Software Tested by Windows 8, Windows Server 2012

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

An application compatibility guide is now available for the Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate. The guide helps software developers identify and fix compatibility problems that could appear when running existing device drivers and applications on the planned OS versions. Most corporate applications written for recent Windows and Windows Server versions should work on the upcoming versions, but some drivers and commercial applications might need upgrades or replacements.

The guide is not relevant to Windows RT, Microsoft’s platform for ARM-based tablets. Windows RT shares code with Windows 8, but it will not run third-party applications written for Windows 7 or earlier Windows versions. It works only with new Metro-style applications, which use different APIs than those written for earlier Windows versions.

.NET Framework, Power Management, and Other Changes

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 will appear as version 6.2 to software that tests for an OS version, although Microsoft recommends against such tests as they are a frequent source of application compatibility problems. Some potential problem areas include the following:

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