Vista Program Files Folder Problem – Issue 1

[José António Silva]

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

 

[José António Silva]

Till now I have nothing. I’m wondering about asking Microsoft for this, since
they have a free support service for Vista through March 2009. But I see now
that this service is only to SP1 and I’m not currently sure that all of my
problems are here.
In advance, I know that changing the installation location to the desktop (I
think this is the same as to say outside program files folder) this problem
disappears.
José António Silva

 

[José António Silva]

I forgot to tell you that I have tried to update my mde file with elevated
administrator rights, but it won’t work anyway.
I have tried this with Packet Builder (an installer program) that always has
worked pretty well in XP.
Here is a link for a post I have made in it’s forum
http://www.gdgsoft.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=3. You can see the answer
they gave me.

 

[GTS]

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
--

 

[GTS]

You're welcome.

 

[José António Silva]

Thank you very much, GTS. Yes, it could be this. I’ll check. But for now,
your answer leads me to the other post I’ve made at the same time, and
related with this thread. So, let me ask something more …

---Here is the post---
“Hello,
I develop some programs with Access 2003 and I deploy them like any other
program. However, instead of deploying, among others, an executable main file
I have to deploy a mde compiled acess file - Access works like this! I expect
that users run this mde file. So, I deploy the mde to c:\program files\my
program folder. Again, like any other program.
After reading some literature related with Windows Vista I notice some lines
about more and more restrictions in updating files inside the program files
folder (for security reasons). Taking in account that a mde file is also an
Access database, where we can put data (e.g. temporary data) we are updating
the mde “all the timeâ€. How this can be accomplished with the update
restriction tendency I referred above??
“

So, having in account that an mde could always be changing over the time
(e.g., some properties) what policy we should adopt for Vista times? Simply
change Program Files for ProgramsData, as you suggest?

Thank you, again
José António Silva

 

[GTS]

You're welcome.
I think using ProgramData is a good solution, but it might be helpful to
also ask this in the Access and related programming groups.
--

 

[José António Silva]

That's what I'm going to do, GTS.
Bye and Thanks,
José António Silva