OK, I'm going to work really hard to keep myself from swearing here...
Here's what I want to do: I'm trying to edit a configuration file in my program application directory: c:\Program Files\MyApp\MyApp.ini
I opened it in notepad and it wouldn't let me save it after I made changes. OK, I thought, the permissions on the file are wrong. Fine, I reset the permissions so my user can update the settings. Then it would let me save the file.
Seconds later, my ini file is gone! It had moved it into the VirtualStore. No shortcut to the file, no indication that it was going to move the file, just boom, gone. No program that hasn't been explicitly written to deal with its ini file in the VirtualStore will know that's where the file is. Plus, I had expressly said that anyone can read and write that file. Leave the flippin' file where I put it!!
I then go to search for my file. I click on the start button and type its name into the Search field. My file shows up in the list and I click on it. It looks strange and I doublecheck where it's from. It had searched another machine on the network and shown me that as a file on my system ... again with NO indication that it wasn't on my machine! I had opened this file previously but it should not be searching remote machines and present results from them as if they're files on my local computer!!
I finally get the settings close to what I want and then copy the file from the VirtualStore back to where it belongs and reset the permissions. I start my program and realize that I need to add something else. I open the ini file again but the permissions have been RESET. I.SET.THE.PERMISSIONS.LEAVE.THEM.ALONE!
I'm trying to do things the 'right' way and not turn off UAC completely (I have it set for default) but it's this kind of thing that drives me INSANE!
Me and Windows 7 are not getting along at all.
