Windows 7 / Getting Started

Preparing for the ACT

Before configuring and running the ACT, you must verify that you are using supported software, that you meet the minimum hardware requirements, and that you have configured the required permissions and infrastructure. Table-1 below lists the software required by the ACT. Table-2 below lists the hardware requirements for using the ACT.

You must provide special system requirements before you can successfully use the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE), the SAT, or the Compatibility Administrator. For more information, see the ACT 5.5 documentation. The UCE is not compatible with any 64-bit version of Windows.

Software Requirements for the ACT (Table-1)
SoftwareSupported Version
Operating systems
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows Vista SP1
  • Windows Vista SP2
  • Windows XP SP2
  • Windows XP SP3
  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Server 2003 SP2
Proxy serverThe ACT supports only the Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server proxy server.
DatabaseAfter the ACT is installed, it requires one of the following database components: SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2005 Express, SQL Server 2008, or SQL Server 2008 Express.
Note: The ACT does not support the Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE) or Microsoft SQL Server 2000.
.NET FrameworkThe ACT requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later.
Hardware Requirements for the ACT
ACT ComponentMinimum RequirementRecommended Requirement
ACM client and ACT Log Processing Service servers550-megahertz (MHz) processor with 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM2.8-gigahertz (GHz) processor with 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM
ACT client databases1-GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM2.8-GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM
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In this tutorial:

  1. Testing Application Compatibility
  2. Understanding Compatibility
  3. Why Applications Fail
  4. Choosing the Best Tool
  5. Program Compatibility Assistant
  6. Windows XP Mode
  7. Application Virtualization
  8. Understanding the ACT
  9. Support Topologies
  10. Compatibility Evaluators
  11. Planning for the ACT
  12. Choosing a Deployment Method
  13. Preparing for the ACT
  14. Sharing the Log Processing Folder
  15. Installing the ACT 5.5
  16. Collecting Compatibility Data
  17. Analyzing Compatibility Data
  18. Prioritizing Compatibility Data
  19. Assessing Application Compatibility
  20. Managing Compatibility Issues
  21. Filtering Compatibility Data
  22. Rationalizing an Application Inventory
  23. Testing and Mitigating Issues
  24. Modeling the Production Environment
  25. Using the Compatibility Administrator
  26. Deploying Application Mitigation Packages