December 2008 Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Application Compatibility Update

The Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update is a software update that addresses common application compatibility issues in Windows Vista. Microsoft regularly releases Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Application Compatibility Updates.

This software update is a prerequisite for Windows Internet Explorer 8. This update helps improve reliability when you install and use Windows Internet Explorer 8.

To immediately install the August 2008 update, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update. In the navigation pane, click Check for updates, and then follow the steps to install all recommended updates.

The kinds of problems that are resolved by application compatibility updates

When you try to install and run certain legacy games or applications in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• The game, the application, or the firmware is installed incorrectly.
• The game, the application, or the firmware causes system instability.
• The primary functions of the game, the application, or the firmware does not work correctly.

Applications that experience a change in behavior after you install this update

The following table shows the applications that were added to the December 2008 cumulative update package. This table also shows the behavior of the application after you install the update.

Application compatibility updates trigger several changes in Windows Vista and in Windows Server 2008. The following are the three most common:

• Hard block
  The update puts a hard block on the application. A hard block prevents an application that is incompatible with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 from running on the system.
  
  Note Microsoft enables Windows to put a hard block on a non-Microsoft application only if the manufacturer of the application gives its consent.
• Soft block
  The update puts a soft block on the application. A soft block notifies you when an application that is incompatible with Windows Vista starts to run.
• Update
  The update improves the application’s functionality in Windows Vista.

Applications that are included in the December 2008 update

Note Windows Vista application compatibility updates are cumulative. Each update contains all the improvements that were included in previous application compatibility updates. For a complete list of the applications that have been addressed by application compatibility updates, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

How to troubleshoot application compatibility issues that are not resolved by the latest application compatibility update

Perform the following troubleshooting steps if you still experience application compatibility issues in Windows Vista after you install the latest version of the application compatibility update:

• Restart the computer after you install the application compatibility update so that the system finishes any additional process and so that the system loads all the drivers correctly.
• Run the program in compatibility mode.
  
  When you run a program in compatibility mode, Windows Vista emulates the selected operating system when you run that particular program.
  
  To run the program in compatibility mode, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start
     Collapse this imageExpand this image

     
     , and then type the name of the program in the Start Search box.
  2. In the Programs list, right-click the program name, and then click Properties.
  3. On the Compatibility tab, click to select the Run this program in compatibility mode for check box.
  4. In the list, select an operating system, and then click OK.
• Contact the program vendor.
  
  If a program does not run in Windows Vista or if a piece of hardware does not function as expected after you install Windows Vista, contact the software vendor or the hardware manufacturer for troubleshooting advice. Typically, the software vendor's Web site provides a support section that includes more information about compatibility.
  
  Frequently, the software vendor can resolve the incompatibility issue by providing one of the following resolutions:
  • An update to make the current version of the program compatible with Windows Vista.
  • A version of the program that is compatible with Windows Vista.
  • Information about any configuration changes that will make the program compatible with Windows Vista.
  
  For information about how to contact hardware and software vendors, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors

  (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors)
  Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

Update information

How to obtain the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update

Method 1: Enable Automatic Updates (Recommended)

Enable the Automatic Updates feature in Windows Vista. This is the recommended method to receive the latest updates, and it is the best way to make sure that you always receive the latest updates.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   , point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. In the navigation pane, click Change settings.
3. Select the Automatic Updates setting that you want.
4. Click to select the Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates check box, and then click OK.
   
   
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

Method 2: Check for updates on Windows Update

If you do not want to enable the Automatic Updates feature, run Windows Update. This method will install the latest version of the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   , point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. In the navigation pane, click Check for updates.
3. After Windows Update has finished checking for updates, click View available updates.
4. Click to select the check boxes for the updates that you want to install, and then click Install.
   
   
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

Method 3: Download the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update from the Microsoft Download Center

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 (KB957388) package now.

Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems (KB957388) package now.

Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB957388) package now.

Download the Update for Windows Vista (KB957388) package now.

Download the Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB957388) package now.

Release Date: December 9, 2008

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

How to tell if you have the latest update installed

Windows Vista Application Compatibility Updates are delivered by using the Automatic Update feature in Windows Vista. You may already have the August 2008 update installed. To verify that this update has already been installed, visit the Windows Update Web site, and then click View Update History.

For more information about the latest application compatibility updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this update.

Update replacement information

The update in this article supersedes the updates that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

Known issues after you install the update

After you install this update, a CD or DVD device may not work correctly. If you select the device in Device Manager, and then you view the device properties, you may receive the following error message: This problem occurs if an earlier application has installed drivers that are incompatible with Windows Vista.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.