Deploying a New Operating System

Article
06/02/2010

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista

This walkthrough topic describes a scenario of an organization that is planning to deploy a new operating system into its environment, but first requires a more detailed assessment of the potential compatibility issues. For this walkthrough, you must deploy the associated data-collection package (DCP) to at least one of your client computers that is running one of the following operating systems:

Windows® 7
Windows Vista® with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Windows Server® 2008 R2
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server with Service Pack 4 (SP4) and Update Rollup 1

Phase 1: Collecting Your Inventory and Compatibility Data

In this phase, you will create a new DCP that will collect your organization's inventory, which includes information about your computers, devices, installed applications, and associated compatibility issues.

To collect your software and hardware inventory

On the taskbar, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6, and then click Application Compatibility Manager.
On the Collect screen, click File from the toolbar, and then click New.

The New <DCP_Name> dialog box appears.
In the Package Name box, type Inventory_Collection.
In the Evaluate compatibility when area, click Deploying a new Operating System or Service Pack.
Click Advanced.

The Advanced Settings dialog box appears.
Clear the User Account Control Compatibility Evaluator and Windows Compatibility Evaluators check boxes, and then click OK.

The Advanced Setting dialog box closes.
In the When to monitor application usage area, do not change the default options, but change the Duration to 10 Minutes.
In the Output Location box, do not change the default value, previously specified in the ACT Configuration Wizard.
On the File menu, click Save and Create Data Collection Package.
Save the compiled DCP to your desktop.
Determine which method you will use to deploy your DCP. For information about the various deployment options, see Deploying a Data Collection Package.
By using the method determined in the previous step, deploy the DCP to your specified client computers’ desktops.

Important

We recommend that you collect your application inventory from about 50,000 computers, but collect the compatibility data from only 5,000 computers, if you have a large number of available client computers in your organization. While it is important to get a complete inventory of the software and hardware within your organization, we recommend using a reduced number of computers for compatibility testing to avoid potential performance and log sizing issues.

Double-click the packaged DCP from each identified client computer's desktop.

The DCP runs on the client computer.

To view and synchronize your data

Click Analyze from the left-hand navigation pane of your client computers.

The Analyze screen appears.
Click Send and Receive.

The Send and Receive Data dialog box appears.
Click Review the data before sending.

The dialog box changes to show the applications that will send and will receive information from Microsoft during the synchronization process.

Note

You can disable specific applications from the synchronization process, so that you do not share the related issue data with Microsoft or the ACT Community. For more information, see Selecting Your Send and Receive Status.

Click Send.

Data synchronization occurs between your computer and the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange.
Return to the Analyze screen and review the updated issue data for your applications.

To collect your application compatibility data

On the Collect screen, click File from the toolbar, and then click New.

The New <DCP_Name> dialog box appears.
In the Package Name box, type OS_Deployment.
In the Evaluate compatibility when area, click Deploying a new Operating System or Service Pack.
In the Where to output collected data area, in the Output Location box, do not change the default values.
On the File menu, click Save and Create Data Collection Package.
Save the compiled DCP to your desktop.
As you did previously, deploy your DCP and synchronize your data.

Phase 2: Analyzing Your Compatibility Data

In this phase, you will organize your data by using priorities, assessment ratings and categories and subcategories. After organizing your data, you will be able to filter your compatibility data, determine which applications might have compatibility issues, and view the information in customized reports.

Prioritizing Your Data

In this section, you will prioritize your application compatibility data, based on the importance of the application to your organization. For more information, see Prioritizing Your Data.

The available priority levels are:

Priority 1 - Business Critical. The highest priority level. Business-critical items are so important to your organization that, unless you certify them, you will not deploy the updated operating system.
Priority 2 - Important. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that your organization regularly uses but can continue to function without. You can choose to deploy the updated operating system without requiring certification.
Priority 3 - Nice to Have. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that do not fall into the previous two categories but that you to want to appear in your ACT compatibility reports. You will deploy the updated operating system regardless of certification.
Priority 4 - Unimportant. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that are irrelevant to your organization's daily functions. You can use this priority level to filter out the unimportant items from your reports.
Unspecified. The default priority level, which is automatically assigned to all applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates. Your organization can use this priority level to denote applications that have not yet been reviewed for deployment.

To prioritize your applications

On the Analyze screen, click Applications from the Windows 7 Reports heading in the Quick Reports pane.

The Windows 7 – Application Report screen appears.
Click Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6, and then on the Actions menu, click Set Priority.

The Set Priority dialog box appears.
Click Priority 1 – Business Critical, and then click OK.

Categorizing Your Data

In this section, you will create categories and subcategories and assign them to an application. For more information, see Categorizing Your Data.

To create a new category and a new subcategory

In the Windows 7 - Application Report screen, click Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6.
On the Actions menu, click Assign Categories.

The Assign Categories dialog box appears.
Click Category List.

The Category List dialog box appears.
In the Categories area, click Add, type Location, and then press ENTER.
In the Subcategories area, click Add, type United States, and then press ENTER.
In the Subcategories area, click Add, type Europe, and then press ENTER.
Click OK to close the Category List dialog box.
Click OK to close the Assign Categories dialog box.

To assign a category and a subcategory

In the Windows 7 - Application Report screen, click Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6.
On the Actions menu, click Assign Categories.

