Embedding Manifest to Disable Virtualization in Windows Vista
This will disable the virtualization for your application.
On a Vista machine, this manifest can be used for security requirements for an application. For example, on Vista, applications are not allowed to write into “Program Files” or Windows directories.
If requestedExecutionLevel is not set to true, the Registry and file virtualization will be turned on. The program will be writing to “Program Files,” but it’s really writing to C:Users<username>AppDataLocalVirtualStoreProgram Files. The Registry redirects HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftware to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesVirtualStoreMACHINESOFTWARE<Application Registry Keys>.
To disable the virtualization, you need to create a Manifest file and add the manifest file in the application build events. The Manifest file disables the virtualization in Vista for your application.
Right-click the project–> click the properties–>. On the left-side menu, you need to click the compile menu–>. In the Compile menu, you have this Build Events. When you click the build events, you will have a Post-build event command line; below that, you have a test box.
Here is the link for the manifest file: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb545961.aspx.
uiAccess needs to be set to false and the level should be asinvoker.
<security>
<requestedPrivileges>
<requestedExecutionLevel level="AsInvoker" uiAccess="false"/>
</requestedPrivileges>
</security>
Virtualization
Before adding the following line of code in that post build command line text box, you need to find the path of the MT.exe file. Usually, it will be in “C:Program FilesMicrosoft Visual Studio 8SDKv2.0BinMT.exe”. Otherwise, please search and find the its path.
To build and embed the manifest file to connect to the application automatically, you need to add the following code in the post-build event of the application and keep this manifest file in the application path.
"Path of the MT.exe"
-manifest "$(ProjectDir)[application name].exe.manifest"
-outputresource:"$(TargetDir)$(TargetFileName)";#1