QFixApp Notes

There might be more than one executable (.exe) file on any given computer with the same name (for example, setup.exe), but only one of those files should have the specified QFixApp fixes applied to it. Use QFixApp advanced features to control how the tool identifies target files.

To identify a specific executable file:

1. Click Browse and select the application's executable file.
2. Click Advanced to display QFixApp's advanced features.
3. Select one or more of the properties listed in the Choose file identification attributes box.
4. If there are not enough file properties to uniquely identify the target file, then click Add matching file.
5. Select the files with which you want to associate your executable file.

Note

• If a matching file is added, but it should not actually be used, it cannot be deleted from the QFixApp interface. Instead, reselect the target executable file in QFixApp. QFixApp will remove all matching file information.

The QFixApp interface provides the ability to select an executable file and apply fixes to it. QFixApp also provides the ability to group sets of fixes so that a group of fixes can be applied to an executable file.

Applying Fixes to an Executable

Applying a Layer to an Executable

To test an application's executable file with one or more of the fixes:

1. Click Browse and select the application's executable file.
2. Add any required, command-line parameters in the Cmd line box.
3. Select fixes by checking the appropriate boxes on the Fixes and/or Layers tab.
4. Click Run.

Use Tasklist, a utility that is part of the Windows XP operating system, to display information on the application process started by QFixApp. The Tasklist output displays the DLLs normally used by the application, as well as any additional DLLs that implement the specified fix.

Note

• QFixApp uses the support utility Shimdbc.exe to test fixes.

QFixApp creates a log file called Qfixapp.log in the %WINDIR%\AppPatch folder. This file shows information about the QFixApp session. View the log by clicking View log in the QFixApp interface. The systest.sdb file and the .xml file with the base name of the target application contain the fix information.

When QFixApp is closed, Windows XP will not continue to apply fixes to the application, even though the new files are not removed from the \AppPatch folder.

Note

• If a fix is applied to an application executable file with QFixApp, and the application is then closed, the fix will still be applied to any new instances of that same executable file until QFixApp is closed. This feature allows the application of fixes to several executable files in the same QFixApp session.

Four DLLs located in the %WINDIR%\AppPatch folder contain all the fixes. The apphelp.sdb and sysmain.sdb files implement the AppHelp messages and application fixes supplied as part of Windows XP.

When a fix is tested for an application with QFixApp, QFixApp adds new files to the folder.

QFixApp is intended to help determine which fixes to apply to an application. Once this is done, use Compatadmin to deploy the fixes for the application to other users' Windows XP computers. It is possible to use the .sdb file generated by QFixApp to deploy fixes for a single application to other target computers, but Compatadmin allows you to create a single .sdb file containing the fixes for multiple applications. Compatadmin also provides an interface for managing multiple .sdb files.