ThinApp uses macros to represent file system path locations that might change when virtualized applications run on different Windows operating systems or computers. The use of macros enables shared application profile information to instantly migrate to different operating systems.
For example, you might capture an application on a system that has C:\WINNT as the Windows directory and deploy the application on a system that has C:\Windows as the Windows directory. ThinApp transparently converts C:\WINNT to %SystemRoot% during the capture process for that system and expands %SystemRoot% to C:\Windows during runtime for that system.
If an application registers DLLs to C:\winnt\system32 while running on Windows 2000, the user can quit the application and log in to a Windows XP machine. On the Windows XP machine, the files appear to exist at C:\windows\system32 and all related registry keys point to C:\windows\system32.
On Windows Vista, ThinApp moves Windows SxS DLLs and policy information to match Windows Vista instead of using Windows XP file path styles. This feature enables most applications to migrate to updated or older operating systems.
ThinApp provides SxS support for applications running on Windows 2000 even though the underlying operating system does not. This support enables most applications captured on Windows XP to run on Windows 2000 without changes.
