Figure 18-19. Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Specific Program Window Enabling You to Choose the Default Program to Be Used with a File Using a Given Extension
Step 2. Scroll this list and select the extension whose default program you want to modify; for example, .xls. Then click Change Program.
Step 3. If you want to change the default program, click More Apps to expand the list of available programs, as shown in Figure 18-20.
Figure 18-20. List of Programs That Are Capable of Opening a File with the Given Extension
Step 4. Select the desired program and then click OK. The list updates to reflect the change you've made.
Step 5. Repeat for any other extensions you want to modify. When finished, click Close to return to the Default programs applet.
If Windows cannot associate the selected file extension with a program, you are given the option of trying an app on the computer or locating one from the Windows Store. Selecting an app on the computer brings up a list similar to that shown in Figure 18-20. Select a program you think might be able to open the file extension.
Note
You can also modify a file association from any File Explorer window.
Right-click a file with the extension you want to modify and choose Open With. You receive a dialog box similar to that shown in Figure 18-20, which enables you to accept the current default or choose a new one.
Caution
It is possible that the selected application will be unable to open a file with the extension you have selected. If you receive an error message when attempting to open such a file, return to the Set Associations window, click Change Program again, and either select another program on the computer or attempt to locate one online.
Configuring Application Compatibility Mode
As in previous Windows versions, Windows 10 provides the Application Compatibility mode that assists you in troubleshooting applications that do not run properly in Windows 10. In general, applications originally written for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 should work in Windows 10. Applications written for older versions of Windows might not run properly, might stop responding (hang), or might refuse to start at all. If these applications worked properly in previous Windows versions, this could indicate a compatibility issue with Windows 10. Application Compatibility mode emulates the
environment found on versions of Windows as far back as Windows 95. This mode also provides several other options that might enable a program to run.
Use the following procedure to configure Application Compatibility mode:
Step 1. Right-click the shortcut to the program from the Start menu or desktop and choose Properties.
Step 2. Select the Compatibility tab to display the options listed in Table 18- 5 and shown in Figure 18-21.
Table 18-5. Application Compatibility Options
Option Description
Run
compatibility troubleshooter
Starts a troubleshooting routine that attempts to discern the cause of compatibility problems. You are presented with options to try a set of recommended compatibility settings or troubleshoot the program further based on problems
suggested in Figure 18-22.
Run this program in compatibility mode for
Select the Windows version from the drop-down list that you know the program works properly on.
Reduced color mode
Uses a limited set of colors to run the program. Some older programs are designed to run in this color space.
Run in 640×480 screen resolution
Runs this program in a smaller window. Try this option if the graphical user interface (GUI) appears jagged or is rendered poorly.
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings
Shuts off automatic font resizing if you are using large-scale font sizes. Try this option if large-scale fonts interfere with the program's appearance.
Run this
program as an administrator
Some programs require Administrator mode to execute properly. You will receive a User Account Control (UAC) prompt when this option is selected. This option is not available to nonadministrative users.
Change
settings for all users
Enables you to choose settings that will apply to all users on the computer.
Figure 18-21. Compatibility Tab of an Application's Properties Dialog Box
Figure 18-22. Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Enabling You to Choose from Several Possible Compatibility Problems
Step 3. Select one or more of these options and then click Apply.
Step 4. Test the program to see if it works properly. If necessary, repeat steps 3 and 4 until the program does work properly.
Caution
You should not use the Program Compatibility options with older antivirus programs, disk utilities, or system programs. Such programs might cause data loss or create a security risk.
Desktop Application Coexistence
During deployment planning for rolling out Windows 10 in your
organization, you will need to make an effort to identify any applications that may not be compatible with Windows 10. You may also encounter scenarios that require an older version of an application to run on the same computer with the newer version. Because many applications update the older version instead of leaving it in place, you need to find a way to isolate the older and newer versions.
