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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-13T06:22:09+00:00

Is there a reliable method to check if an application is run from somewhere

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Is there a reliable method to check if an application is run from somewhere beneath program files?

If the user installs the application to program files on local machine, we need to put writable files somewhere else to avoid virtualization on Vista and Win7. When installed to a network disk, though, we want to keep these files with the installation for shared access among users.

Today we do an string comparison between startup path and CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES, but something tells me this is a very unreliable method.

Any smart solution out there?
Is there a ‘IsRunningFromProtectedFolder( )’-api that I do not know about?
Are there any other folders giving the same problems as program files do?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    This is not a terribly good idea, as a user can install it wherever they want to, and then the check might fail. Instead have a checkbox when the user installs the app, deciding if it is installed locally or on a server.

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