Software Deployment

This is something that can be achieved by using a shim. The application compatibility toolkit (free download from MS, currently v5.5) is used to create shims. The end result is an .sdb file that you can either include as part of your application distribution or added to a centrally managed shim db.

What about forcing a package to install in compatibility mode?

All that would do is run MSIExec in compatibility mode: the application itself won't change.

right, but we've had some software that is setup.exe install style and we have had to right click and go to the compatibility tab and select XP SP2 and/or run as administrator. If I set those say on an SCCM server do those attributes get carried over to distribution points and ultimately the user's local cache?

do those attributes get carried overNo, since essentially that's the same thing. All that happens is that it gets set each execution instance of that EXE on the machine you set it on. As advised, you need to shim the app.

Joe,

My understanding of your issues is that you're deploying to either Vista\Win7 with SCCM. You've got some apps in legacy setup form that need to be installed with compatibility mode\run as admin.

I would have thought that run as admin wouldn't be an issue as they're being deployed by SCCM, so running as system? If not then UAC will auto trip if it spots "setup", "install" (or some other text that I can't remember, installshield maybe?) in the name of the exe.

For the compatibility mode, it's probably an O/S version lie that's required? This can be shimmed using ACT

There are some reg keys that can be entered to force a setup or exe into compatbility mode - I've got a couple here where the setup won't run but once it's installed the software will. Keep in mind that shimming an app will most likely have vendors tell you "sorry, not supported - upgrade it and call us back." That said, shimming is pretty easy. Download ACT, play with it, and you should be able if you're halfway bright to get an app shim working.