HKLM under Vista - how to get .NET app to read the real HKLM?

[robains]

I've got an App that normally is "Run as administrator" once deployed to a client PC running Vista.

Please don't go down the road of "you aren't supposed to do it that way, yada, yada, yada" as I really do NOT want to get into a heated debate about Microsoft implementation of security. I just want a solution I can live with.

While debugging my applications in VS 2005 (which is required to be set to "Run As Administrator") any references to Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey don't appear to look in the "real" HKLM but look somewhere else (Virtualized key under the current user account is my guess).

How can I get my app (under VS 2005 debugging session) to look in the real HKLM dir under Vista x64.

I have tried setting up a manifest, but either I'm not getting it in the correct dir (thought it was supposed to be in Debug) or it's just not being used.

Note: my app is set to compile under x86 (32bit).

Thanks, Rob.

[Plater]

Well I did a little reading (very little!) and saw this:

By convention, if similar data exists under CurrentUser and under LocalMachine, the data in CurrentUser takes precedence.

From what you're hypothesizing, it would seem that vista takes that literally and makes the .CurrentUser values override the .LocalMachine.

And now that I've only just restated your information, I don't know what else to offer.


Edit: And here's your confirmation:
http://bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/arc...8/18/4167.aspx

And here:
http://www.thescripts.com/forum/thread627837.html
(which points out: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...redirector.asp )

[robains]

Thanks for getting back to me.

I've read the "VirtualStore" info and even created my registry key under that node but my VS 2005 VB.NET app still returns Nothing (keep in mind this works find when debugging in WinXP). It doesn't generate any exception error (this is important because that means it is not a permissions issue), it just doesn't find the reg key.

I've read those other articles also, but they don't really offer any solution.

I don't have any entries under HKCU so I'm not sure why "Nothing" (no entries) would override something that does exist in HKLM?

Bare in mind that if I compile and run my application (outside of the context of VS 2005 IDE) using "Run As Administrator" it does actually find the correct HKLM keys and works. It is ONLY under VS 2005 IDE when I'm debugging that I encounter this problem (also keep in mind that VS 2005 IDE is also launch using "Run As Administrator").

So at this point I have NO idea where Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey is actually looking -- surely folks must have run into this problem??

I am retro fitting all my apps to no longer use any local resources on a client PC (i.e. don't write anything anywhere -- which is what Microsoft seem to want as they clearly can't deal with it) -- but in the mean time I need to resolve issues with existing .NET application that I debug under VS 2005 SP1 for Vista.

Anyone?

Rob.