pc health check: Windows XP Support

Programs may have program fixes applied to them to help them run without issues in a Windows operating system. However, you may want to disable a program fix on computers in your organization.

How to disable a program fix

To disable a program fix, use a test computer to determine the registry keys to create. You can then use these registry keys to disable the fix on other computers. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Install Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 on a test computer. To download the Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=81

2. Click Start, type compatibility, right-click Compatibility Administrator in the results list, and then click Run as Administrator.
3. In the Analyze pane, expand Applications, and then click a program.
4. In the details pane, right-click the program for which you want to disable the fix, and then click Disable Entry.

Note This action creates a registry entry in the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags
The name of the entry is the GUID that represents the program entry in the Appcompat database. The entry type is DWORD, and the entry has a value of 0x77.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all the program fixes that you want to disable.
6. Export the newly created registry entries to a .reg file. Then, deploy the .reg file to production computers.

Program Compatibility Assistant warnings
When you try to perform a silent installation or an automated installation of a program, the Program Compatibility Assistant may display a warning. Additionally, it may stop the installation. To allow for the automated installation of a program, you may want to disable this Program Compatibility Assistant warning.

How to disable a Program Compatibility Assistant warning

To disable a Program Compatibility Assistant warning, use a test computer to determine the registry keys to create. You can then use these registry keys to disable the Program Compatibility Assistant warning on other computers. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Run the affected program on a test computer.
2. When you receive the Program Compatibility Assistant warning message, click to select the Don't show this message again check box.

Note This action creates a registry entry in the following registry subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags
The name of the entry is the GUID that represents the program entry in the Appcompat database. The entry type is DWORD, and the entry has a value of 0x77.

Note The Program Compatibility Assistant warning appears only for a program that is not blocked from running.
3. Exit the program.
4. Note the registry entry that was created in step 3.
5. In the installation script, include steps to add the registry entry before the installation starts.

Before you begin to install Windows Vista, make sure that you have everything that you need for the installation. Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install and run Windows Vista. Also, determine whether you must perform an upgrade or a clean installation of Windows Vista. Use the information in this section to help you make these determinations.

System requirements

The following list describes the recommended minimum hardware requirements for basic functionality of the different editions of Windows Vista. Actual hardware requirements vary, depending on system configuration and on the programs and the features that you install. If you install Windows Vista over a network, additional hard disk space may be required.

Windows Vista Home Basic

• 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory

Note On system configurations that use system memory as graphics memory, at least 448 MB of system memory must be available to the operating system after some memory is allocated for graphics.
• DirectX 9-class graphics card
• 32 MB of graphics memory
• 20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability
Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate

• 1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• Windows Aero-capable graphics card

Note This includes a DirectX 9-class graphics card that supports the following:
• A WDDM driver
• Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
• 32 bits per pixel
• 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
• 40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.)
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability

SUMMARY
You probably reached this article because Device Manager reported an error code, and you are not sure how to resolve it. In this Post, we will help you find your error code and suggest what you might try to correct the error in the next post.

If you are using Windows Vista, or another operating system other than the Windows XP versions listed in the "Applies to" section, please contact Support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus

MORE INFORMATION
This section lists the error codes and possible resolutions for the error codes. The error codes are listed in numeric order.

Before you continue, make sure that you have the error code available. You can view the error code in the device Properties dialog box available in Device Manager. You can also resolve many of the errors within Device Manager.

To start troubleshooting, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that Device Manager is open, and that the device that has the problem is selected. You can perform some recommended resolutions through Device Manager.
a. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
b. Select the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
c. Double-click the device type that has the problem. For example, if you have problems with your modem, double-click Modems to see the devices in that category.

A list of devices appears. If a device has problems, the device has a red exclamation point next to it. If a device is unknown (usually because of missing drivers), the device has a yellow question mark next to it.
d. Right-click the device that has the problem, and then click Properties. This opens the device Properties dialog box. You can see the error code in the Device status area of this dialog box.
2. Use the Troubleshooting Wizard, if it is available, to help you diagnose and resolve your problem.
a. On the device Properties dialog box, click the General tab.
b. Click Troubleshoot to start the Troubleshooting Wizard. The wizard asks you some simple questions and provides a solution to your problem based on the answers that you provide. If the Troubleshooting Wizard is not available, go to step 3.
c. Follow the resolution steps provided by the wizard to resolve the problem.
d. Check the Device status area of the device Properties dialog box to see whether the error is resolved. If the error is resolved, you are finished. Otherwise, go to step 3.
3. If the Troubleshooting Wizard did not help you resolve your problem or was not available, locate your error code in this article.

Note If you cannot locate your error code in this article, contact Support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus
4. Follow the recommended resolutions for that error code.
• Check the Device status area of the device Properties dialog box to see whether the error is resolved. If the error is resolved, you are finished.

• If the problem still occurs, unfortunately, this article did not resolve your problem. For your next steps, you may want to ask someone for help. Or, you may want to contact Microsoft Support to help you resolve this problem