrade to the Windows XP operating system?
It is not possible to use ACT 5.0 for testing upgrades to the Windows XP operating system because the included compatibility evaluators only detect the top issues related to Windows Vista. The ACT 5.0 compatibility evaluators no longer detect the top issues related to Windows XP, such as Windows Firewall and DCOM. We recommend that you only use the Inventory Collector while performing a Windows XP deployment evaluation. This collected data can then be used in the ACT Community to help you determine potential compatibility issues.

Q: Why am I getting an executable is not a valid 32 bit app error?

This error can occur when a DCP is packaged on a computer running Windows Vista, but is deployed to an earlier version of the Windows operating system. If you intend to deploy the DCP to a computer running any version earlier than Windows Vista, you should create and package the DCP on a computer

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Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

running either Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. For more information, download the ACT 5.0 Readme, located under the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82101) Web site.

Q: Why am I getting the following errors?

The following errors appear for the queuer.exe and actdcsvs.exe files, requiring you to take action. Queuer.exe Second instance of QUEUER agent must execute stop command Queuer.exe Errors occurred in parsing command line, please add/verify command options Actdcsvs.exe Framework exiting because of the following system agents failed. QUEUER

You must open the Services tool and stop the ACT Log Processing Service. After stopping the service, you must then verify that the QUEUER.EXE process is no longer running. If the QUEUER.EXE process is still running, you must stop that process, and then restart the ACT Log Processing Service.

Q: Why arent my DCPs sending data to the ACT Log Processing share?
If your DCPs are not sending your compatibility data to the ACT Log Processing share, you must review your client computers event log to determine the related permissions issue. To resolve an Event ID 1017 error, you must verify that your ACT Log Processing share directory has the following permissions: Share level permissions. Verify that the Everyone group has both change and read permissions Folder level permissions. Verify that the Everyone group has write access. Important If your client computers are on a different domain, you must grant both read and write access at the folder level to the <domain>\Domain computers. For more information, download the ACT 5.0 Deployment Planning Guide, located under the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82101) Web site. If you locate an Event ID 1008 error, that includes the following text, [collect.exe] Failed to parse the command line arguments. Failed to get a path to the user's temp directory. (hr= 0x00000005), then you must verify that the DCP has read and write permissions to the location pointed to by the %TMP% or %TEMP% directory.

Q: Why cant I restart ACT Log Processing Service?

If your status logs seem to fail or if the ACT Log Processing Service stops and then fails to restart, you must review your client computers event log to determine if the following issue exists:
ACTUPLOAD: Microsoft.ApplicationExperience.Common.ObjectFramework.PersistenceException: Persistence_FlushSqlError ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: The INSERT statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint "DCP_Status_Agent_DCP_Data_Service_ForeignKey". The conflict occurred in database "ACTDatabase", table "dbo.Agent_DCP_Data_Service". (Truncated)

To fix this issue, you must verify that you still have the DCP that produced the uploaded data that you imported into ACT. If you have changed databases since you created the DCP, you must import the data collection package into ACT again, by using the import functionality.

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Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Version 5.0 FAQ

Q: Can I import application data from SMS or SCCM?

Currently, importing the inventory data from Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) into ACT is not supported.

Data Analysis Questions

This section provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about data analysis and the Application Compatibility Manager.

Q: Is there a published schema for ACT 5.0?

The ACT 5.0 schema is not published and Microsoft reserves the right to change the database schema in future releases of ACT.

Q: Can I delete a computer or application from my ACT database?

You cannot delete computers or applications from the ACT database; however, you can assign your obsolete data to a category that you are able to filter out of your reports.

Q: Where is the update evaluator for Windows Vista?

ACT 5.0 is unable to provide data from the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE) about how a released Windows security update might impact specific applications on computers running the Windows Vista operating system.

Setup Analysis Tool Questions

This section provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Setup Analysis Tools (SAT).

Q: What should I do when the SAT stops responding in a virtual environment?

When using SAT in a virtual environment, the satinstall.exe application may seem to stop after it reaches the following text:
Waiting for the SAT Guest driver installation to complete. Note that this will fail on all 64-bit Windows versions, all unsupported operating system service packs, and any computer with installed data collection packages.

To fix this issue you must verify that AutoAdminLogon is enabled on the host computer. We recommend that you also check your Group Policy settings.

2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.