MSXML parser returns "" string when program is not ran as administrator

[dilettante]

The file itself, is saved in the app folder.

Do you mean within the protected filesystem under Program Files? Where standard users normally would not have write access?

If your program has a proper manifest this would raise an error 70 "Permission denied." However if it lacks a manifest with a <trustInfo/> section Windows will chuckle, treat it as legacy code, and apply file virtualization appcompat.

Most likely your file is being written to the the duplicated path below:

C:\Users\{user}\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files.

Such a program would also fail under WinXP and Win2K without elevated privileges. People used to hand out Power User group membership like candy to let vocational coders ignore the fact they were no longer running on Win9x. This was a major security hole so that group was eliminated beginning back when Vista came out.


Anyway, look under that path and see whether your file is getting written there.