In some circumstances, you may have applications that will not work even with Compatibility mode. It might be an older application that is still needed or that the organization is heavily invested in. You might run into
applications that a small group in your organization needs but that cannot run in Windows 10.
Eliminating these programs from your organization can be problematic. Even if it is a small group of users who rely on it, their business processes might rely on that application for day-to-day operations. It might be an application developed in-house that will take a significant effort to update. Or it might have been developed by a third-party vendor that is no longer in business.
Supporting applications that need to coexist with other applications, or need to be accessible from Windows 10 but cannot run in Windows 10 natively, can be supported in one of three ways.
• Use Client Hyper-V: You can use Windows Client Hyper-V for any of these scenarios. Users can run an older version of Windows as a VM under Hyper-V and access their application in the virtual desktop. Older
applications can be supported the same way, even if compatible with
Windows 10. You can run the older application in a Windows 10 VM, while the newer application is available directly on the host. You learned about
Hyper-V in Chapter 10, “Windows Hyper-V.”
• RemoteApp: Another option for handling incompatible applications is to run them as a RemoteApp on a Windows Server. This is a good option for running multiple versions of an application, but it may be problematic if the application is incompatible with Windows 10, because you would need to use older versions of Windows Server. An application that will not run on
Windows 10 cannot be hosted in RemoteApp on Windows Server 2016. So consider the road map for your server infrastructure in this case. You learned about RemoteApp in Chapter 17.
• App-V: App-V is a virtualization technology that allows you to virtualize applications and run them side-by-side on the same computer. Similar to RemoteApp, users can access an application in App-V from anywhere and use it as if it is installed locally on their device. You will learn about App-V next in this section.
Managing App-V Applications
In recent years, as the workers have become more mobile and require access to their files and applications anywhere at any time, Microsoft has developed technologies to help make mobility easier for workers and the IT
professionals that support them. Virtualization technologies and cloud computing are part of this mobility evolution. Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) is Microsoft’s application virtualization and streaming solution.
App-V enables centralized management of application management and deployment. User applications and their application settings are maintained centrally and are managed using Active Directory and Group Policies. Only the App-V client is required on local Windows platforms, allowing users to access their applications from any organization client over the network, or when offline if the application has been run previously from that client computer. The application is never installed locally.
Overview of App-V
With App-V 5.1, virtual applications work more like traditional, locally installed applications. Applications are isolated as in older versions, but now separate App-V applications can be enabled to communicate with each other, allowing integrations between them when required.
To take advantage of centralized management and distribution of App-V applications, Windows Configuration Manager 2012 or App-V v5 server is required. On the server side, App-V includes an App-V Management Server along with a database to provide the overall management of the
infrastructure, an App-V Publishing Server for hosting and streaming
functionality for the virtual applications, and an App-V Reporting Server and database that provides App-V reporting services. Using these components allows an administrator to manage the applications, sessions, and publish applications for users to the Publishing Server. Users access their applications using an App-V client.
The App-V client is configured to connect to the server to stream the content or, optionally, download to a local drive. Note that App-V applications can run without a centrally managed infrastructure. The applications still run in isolation and are not installed locally, but applications cannot be updated and per-user authorization is not possible.
Application Virtualization, and virtualization in general, is a complex and involved topic, with its own field of study. For the 70-697 exam, you need not be an expert in virtualization technologies, but you should be able to identify App-V as a concept and know some basics of working with the App- V client on Windows 10.
The App-V client is distributed as part of the Microsoft Desktop
Optimization Pack (MDOP). Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 already have all the software required for the App-V 5.1 client. For Windows 7 and Windows Server 2012, the following software is required:
• Microsoft Windows .NET Framework 4.5 (full package).
• Windows PowerShell 3.0 or later.
• The App-V Sequencer client may be needed to manage App-V packages.
Note
For more information on deploying the App-V client, refer to "Planning for the App-V 5.1 Sequencer and Client Deployment" at
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/mdop/appv-v5/planning-for-the- app-v-51-sequencer-and-client-deployment and links found in the document.
