Using the virtualization features of the Windows Vista operating system, you may encounter file and registry virtualization issues described below.
Scenario 1: You receive an error message when you install, upgrade, or use an application
When you install, upgrade, or use an application, you may receive various error messages indicating that access is denied. For example, you may experience one of the following symptoms: • When an application is installed in a folder other than the folder %programfiles%, you receive an "Access Denied" error message. Also, the app does not work.
• You receive an application error message similar to the following:
Cannot create folder under C:\\MyApp\\Temp
Cannot create folder under C:\\MyApp\\Temp\\output.dat
• You receive an error message that resembles the following:
Error writing to MyFile.exe
This issue may occur when you do any of the following: • Create a link in a virtual location.
• Encrypt files using Encrypting File System (EFS).
• Trying to view a compressed file.
• Use a command prompt to copy an .exe, .sys, or .dll file to a virtual location.
• The part of the application that requires file input or output is no longer working.
Scenario 2: Cannot find the file or folder you just created
When using an application with virtualization enabled, you created a data file in the virtual location of the file system. These files are not found when accessing these newly created files using other applications or Windows Explorer. For example, if you save a file to the %programfiles%, %systemroot%, or %programdata% folder in a photo editing application, you will not find this file.
Scenario 3: Unexpected program behavior after upgrading an application
After upgrading an application, you receive an error message similar to the following:
Error. Please upgrade your application
Also, the app does not work. The application seems to be using the wrong or pre-upgrade data.
Scenario 4: After uninstalling the application, the application's files are still on the computer
In this case, you experience one of the following symptoms: • In other applications, you noticed that The file and folder information for the uninstall application still exists in the %programfiles%, %programdata%, or %systemroot% folder.
• The %userprofile%\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore folder is larger than expected. The virtualization files created while the application is running are not deleted when the application is uninstalled.
Cause
One or more of the following conditions can cause these problems: • The application tries to create a file or folder outside of some of the specified virtualization folders.
• Files saved by the application in the %programfiles% folder may point to folders other than the user's virtual storage folder.
• The application uses a file that is not supported by virtualization.
solutions
situation description of the problem to determine whether there is a case 1 1
, look FileCreateVirtualExclude events in Event Viewer. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, type eventvwr in the Start Search box, and then click eventvwr.exe in the Programs list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
2. Expand Applications and Services Logs, expand Microsoft, expand Windows, and then select UacFileVirtualization, and then select Operational. If the event ID is 5000, the FileCreateVirtualExclude event has occurred.
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods: • If the program is not already installed in the %programfiles% folder, reinstall it in the %programfiles% folder.
• Run this application with an account with administrative credentials. To do this, locate and right-click the shortcut for the application, then click Run as administrator.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
• Run the application at an elevated command prompt. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.
2. In the Programs list, right-click cmd, and then click Run as administrator.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
3. Type MyAppsPath/MyApp and press Enter. MyAPPSPath/MyApp represents the path and name of the application.
• Change the security settings of the application folder. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Log in as a user with administrative credentials and then use Windows Explorer to open the folder for the application.
2. Right-click the application's folder and click Properties.
3. On the Security tab, click Edit.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
4. Under Group or User Name, click your user account.
5. Under "Permissions for Users", click "Allow" for the following permissions: • Modify
• Read and Execute
• List Folder Directory
• Read
• Write
6. Click OK.
case 2
To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods: • Click "Compatibility Files" button displayed on the browser bar to view virtualized files in the folder. The Compatibility File button is displayed only if there is a virtualization file in the folder.
• Find files and folders in the C:\\Users\\User_name\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore folder.
• Save the application's data in a folder under the user profile.
Scenario 3
Warning: Serious problems can occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by other means. These issues may require reinstallation of the operating system to resolve. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these issues will be resolved. Modifying the registry is at your own risk.
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods: • Run the application at an elevated command prompt. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, type cmd in the Start Search box, and then click cmd.exe in the Programs list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
2. Type MyAppsPath/MyApp. MyAPPSPath/MyApp represents the path and name of the application and press Enter.
• Open virtual storage and delete the original application data file. To do this, use Windows Explorer to open the C:\\Users\\User_name\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore\\Program Files\\MyApp folder and delete all files except your document or data files.
• Remove virtual storage from the registry.
To find virtual storage in the registry and delete all unnecessary registry entries, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then in Programs Click "regedit.exe" in the list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Classes\\VirtualStore
3. For any application registry key that is no longer needed, right-click the item. Click Remove and then click Yes.
Scenario 4
To resolve this issue, use Windows Explorer to open the C:\\Users\\User_name\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore\\MyApp folder and delete any outdated application data.
More Information
File and registry virtualization helps users who have limited access to the registry and file system write content to these protected areas. Virtualization creates a "per user" copy and then redirects continuous data operations. For example, run an application under a restricted user account or under an account that requires User Access Control permissions. When this application writes content to a system location, such as the %programfiles% folder, Windows Vista redirects writes and reads to user-specific in the user profile folder (%localappdata%\\VirtualStore) position. By default, this location is C:\\Users\\User_name\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore\\Program Files\\Application_name. Registry virtualization works similarly, but is applied to registry keys under the HKEY_LOCAL_MacHINE\\SOFTWARE subtree. The registry keys and data under this subtree are redirected to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Classes\\VirtualStore subkey.