Is Windows registry redirection a "bad thing"?

Question

I have my own installer program which I use to install several applications I have written.

I have been updating this program to avoid the application's data file updates going to the user's VirtualStore, as I read this was a "bad thing". I am doing this by storing the program and common data files separately in their correct locations, instead of sticking everything in Program Files like we used to do in the days of XP.

I am also now using SHGetFolderPath (yes, it's deprecated, but I still need to support my XP users), to get known folders instead of trawling the registry, which is another "bad thing" (I read).

The next thing I was trying to do was rewrite the installer code to avoid registry redirection to Wow6432Node when writing stuff to HKLM, as I thought this was another "bad thing".

However, although I could put the application specific stuff that goes there (like the install folder, if the user decides to install in other than the default), the killer is the need to put the uninstall info in HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. For 32-bit stuff running on a 64-bit system, this is redirected to Wow6432Node. I don't see any way round this - is it in fact possible?

Answer 1

This is a very "BAD THING" ! Microsoft solves a security problem by hiding thing at another place ! I've created a programm to ask the user for some additional parameters (language, directory for lessons) during installation of the app. I tested the programm profoundly, and the registry entries were made perfectly. However during setup the entries were hidden at some strange place! If Microsoft wants to redirect these enties it should at least be some option to be set. Never hide things, and think they will not notice, because it's transparant. Doing this properly would involve an option to be set, so users are aware of the redirection !