disable file system virtualization for an application

[Scott]

I've installed a couple legacy compilers on my new Vista PC and they
are giving me fits with what I believe is a file system virtualization
problem. In particular the compilers are trying to rename a file in
their \program files\ subdirectory, which fails, and prevents the
compiler's ide from functioning properly.

Is there a way to disable virtualization for an application?

If I uninstall the applications and reinstall them somewhere other
than \program files\, will this solve the problem? [I'd rather not
have to do this, but will if necessary]

Microsoft certainly created the unholy mess from hell with this
virtualization attempt.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Scott,

A couple of ideas:

a) Set up a virtual machine using Virtual PC (it's free) and install a
legacy OS that the applications are compatible with.

b) Install it outside of the \Program Files directory tree.

Virtualization is designed to make it tough for malware to alter system
files, and applications need to migrate to this methodology to ensure system
integrity. The only other solution for situations of this type is to disable
UAC and alter directory permissions, and this also has the negative impact
of exposing the system to the exact type of attacks that virtualization is
meant to defeat. While this may be suitable for more advanced users that
understand the full impact of it, it's most certainly not for the average
one.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[On the Bridge!]

have you tried running them in compatibility mode?

Running a compiler in a virtual machine will be slow....

if you dont care. ok

 

[Scott]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. After playing with it a bit more
last night, I found that I could change the permissions for the folder
that the compiler sits in (the subdirectory off of \program files\) so
that I, the humble user, had permission to modify files. This seems to
be working.

Scott