Application Support: Issues

Before you install and configure applications for use with Windows 95, consider the following questions:

• How will applications perform in your networking environment? After you set up Windows 95 on the network, you will need to install and test how applications perform. For example, for MS-DOS – based applications that were created for your network, test whether they can run in a window or if you need to run them in MS-DOS Mode. After you test them, disperse information to users about how to run different applications.
• Do the default settings for MS-DOS – based applications work well for each of your applications? You can use the executable file's properties dialog box to modify settings as needed, as described in "Configuring MS-DOS – Based Applications" later in this chapter.
• Do you need to restrict users from running MS-DOS-based applications? Or do you want to allow only certain Windows-based applications to run on a computer? For computers that run File and Printer Sharing services, where access to the shared resources is critical to other users, you may want to restrict the ability to switch to MS-DOS Mode to ensure that shared resources are always available. For information about using system policies to restrict access to MS-DOS Mode or restrict the applications that can run on a computer, see Chapter 15, "User Profiles and System Policies."
• Which applications do you want to share over the network? With Windows 95, most applications can be shared across the network by installing them on a network computer and then creating a shortcut to them. Users can open them from the network location by double-clicking the shortcut. For more information, see "Installing and Sharing Applications Across the Network" later in this chapter.

  To share some large applications, you must run a separate setup on the server and on the workstation. Check the documentation for the application before attempting to share it across the network.

• Which TSRs do you need to run to support applications? If you are running Client for NetWare Networks, you cannot process TSRs in a logon script. For information about how to load a TSR, see "Running Logon Scripts with Client for NetWare Networks" in Chapter 11, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."
• Do you want users to have access to the Windows 3.1 Program Manager rather than to the new Windows 95 interface? For information, see "Using the Windows 3.x Program Manager with Windows 95" later in this chapter.