In general, Microsoft is trying to maintain forward compatibility when updating each operating system version. However, there are some exceptions. If a series of updates made to improve performance have to balance the previous version, it will not affect the overall performance. For example, Microsoft previously removed compatibility support for 15-bit applications.
Windows 8 client and server versions have many updates that will bring great challenges in terms of compatibility. Some of these new challenges cannot be resolved by administrators, they can only be handled by the initial developer of the application.
Most of the changes are explained in the update document called "Windows and Windows Server Developer Preview Compatibility Manual", which provides detailed descriptions of most program compatibility issues and provides issues for the current version. The solution.
Below are a few known program compatibility fault reports.
System version number. Yes, old problems have emerged with a new look. Because windows uses a special version number, some old applications may have problems, and the version number defined by Windows 8 is 6.2. These programs can be run with the compatibility mode provided by the current Windows (for example, in the compatibility page of the program shortcut), but if you are a program developer, you must be more careful to confirm the version number. Microsoft recommends using ‘check the version information & rsquo; function (with greater than, not equal to or a special version number).
Headless server application. This is one of the most important changes, because the new version of the windows server (mainly server core) is designed not only to run headless programs, but also to support programs that do not have a graphical interface. A graphical interface can be offloaded in a poorly performing environment (eg, in a virtual machine where resources are widely shared), or similar operations can be performed for other reasons, such as reducing the likelihood of a server being attacked.
Some server programs, although they may not run in a graphically free environment. Any command-line version application should work fine in theory, but once it is rendered to the user with a graphical interface, it may not work well. There is currently no good way to solve the problems caused by this graphical interface, so it can only be used for applications that do not have a graphical interface version.
If you are going to run all applications on the server core version of the operating system, then you should fully test to make sure it performs as expected in a non-graphical environment. If the results are reversed, and if you have some understanding of programming, then you need to migrate the existing code to the server core platform and reconfirm that those WIN32 APIs and .NET CLRs are supported by the core system.
.NET Framework. Windows 8 puts the .NET 4.5 framework into its default program installation package, but does not include .NET 3.5. If you have some programs that explicitly only support version 3.5, not just stand-alone programs, but also those based on that version of .NET, in which case you will need to manually add the old version of .NET. Fortunately, this does not cause major compatibility issues because different versions of .NET can run concurrently. The Microsoft documentation has some instructions on how to manually add the .NET 3.5 framework without touching Windows updates.
Because .NET 4.5 is already part of the windows run time (WinRT), Word allows developers to create applications with “metro<;views and quickly create programs with the hourglass program model. If you want to change or upgrade the server application for Windows 8, and you already know C# or C++, then this task is not difficult, but there are still some things worth exploring in the documentation.
4K disk sector. This is more of a hardware issue than a procedural issue, but it still deserves our attention. The current mainstream new disk on the market generally uses 4K sectors instead of the old 512-byte sector design. The 4K sector driver, also known as the "advanced format" disk, often has some strange problems in programs designed for 512-byte sectors. It does not take into account the issue of forward compatibility. Windows 8 adds a new API for querying file sector sizes and then using the command line tool to support script queries for volume size.
Unsigned kernel driver. If you have some programs, whether they are third-party or vendor-owned, use the kernel driver, Windows Server strictly limits the use of kernel drivers for security reasons and treats them as rogue software. The biggest changes to the use of kernel drivers for devices include the Standard Extended Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot feature, which protects machines from rogue software attacks. UEFI Secure Boot is an option for the server, but it is recommended to enable it. If you want to use UEFI Secure Boots on your server, you'd better use a trusted certificate to authenticate the kernel driver. Otherwise, it is recommended to disable the secure boot entry.