About Microsoft Windows Application Compatibility Infrastructure Testing
AdminStudio 2025 R2 | 30.0 | Application Manager
The Microsoft Windows Application Compatibility Infrastructure (Shim Infrastructure) is a technical solution provided by Microsoft to ensure compatibility of existing software with new releases of their operating systems.
As the Windows operating system evolves from version to version—changing to support new technology or incorporate bug fixes—changes may affect existing applications. It is often not possible to modify the application to address these operating system changes. To make sure that these applications will continue to work in the updated operating systems, Microsoft uses the Shim Infrastructure to provide fixes (such as a transform or custom action) for a particular application version that may encounter problems in the updated operating system.
When Microsoft identifies an installer/application/driver with an incompatibility with a specific operating system, Microsoft will either provide a “shim” to enable it to run (such as a transform or custom action) or blocks it from running.
Analyze includes tests to scan installers, applications, and drivers for known runtime compatibility issues with various operating systems that have been documented in the Microsoft Windows Application Compatibility Infrastructure. The following table lists the test numbers of these tests.
| Operating System | Compatibility Issues with Installers | Compatibility Issues with Drivers | Compatibility Issues with Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8 (32-bit) | 3058 | 3059 | 3060 |
| Windows 8 (64-bit) | 3158 | 3159 | 3160 |
| Windows 10 1809 (and 2019 LTSC) (32-bit) | 2858 | 2859 | 2860 |
| Windows 10 21H2 (32-bit) | 7058 | 7059 | 7060 |
| Windows 10 22H2 (32-bit) | 7258 | 7259 | 7260 |
| Windows 10 1809 (and 2019 LTSC) (64-bit) | 2958 | 2959 | 2960 |
| Windows 10 21H2 (64-bit) | 7158 | 7159 | 7160 |
| Windows 10 22H2 (64-bit) | 7358 | 7359 | 7360 |
| Windows 11 22H2 (64-bit) | 7458 | 7459 | 7460 |
| Windows 11 23H2 (64-bit) | 7558 | 7559 | 7560 |
| Windows 11 24H2 (64-bit) | 7658 | 7659 | 7660 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0558 | 0559 | |
| Windows Server 2016 | 0658 | 0659 | |
| Windows Server 2019 | 1058 | 1059 |
Analyze can identify these compatibility issues during testing and alert you to potential issues. If the installer/application/driver will not run in a particular operating system, an error will be generated. If a ‘shim’ exists to enable it to run at, perhaps, reduced functionality, a warning will be generated.
If a warning or error is generated by one of these tests, it is recommended that you find out if a newer version of the installer/application/driver is available.
For more information, see Understanding Shims in the Microsoft TechNet Library.