When you use the virtualization feature of Windows Vista, you may the experience file and registry virtualization issues that are described in the following scenarios.

Scenario 1: You receive error messages when you install, upgrade, or use an application
When you install, upgrade, or use an application, you may receive various error messages that indicate that access was denied. For example, you may experience one of the following symptoms:

• After you install an application in a folder other than the %programfiles% folder, you receive “access denied” error messages. Additionally, the application does not function as expected.
• You receive application error messages that resemble the following:
  

  Cannot create folder under C:\MyApp\Temp
  Cannot create file under C:\MyApp\Temp\output.dat

• You receive error messages that resemble the following:
  

  Error Writing to MyFile.exe

  This issue may occur when you perform any of the following actions:

  • You create links in virtualized locations.
  • You use the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt files.
  • You try to view compressed files.
  • You use the command prompt to copy an .exe, .sys, or .dll file into a virtualizable location.
• Parts of the application that require file input or output no longer work correctly.

Scenario 2: You cannot find the file or the folder that you just created
When you use an application for which virtualization is enabled, you create data files in virtualizable locations of the file system. When you use another application or Windows Explorer to access these newly created files, you cannot find them. For example, if you save a file in a photo editing application in the %programfiles%, %systemroot%, or %programdata% folders, you cannot locate this file.

Scenario 3: You upgrade an application and then experience unexpected program behavior
After you upgrade an application, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

Error. Please upgrade your application

Additionally, the application does not work as expected. The application appears to be using incorrect or pre-upgrade data.

Scenario 4: After you uninstall an application, the application’s files are still present on the computer
In this scenario, you experience one of the following symptoms:

• In another application, you notice that file and folder information for the uninstalled application still exists in the %programfiles%, %programdata%, or %systemroot% folders.
• The %userprofile%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore folder is larger than you expect. When you uninstalled the application, the virtualized files that were created during the application’s runtime were not removed.