System and methods for processing software authorization and error feedback

• US 7,886,193 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arcos; Jeison C
• Application Number:
  US11/124,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 714/38, 714/47, 714/48, 726/4, 726/5, 726/29, 726/30
• US Class Current: 714/38.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing

Abstract

Software error feedback information, typically that associated with authorization failures due to operating system resource access checks, is automatically communicated to a software vendor with actions needed to prevent the software application error from occurring on the client computer. If possible, information associated with the software error is communicated to the client computer in order to mitigate the error by modifying how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application so that the error may be avoided and user interaction minimized. Modifications may include automatically redirecting a resource request associated with the authorization failure in a manner such that authorization will be granted by the operating system and prevent the authorization failure due to the access check.

Claims

1. A method for processing software application error feedback, the method comprising:

automatically receiving software error feedback information regarding a software application error from a client computer upon the failure of a software application to start correctly or to continue to run with less than expected functionality; and

determining whether modifying how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application will prevent a software application error associated with the software error feedback information from occurring, wherein the software application with higher rates of reported errors is classified for priority attention and action to mitigate error conditions identified in the error feedback by technical or manual action;

sending the software application error information to a software vendor with specific actions or changes needed in the software application;

if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application, testing a fix for the software application error on different versions of the software application that are generating a similar error; and

sending the fix to all existing client computers in the field, wherein;

the software error feedback information is generated as a result of a software authorization failure upon attempting to start a software application; and

the software application continues to operate after the authorization failure occurs.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating information to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application if doing so will prevent the software application error from occurring.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

communicating the software error feedback information to a software vendor with actions needed to prevent the software application error from occurring on the client computer, if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the software error feedback information is information regarding an authorization failure due to an access check on the client computer and the information communicated to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application automatically redirects a resource request associated with the authorization failure in a manner such that authorization will be granted by the operating system and prevent the authorization failure due to the access check.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the resource request is the opening of a file.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the resource request is the accessing of an operating system registry.

7. A computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions stored thereon for processing software application error feedback, comprising:

automatically receiving software error feedback information from a client computer upon the failure of a software application to start correctly or to continue to run with less than expected functionality;

determining whether modifying how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application will prevent a software application error associated with the software error feedback information from occurring;

wherein the software application with higher rates of reported errors is classified for priority attention and action to mitigate error conditions identified in the error feedback by technical or manual action;

sending the software application error information to a software vendor with specific actions or changes needed in the software application;

if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application, testing a fix for the software application error on different versions of the software application that are generating a similar error; and

sending the fix to all client computers in the field, wherein;

the software error feedback information is generated as a result of a software authorization failure upon attempting to start a software application; and

the software application continues to operate after the authorization failure occurs.

8. The computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions of claim 7 further comprising:

communicating information to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application if doing so will prevent the software application error from occurring.

9. The computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating the software error feedback information to a software vendor with actions needed to prevent the software application error from occurring on the client computer, if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application.

10. The computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions of claim 8 further comprising:

wherein the software error feedback information is information regarding an authorization failure due to an access check on the client computer and the information communicated to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application automatically redirects a resource request associated with the authorization failure in a manner such that authorization will be granted by the operating system and prevent the authorization failure due to the access check.

11. The computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions of claim 10 wherein the resource request is the opening of a file.

12. The computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions of claim 11 wherein the resource request is the accessing of an operating system registry.

13. A system for processing software application error feedback comprising:

means for receiving software error feedback information from a client computer upon the failure of a software application to start correctly or to continue to run with less than expected functionality; and

means for determining whether modifying how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application will prevent a software application error associated with the software error feedback information from occurring, said determining means in communication with said receiving means;

means for classifying the software application with higher rates of reported errors for priority attention and actions and mitigating error conditions identified in the error feedback through technical or manual means;

means for sending the software application error information to a software vendor with specific actions or changes needed in the software application;

means for, if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application, testing a fix for the software application error on different versions of the software application that are generating a similar error;

means for sending the fix to all client computers in the field, said testing and putting means in communication with the error feedback receiving means; and

means for generating the software error feedback information as a result of a software authorization failure upon attempting to start a software application, wherein the software application continues to operate after the authorization failure occurs.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

means for communicating information to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application if doing so will prevent the software application error from occurring, said client computer communicating means in communication with the determining means.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for communicating the software error feedback information to a software vendor with actions needed to prevent the software application error from occurring on the client computer, if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application, said software vendor communicating means in communication with the error feedback receiving means.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the software error feedback information is information regarding an authorization failure due to an access check on the client computer and the information communicated to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application automatically redirects a resource request associated with the authorization failure in a manner such that authorization will be granted by the operating system and prevent the authorization failure due to the access check.

17. A method for processing software application error feedback comprising:

automatically receiving software error feedback information from a client computer as a result of an authorization failure upon attempting to start a software application, the information comprising;

a particular software application in which the error occurred, information regarding a problem receiving authorization from the client computer operating system to run the software, a reason for authorization failure, and whether the software application aborted operation or continued to run with limited functionality;

sorting software error feedback information according to which software applications cause the most frequent errors;

examining at least one of the software applications that caused the most frequent errors in determining whether modifying how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application will prevent a software application error associated with the software error feedback information from occurring in mitigation of error conditions identified in the error feedback;

prioritizing those software applications causing the most frequent errors for priority repair attention and actions using technical or manual operations;

communicating information to the client computer that modifies how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application if doing so will prevent the software application error from occurring; and

communicating the software error feedback information to a software vendor with specific actions needed in the software application to prevent the software application error from occurring on the client computer, if information associated with the software error is not communicated to the client computer in order to modify how the client computer'"'"'s operating system interacts with the software application, wherein the software application with higher rates of reported errors is classified for priority attention; and

sending any modification to all client computers in the field, wherein the software error feedback information is generated as a result of a software authorization failure upon attempting to start a software application, and the software application continues to operate after the authorization failure occurs.