Tips for Windows developers
User Account Control (UAC) can seem mysterious. After all, if I’m a member of the Administrators group, shouldn’t I have access to everything? If you’re a developer, you’ll run into a UAC issue sooner or later. In this post, I’ll cover the basics that every developer should know. Standard User by Default Running applications as … Read moreIf I’m an Administrator, Why Do I Get Access Denied?
UPDATE: If you’re a Windows user trying to figure out what’s wrong with your PC, please check out my other post: Troubleshooting Interactive Services Detection. If you are a developer (or want nerdy details), please read on. Have seen this button flashing on the taskbar? When you click on the button, you get … Read moreWhat is Interactive Services Detection and Why is it Blinking at Me?
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?
Over the past few releases of Windows, you may have noticed common folder locations have moved around a bit. What should you do if you want your code to target multiple OS’s? Perhaps you are updating an application from XP to Windows 7 and wondering where those old directories went. Hopefully, this post will answer … Read moreWhere Should I Store my Data and Configuration Files if I Target Multiple OS Versions?
I frequently get asked about IE8 compatibility. I usually point people to the IE8 Readiness Toolkit’s developer section. This is a good resource but there are various topics and resources that I’d like to summarize in this post. Three Browsers for the Price of One If you’re in the browser business, you need to balance … Read moreGetting Started with IE8 Compatibility
If you run notepad elevated (Right click | Run as Administrator), and you try and drag-and-drop a file from Windows Explorer, nothing happens. It looks like it is going to work because the pointer icon changes but the file doesn’t open. Weird, huh? What’s Going On? In the traditional NT Security model (prior … Read moreQ: Why Doesn’t Drag-and-Drop work when my Application is Running Elevated? – A: Mandatory Integrity Control and UIPI
There are some very common application installer issues developers run into due to UAC. Most of the issues are easy to fix. I’ll cover the most common issues in this post. Per Machine Installers Need Admin Privileges Unless you have a ClickOnce installer, your installer probably installs to a per machine location. The recommended location … Read moreCommon Application Installer Issues on Windows 7 (and Vista)
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
When I show this tool to developers or QA guys, their eyes light up with excitement. When you work in Application Compatibility, you spend a lot of time documenting problems ;-). In this post, I’ll talk about some of the tricks and tools I use for documenting issues. There’s a slick new tool called the … Read moreUsing the “secret” Windows 7 Problem Steps Recorder to Create Step by Step Screenshot Documents
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