Note
Managing and maintaining an enterprise App-V infrastructure is out of the scope of Exam 70-697 and this book. For details on the infrastructure configuration and management, start with the “Microsoft Application Virtualization 5.1 Administrator’s Guide” at
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/mdop/appv-v5/microsoft- application-virtualization-51-administrators-guide.
You can manage the App-V client and configuration from the client computer using the client management console, by using PowerShell, or using Group Policy.
The App-V Management Console
The App-V client provides a management application that can be used to perform some basic tasks for the App-V applications published for the user.
Start the App-V client by clicking the Microsoft App-V Client UI tile from the Start menu, or typing App-V into the Search box or Cortana, and then clicking the Microsoft Application Virtualization Client link. From this screen, shown in Figure 18-23, you can work with the available App-V applications and App Connection Groups.
Figure 18-23. Managing App-V Applications from the App-V Client
Management Console
The App-V client management console has the following features:
• Overview tab:
• The Update tile is used to refresh an App-V application or receive a new package.
• Use the Download tile to download all the packages published to the user.
• Work Offline is used to disable all automatic and manual updates of App-V applications.
• Virtual Apps tab: Displays all the packages published to the user. You can select a package from the list to view the included applications and display information about package use and how much of the package has been
downloaded to the computer. You can also use the Repair function to repair a misbehaving App-V package, but note that this will delete any user settings for that package.
• App Connection Groups tab: Clicking this tab displays all the connection groups available. Recall that a Connection Group is used to allow
communication and integration between virtual applications. Select a group to view which packages are included.
App-V Command-Line Utilities
With App-V version 5.1, Microsoft has provided a suite of PowerShell scripts for managing applications, packaging, updates, and other tasks. These scripts
require PowerShell version 3.0 or later. PowerShell version 3.0 was included with Windows 8, and PowerShell version 5.1 is included with Windows 10.
Note the link at the bottom of the App-V management console screen from Figure 18-21 called Show PowerShell commands. Clicking the link displays the available commands for managing App-V applications on the client.
Table 18-6 describes each command and how it is used.
The [path] parameter in these commands refers to the location of the App-V package. Typically this will be an HTTP URL such as http://appv-
server/apps/MyApplication.appv; however, the path could also be the name of a file on a file share or even the local computer.
Table 18-6. PowerShell Commands for Managing App-V Clients
Command Purpose
Get-AppvClientPackage
Returns a list of all App-V packages currently on the system. The following switch parameters are available to filter the results: -Name, -Version, -PackageId and - VersionId.
Mount-AppvClientPackage Downloads a package published for the user into the app-v cache.
Set-AppvPublishServer Use to enable or disable automatic and manual updates of App-V applications.
Mount-
AppvClientConnectionGroup
Download and or repair Application Connection Groups available to the user.
Get-AppvPublishingServer
Display the current path(s) or URL(s) used for locating and downloading App-V
applications. Returns the descriptive
location name and a numeric ServerId for each publishing server.
Add-AppvPublishingServer
Add a new publishing location for App-V applications. The following parameters are required:
-Name LocationName -URL path or url.
Sync-AppvPublishingServer
Checks the server and adds or removes packages and connection groups based on entitlements for the user. The parameter - ServerId can be used to select a specific server to sync.
Note
For more details about these commands, open a PowerShell version 3.0 prompt from a Windows computer with App-V 5.1 client installed, and type Get-Help followed by the name of command.
User Experience Virtualization
If you have used any Windows computer for a long period of time, you likely know how frustrating it is when the computer either dies or the hard drive becomes unrecoverable. Even if you have saved all your files and backups, you will have to reconfigure all your applications and their custom settings, the appearance of your system, and other settings to get back to the way you
are used to working. Even if you have not, as an IT professional you know how frustrating it can be for your users.
