Isolation Methods

AdminStudio 2024 R2 | 28.0 | Application Isolation Wizard

Edition:Application Isolation Wizard is included with AdminStudio Professional and Enterprise Editions.

There are two isolation methods supported by the Application Isolation Wizard™: Manifests and Assemblies and Windows Installer Isolated Components.

Assemblies and Manifests

Application isolation using assemblies and manifests is the recommended isolation method for Windows XP. These assemblies and manifests provide the same end result as Windows Installer isolated components, but keep all information outside of the registry and do not require the components to be installed in the same folder as the application. This reduces the chance of errors after isolation resulting from how the application was written.

Assemblies and manifests only work under the Windows XP operating system.

Windows Installer Isolated Components

Application isolation using Windows Installer isolated components is for Windows 98 SE, Me, and 2000. It can also be used on Windows XP, but using assemblies and manifests is the better solution. The isolated component method copies shared files (typically DLLs) into an application’s folder instead of a shared location. The application then uses these files instead of global ones, preventing modifications made by other applications from affecting the shared files. As a result, the application always uses the versions of these files with which it was deployed.

To instruct an application use the private files rather than shared versions, the Application Isolation Wizard populates the IsolatedComponent table with the necessary logic to use private files stored in the same folder as the application. When Windows Installer performs the setup, data from the IsolatedComponent table populates a .local file, which ultimately directs how to use the private files.

Windows Installer isolated components still require some information to be written to the registry, and also require the associated components to be in the same folder as the application. While in most cases this will still provide required isolation, depending on how the application was written, the movement of these associated components from their original locations may prevent the application from functioning correctly.