The Assign Categories dialog box appears.
Select the United States check box, and then click OK.

The Assign Categories dialog box closes.

Note

Although United States is a subcategory, when you select the check box, it automatically selects the parent category. If you assign a category, you must assign one or more subcategories.

Selecting Your Assessment Rating

In this section, you will select your organization's assessment rating for an application, based on the 32-bit and 64-bit version of the operating system. Your assessment rating enables you to specify which applications might be problematic while going through your organization's testing process.

Your application assessments originate from authoritative sources, such as Microsoft and the application vendor, your own testing, and the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Community, if you are a member. For more information, see Selecting Your Assessment Rating.

The following table describes the icons that appear in the My Assessment and the Vendor Assessment columns on the Analyze screen.

Icon	Description
	Denotes applications that work properly on a 32-bit operating system and function as expected.
	Denotes applications that work properly on a 64-bit operating system and function as expected.
	Denotes applications with issues that are minor or have known solutions on 32-bit operating systems.
	Denotes applications with minor issues or known solutions on 64-bit operating systems.
	Denotes applications with major issues, such as data loss or severely impaired functionality on 32-bit operating systems.
	Denotes applications with major issues, such as data loss or severely impaired functionality, on 64-bit operating systems.
	Denotes applications that do not have any application-assessment data for 32-bit operating systems. In this case, either the application does not match any information in the database or no assessment has been submitted.
	Denotes applications that do not have any application-assessment data for 64-bit operating systems. In this case, either the application does not match any information in the database or no assessment has been submitted.

To select your assessment rating

In the Windows 7 - Application Report screen, click Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6.
On the Actions menu, click Set Assessment.

The Set Assessment dialog box appears.
Click Works in both the 32-bit and 64-bit column, and then click OK.

ACT Community Assessments

The ACT community can rate the compatibility of an application. Ratings are displayed graphically (changing from red to yellow to green) in the Community Assessment column. To understand what the rating color means, you must first understand how the underlying community rating works. There are three available scores, based on the rating for an application.

Works. If you vote that an application works, it is denoted as five green bars.
Works with minor issues or has solutions. If you vote that an application has minor issues, it is denoted as three light green bars.
Does not work. If you vote that an application does not work, it is denoted as a single red bar.

The ACT then takes your information and combines it with all of the information provided by the other ACT Community users and averages the ratings to show a color gradient from one to five bars.

Filtering Your Data

In this section, you will create a single filter to display your compatibility data based on your priority, category, subcategory, and assessment rating. After filtering your data, you can view the results as a customized report, tailored to your organizational requirements. For more information, see Filtering Your Compatibility Data.

To create a customized filter

In the Windows 7 - Application Report screen, click Toggle Filter.
In the Field list, click Priority.

The Operator field will automatically update with the Equals option, and the Value box will automatically update with the Priority 1 – Business Critical option.
Press the TAB key to create a new query row.
In the And/Or list, click And.
In the Field list, click 32-bit Internal Assessment.
In the Value list, click Works.
Press the TAB key to create a new query row.
In the And/Or list, click And.
In the Field list, click Categories (+).

The remaining filter criteria are completed and a linked row is automatically created.
In the linked row Field list, click Category Name.

The Operator field will automatically update with the Equals option and another linked row is created.
In the Value box, select Location.
In the linked row And/Or list, click And.
In the Field list, click Subcategory Name.

The Operator field will automatically update with the Equals option.
In the Value box, select United States.
Right-click anywhere in the row, and then click Execute.

The filter sorts your data to display the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 because it is the only application that fulfills all the filter criteria.

Viewing a Report

In this section, you will view the <Operating_System> Application Report screen and an associated <Application_Name> dialog box. The <Operating_System> Application Report screen enables you to view your data by individual operating system, such as Windows 7. The application details dialog box enables you to view more deeply detailed data, such as the assessment rating, known issues and solutions, application properties, or computer details.

To view an application's details

On the Analyze screen, click Applications from the Windows 7 Reports heading in the Quick Reports pane.

The Windows 7 – Application Report screen appears.
Double-click Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6.

The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 dialog box appears, showing the Assessment tab.
Click the Issues, Application Properties, Computers, and Labels tabs for more information about the application as it relates to that heading.

Adding and Resolving Issues and Solutions

In this section, you will add a new compatibility issue and a new solution, and then you will resolve the issue for your organization. For more information, see Creating and Editing Issues and Solutions.

To add and to resolve a compatibility issue

In the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 dialog box, click Add Issue.

The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 – New Issue dialog box appears.
In the Title box, type Example_Issue.
In the Priority list, click Priority 3 – Nice to Fix.
In the Severity list, click Severity 3 – Minor functionality loss.
In the Symptom list, click Application has impaired functionality.
In the Cause list, click Application requires a deprecated component.
In the Affected Operating Systems box, do not change the selected default value (Windows 7).
In the Issue Description box, type This is the issue description text.
On the File menu, click Save.
On the Actions menu in the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 – Example_Issue dialog box, click Add Solution.

The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 – Add Solution dialog box appears.
In the Title box, type Example_Solution.
In the Solution Type box, click Application configuration change.
In the Solution Details box, type This is the solution details text.
Click Save.
On the Actions menu in the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 – Example_Issue dialog box, click Resolve.

The issue is resolved. The Resolved icon appears in the Status column for the issue, on the Issues tab.

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