It is also difficult if you work on different devices, because you need to duplicate your setup or deal with the defaults on any device you do not use the most.
With User Experience Virtualization (UE-V), you can capture all your customized settings for Windows and your application and store them on your private network on a server file share. When you log on to a device, your settings are applied. UE-V can apply custom settings on any device you use, and even on virtual desktop (VDI) sessions when you log on.
UE-V consists of both a server and client component. The client component is included with Windows 10 Enterprise edition. Table 18-7 describes at a high level the components involved in UE-V and the purpose of each.
Table 18-7. Components of UE-V
Component Purpose
UE-V Service
The UE-V Windows service runs on every device that needs to synchronize user settings. It monitors applications and
Windows settings and synchronizes any changes between devices.
Settings packages
Configuration settings are stored in settings packages managed by the UE-V service. The packages are locally stored and then copied to the file share storage location.
Settings
storage location
The storage location is a network file share that users have access to.
Settings location templates
Location templates are XML files used by UE-V to determine how to monitor and synchronize application settings and synchronize settings between devices.
Universal Windows applications list
The applications list is used by UE-V to determine which applications are enabled for synchronization. The list typically includes most Windows applications.
Some settings are synchronized by default on UE-V enabled systems.
• Microsoft Office 2016, 2013, and 2010
• Internet Explorer 10 and 11
• Windows accessories (WordPad, NotePad)
• Desktop background
• Ease of Access
• Desktop settings (Start menu, taskbar, folder options, desktop icons, and regional and language settings)
Settings for applications are synchronized (saved and copied to the storage location) when you close the application. Settings for Windows are
synchronized when you log off of the device or when the device screen is locked.
Getting Started with UE-V
UE-V requires Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 8 or 8.1 Enterprise or Pro edition for client computers. Clients must also have PowerShell 3.0 or later and .NET Framework 4.5 or later. It also requires Windows Server 2012 or later on the server side.
You will need to perform some configuration on the server and enable UE-V on client devices. Note that these are only basic high-level tasks. You should deploy UE-V in a lab environment and test it to make sure it meets your organization’s requirements, and carefully plan the implementation if it does.
Select a centrally located computer and create the storage location. You should create a security group specifically for all UE-V users. Grant the group permission to create a directory, and grant full permission to all
subdirectories. You should grant Full control at the share level to your UE-V group, and Read and Create Folders permissions to the UE-V group at the NTFS level. If you are using System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) in your organization, you can install and use the UE-V Configuration Pack to configure settings.
You can also configure UE-V using Group Policy Objects. Settings are available as administrative templates for computers and for users. Policy settings are available for configuring the UE-V services as well as specific settings for desktop applications and UWP apps. In Group Policy
Management Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft User Experience Virtualization to edit the GPOs for UE-V, as shown in Figure 18-24.
Figure 18-24. Configuring UE-V Using Group Policy Objects
The most important of the UE-V Group Policies are as follows:
• Enable UEV: This policy allows you to enable or disable the UE-V feature and services.
• First Use Notification: Enable this policy setting to enable a notification in the system tray that appears the first time the UE-V agent is run.
• Settings Storage Path: Use this policy to configure the UNC path name for the UE-V storage location. The share must be accessible by all UE-V users.
• Settings Template Catalog Path: If you use custom settings location templates, you can enable this policy and configure the UNC path name where the templates are stored.
• Tray Icon: This setting enables an icon in the system tray to display notifications for UE-V on users' computers.
• Do Not Synchronize Windows Apps: This policy defines whether UE-V synchronizes settings for Windows Store and UWP apps. By default, app settings are synced. You can enable this policy to turn off synchronization for apps.
Group Policy folders under Microsoft User Experience Virtualization,
Applications, and Windows Apps, contain a long list of applications that are synchronized by default. You can customize which applications and apps are synchronized by enabling or disabling the policy for each policy in these folders. If you do not configure these policies, the applications and apps will be synchronized by default.