Testing Applications on Windows VistaTM

1
Testing Applications on Windows VistaTM

• Edited By Michael Shaw

2
Guidance for Application TestersBefore Testing

• Ensure all tests pass on Windows XP
• This helps to ensure only regression bugs are
  found
• Test on XP as a non-Admin user
• This will eliminate complexity if the application
  has issues with non-Admin accounts
• Bonus Certified for Windows Vista Guidelines

3
Hardware Configuration

• Windows Vista Minimum Requirements
• Modern CPU (800MHz), 512MB RAM, DX9 GPU
  w/128MB onboard, 40GB HD, DVD
• Recommended hardware for testing Windows Vista
  compatibility
• Dual x64 CPU, 1GB RAM, WDDM GPU, 80GB HD, DVD
• Using high end hardware for testing will help
  uncover more bugs
• Multi-proc specific issues
• Painting issues with desktop compositing enabled
• Can be used for both x86 and x64 testing
• Data Execution Prevention (DEP) support

4
OS Configuration

• Leave all functions enabled
• Search Indexer, UAC, System Restore, Sidebar,
  etc.
• Create multiple users
• 1x Administrator, 1x Non-Admin
• Do not rely on built-in Administrator
• Ensure WDDM video w/Glass is being used
• Test both x86 and x64 - clean install
• Test x86 upgrade from XP to Windows Vista
• Install XP -gt Install App -gt Upgrade to Windows
  Vista -gt Test App
• Bonus Enable NX protection. Enable AppVerifier.
  Enable 120 DPI.

5
Test Cases

• Non-Admin Install/Update
• Should prompt for administrative credentials
• Shortcuts should appear for all users
• Explorer thumbnail previews
• Content previews in explorer windows
• Rich preview handlers
• Search indexing
• Extend the indexer to include the contents of
  your data files
• Property Handlers
• Default Programs / File Extensions
• Per user defaults

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Guidance for Application Testers

• Test how your installation and update is done
• Use MSI 3.1 for Install and Update
• Alternate to MSI3.1 call Update.exe marked as
  admin to do the update
• Self Updating Code DONT DO IT
• This is the LARGEST Application Compatibility
  problem with home consumer user applications
• Use MSI 3.1 updating procedures for this
  functionality
• Examples of what not to do
• Do not assume the user is an administrator
• Run Custom Actions in right context

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Guidance for Application Testers (cont.)

• Test where the application data is stored
• The apps per user setup is performed at first run
• Place per-user data into LOCALAPPDATA
• Roaming into APPDATA
• Place Per-Machine (Shared) data into
  ALLUSERPROFILE
• Examples of what not to do
• Do not perform admin configuration at first run.
• Do your admin operations during setup
• Do not perform explicit Admin checks for Standard
  User applications

8
User Account Controls (UAC) Guidance for
Application Testers

• Split-Token
• By default, all users are running with a standard
  token
• Admin accounts will fail when performing
  privileged operations even though they worked in
  the past
• Credential/Consent UI
• This UI is not automatable from a standard user
  process. There must be an elevated process or
  service to help drive the elevation UI.

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UAC Guidance for Application Testers

• Process Isolation
• Integrity level is assigned to each process
• Lower integrity processes are blocked from
  writing to reading from higher integrity
  processes
• Lower integrity processes are blocked from
  sending Windows messages to higher integrity
  processes
• See the app compat cookbook
• UAC is the default configuration for Windows
  Vista (and beyond)

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UAC Test Impact (cont.)

• File and Registry Virtualization/Data Redirection
• A list of protected system files, directories,
  registry locations when written to by a standard
  user will be virtualized to a per-user location.
• Each standard user will have a virtualized view
  of the FS and Registry
• Processes running elevated will not see
  virtualized FS Registry
• Changing system setting from standard user
  process may succeed due to virtualization, but it
  doesnt affect the system

11
UAC Test Guidance

• Test under the default OS environment
• Dont turn UAC off
• Move away from testing as the built-in
  administrator
• Test application for UAC
• Test component or application as standard user
• Make sure all application functionalities are
  working
• Pay attention to update and anything that is
  disabled due to admin check.

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UAC Testing Support (cont.)

• UAC User Level Library
• Identify the level of the user token
• Allow easy query of well-known groups and
  privileges
• Allow easy query and set of UAC policy
• Allow easy test case selection pass/failure
  determination
• Available in native and managed code

13
Common Issues

• Dependencies on deprecated binaries/APIs
• Kernel mode printer drivers, HLP files
• Assuming administrative rights
• Windows Resource Protection
• Do not attempt to modify system binaries
• Registry protection for system keys
• Rendering / Painting / DPI scaling issues
• Black areas when not painting the entire hwnd
• Glass self-disable when a process attempts to
  paint outside its client area
• Clipped Text

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Common Issues Cont.

• Per user vs. per machine settings
• Do not configure system settings on first launch
• IE7 Compatibility Low Rights IE
• Doing work in DLLMain
• User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI)
• Lower privilege processes cannot send messages to
  higher privileged processes
• SendMessage will still return success
• OS version checks

15
x64 Specific Issues

• No 16-Bit binary support
• No 32-Bit kernel mode driver support
• 64-Bit kernel mode drives must be signed
• Side by side application install conflicts
• Hardware architecture checks

16
UAC FAQ

• If I mark my app as admin, can I skip the
  elevation consent dialog? No
• Can you modify the privilege of a running
  application? - No
• Will LUA elevate whenever a privileged API is
  used? No, the entire process is either elevated
  or not
• How long does the elevated process last? Can it
  time out? Life of the process
• Can I enable which users will use UAC?
  Currently this is a per machine setting
• Does UAC apply to all processes and services?
  Interactive processes only
• What areas of the Registry and File system get
  redirected? HKLM\Software, SystemRoot,
  ProgramFiles
• Wont Redirection de-motivate developers to fix
  their code? Yes, it is a short term mitigation,
  not in 64bit
• What happens when installer detection fails?
  The app runs as non-admin
• Will UAC be going down-level? - No

17
Standard User Analyzer (SUA)

• Intended to predict whether an application would
  work correctly as a standard user.
• Identifies API calls that would fail if attempted
  by a user
• Identifies all access requiring elevated
  privileges
• Example of Standard User Analyzer test pass
• Use SUA to launch your application as elevated
• Test application
• Analyze the log for API calls that will fail for
  standard user
• http//www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa
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