How to use the QFixApp utility in Windows Server 2003 (317510)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the Quick Fix utility (QFixApp.exe) that is included with the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 2.6 for Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP. QFixApp is a tool that includes pre-packaged fixes that provide an easy way to fix a program that may not run correctly under Windows Server 2003.

back to the top

Obtain and install QFixApp

QFixApp is no longer available as a seperate download. Its functionality is now included in Windows Application Compatability Toolkit 3.0 or later. To install this toolkit:

1. Start Microsoft Internet Explorer, and then visit the following Microsoft Web site:

   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7fc46855-b8a4-46cd-a236-3159970fde94&displaylang=en

2. Click the Download link.
3. Click Save to save the Act30pkg.exe file to your computer.
4. Click Save, and then click Close when the file is downloaded successfully.
5. Double-click the Act30pkg.exe file to start the Application Compatibility Toolkit InstallShield Wizard.
6. Click Next, and then follow the instructions to install the Application Compatibility Toolkit.

back to the top

Overview of the QFixApp utility

You can use QFixApp to quickly apply various program fixes (AppFixes, also known as "shims") to a program to determine their effectiveness. QFixApp reads the %SystemRoot%\AppPatch\Sysmain.sdb database file to produce a list of available fixes. When you select an AppFix, you can start the program executable (.exe) file, and the AppFix is applied. If a suitable AppFix is found, the tool eventually helps you to generate and test matching file information.

By default, the QFixApp utility is stored in the following location: When you start QFixApp, you see the following items:

• The The application for which to apply the fix(es) box. This box specifies the program to which you want to apply the fix.
• The Layers tab with the Select an existing layer to apply to your application list that contains the following entries:

  256 Color
  640X480
  DisableCicero
  DisableThemes
  EnableIISBizTalk
  International
  LUA (Limited User Account)
  LUACleanUp
  NT4SP5
  pLayerGetProcAddrExOverride
  ProfilesSetup
  Win2000
  Win2000Sp2
  Win2000Sp3
  Win95
  Win98
  WinXP
  WinXPSp1

• The Fixes tab. On this tab you can select the check boxes of the individual fixes that you want to apply.

back to the top

Example of how to use QFixApp

1. Start Notepad, and then click About Notepad on the Help menu. Note that the version is 5.2.
2. Click OK, and then quit Notepad.
3. Start QFixApp. To do so, click Start, click Run, type c:\program files\windows application compatibility toolkit\applications\qfixapp.exe, and then click OK.
4. Click Win95 in the Select an existing layer to apply to your application list, click Browse, and then open the Windows folder.
5. Click Notepad.exe, click Open, and then click Run.
6. Click About Notepad on the Help menu. Notice that the version is now 4.0.
7. Click OK, and then quit Notepad.

If you click the View log button in the QFixApp dialog box, you can view the AppFixes that are being applied. If you click Advanced, you can view information about the .exe file. You can click Add Matching file, and then select files that are related to the .exe file to identify that particular program. After you finish that step, you can click Create fix support to add the layers with the matching information (GRABMI) and create an XML-based database file that is named Program_name.sdb. Note that in the example that is described in this section, this file is named Notepad.sdb, and it is in the C:\Windows\AppPatch folder.

back to the top