Tips for Windows developers
It seems inevitable. At some point, you get into a situation where you need to shutdown Windows without a display or a mouse. Maybe your laptop screen has failed or your display driver is problematic. Or perhaps, you need to drive some automation to shutdown Windows. This little trick will allow you to shutdown Windows … Read moreHow to Shutdown Windows with Your Eyes Closed
If your developing a new Windows 8 app and you want to test it on another device (e.g. Surface), you’ll need to use a technique called sideloading. This can easily be done through a few steps that I’ll describe in this post. What is Sideloading? Windows 8 Store Apps are deployed through the Windows Store. … Read moreHow Do I Deploy a Windows 8 App to Another Device for Testing?
For browsing, IE 10 provides a great touch experience with the Metro style browser. If you don’t have touch enabled hardware available, here’s a quick way to simulate touch behavior to test your site. Visual Studio Simulator Visual Studio Express 2012 is designed for writing Metro Style apps. It includes a very nice “slate” simulator. … Read moreHow do I Test Internet Explorer 10 Touch Behavior Without a Touch Device?
When I need to troubleshoot a compatibility problem, there are a handful of tools that I use that are very helpful. In this post, I’ll talk about some of my favorite tools and how to use them to identify compatibility issues. Most applications do a poor job of reporting unexpected errors. A lot of times, … Read moreTroubleshooting Application Compatibility Issues – Tools, Tips, and Tricks
You may have heard of Windows 7 Software Client Logo. Did you know that it has an automated test? Did you know the toolkit was designed to be scripted so you can add it to your testing process? In this post, I’ll walk though how you might want to leverage the logo toolkit in your … Read moreLeveraging Windows 7 Client Software Logo Toolkit to Test Your Application
If you increase your DPI setting in Windows 7 (or Vista), you may notice your application doesn’t look the way you intended. What’s the Big Deal? You may say, “Nobody changes the default DPI, right?” Well, Windows 7 might. Windows 7 may increase the default DPI setting based on the resolution the video card supports. … Read moreWhy does a High DPI Setting Make My Application Look Fuzzy and Have Clipped Text?
When a new OS is released, a high percentage of applications don’t install or don’t run because they check for a specific OS version. The application or installer checks for a specific version number and exits if it isn’t what is expected. I’ve heard claims of up to 50% of incompatibility issues are due to … Read moreCommon Problems with Checking OS Versions in Code
In most cases, 32-bit applications execute with no issues on 64-bit thanks to WOW64. However, there are a few cases that you may need to make modifications to your application in order for it to work on 64-bit. I’ll cover the common issues and possible solutions in this post. 64-bit OS Basics Issue Solution 32-bit … Read moreCommon Issues with 32-bit Applications Failing on 64-bit
If you have an existing application, you may be wondering if it’s going to work on Windows 7. If it works on Vista, you have a good shot at it working on Windows 7. As a developer or a tester, you may be wondering if you have tested your application to uncover potential issues on … Read moreWindows 7 Application Compatibility Testing Guidance document