Re: Vista Program Files Folder Problem - Issue 1



Thank you Jose for your valuable responses.

The information with regard to saving data files to the Program Files folder makes a lot of sense now that I am made aware. Thank you GTS.

With regard to my particular application, the customer's profile does not allow users to run install programs, hence I can not package the files. It had been very convenient to simply copy the files to their final locations using a batch script; I just now need to make my batch script a little bit smarter to place the data file into the virtualized folder. Further, the issue is a bit moot since the site is using only Win2000 and, recently, WinXP. However, this is extremely useful information for future development on MS platforms.

Again, thank you both for your rapid and valuable responses.

rac


"GTS" <x> wrote in message news:%238fawN8PJHA.1960@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vista does not permit saving data files to the Program Files folder. For backward compatibility if an installation tries to place files there they are redirected to a "virtualized folder" which actually resides in the "C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\ MyApp" folder.
Storing data in the Programs Files directory has never been a good practice and Vista actively prohibits it. The 'ProgramsData' folder in Vista is intended for data storage.

The article below explains this and how to address problems like the one you describe. See especially Scenario 3.

Common file and registry virtualization issues in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927387/en-us
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"rac" <richard5@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:cfqdnU9gupspjo_UnZ2dnUVZ_sLinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
Jose,
I am encountering a similar issue.

I have been using a MS Access 2000 database for quite some time. I have a user who purchased a new computer with Windows Vista (I needed to install Vista Business to accommodate our network). The OS has been SP'd to SP1.

Very simply, I created a directory in Program Files and placed a front-end MS Access database in it and a back-end database into a subfolder; both are .mdb versus .mde. The user has been using this database for evaluation and testing. In the meantime, I have been updating the database application set on my WinXP/Access 2000 computer. To deploy the updated database app, I simply copied the updated database set to replace the existing set on the user's machine. When the database was opened on the user's machine, the data displayed was that of the OLD database, not the upgraded database. Sanity check... "user, watch me do this" Open db app on my computer -- all as it should be. Copy files to network share and copy them to user's machine from the share. Open the app on user's machine -- OLD data.

I renamed the directory in the Program Files directory, manually created the directory with the appropriate name along with the subdirectory, and copied the database files into the respective directories. Now, with the exact same update files as before, the database displays the NEW data. Further, if I remove the new test directory and rename the original back to the particular name, the database now opens with the NEW data.

I do see that no one has responded to your postings, at least into the forum. I have experienced this before with complex, serious MS Access issues. I hope you get a chance to see this follow up to your posting over two months ago. If you have any thoughts or resolution, I would like very much to hear from you.

rac
"José António Silva" <JosAntnioSilva@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:4A8C58D9-0AD4-4EBF-892C-D17249B89D33@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello,
I usually deploy a package composed, among others, by a mde file (Compiled
Access File). The installation process is done with a msi file. So far so
good! However, sometimes, I need to update my program several times a day
and, to be simpler, I deploy to clients an exe file that just replace the mde
file. This can break some windows installation rules, but that's enough!
Now, I'm doing this in four computers with Vista. Two of them are ok. In the
other two, my exe file apparently replaces the mde, but when the final user
run's it, he didn't get the last version that goes inside the exe file. He
gets the same previous version.
I have given full control permissions to the folder c:\program files\my
program. I suspect from Windows Resource Protection, but I'm not sure and I
don't know what to do or what to search for.

José António Siva





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