Blank folders in MSIX Packages

…or we could call it “The mystery of the empty MSIXPackagingToolGeneratedFile.txt file” to be catchy!

The packaging format used by UWP, MSIX, and App-V files is loosely structured around formats based on the PkZip format specification. This format mostly has file references, with the file headers providing information about the path that the file lives under. So folders …

Solving DLL Not Found issues in MSIX

The new DynamicLibraryFixup component of the Package Support Framework simplifies the task of ensuring that processes in your package find dlls that are also in your package.

Background

Applications use a variety of techniques to ensure that the exe used to start a process can load the dll files they require. In general, the dll is loaded through a Windows …

App-V Sequencer in ADK 20.04

Microsoft recently released the Windows ADK for Widows 10 version 20.04, and the version includes a new version of the App-V Sequencer. Here is what we know.

1) Although ADK components often work on OS versions other than the one it is released with, in this case you must use Windows 10 20.04 OS when using the ADK sequencer from …

PsfTooling 3.6

I’m happy to announce that version 3.6 of PsfTooling is now available in the Microsoft Store. As always, this is a free download. PsfTooling is used as an aid in conjunction with the Microsoft MSIX Packaging Tool to help inject and configure the PSF into MSIX packages.

For those unaware, PSF stands for Package Support Framework, an open source …

What’s new in the PSF April 2020

Back in February I posted this blog post describing changes that I was making to the PSF to improve app compat, along with a note that it might take a bit for Microsoft to integrate the Pull Request. 

For those unaware, PSF stands for Package Support Framework, an open source utility that I contribute to for helping traditional Win32 …

PsfTooling 3.5 for MSIX Repackaging

PassiveInstallassiveInstall version 3.5.0 was released today in the Microsoft Store. A free tool, it is used along with the Microsoft MSIX Packaging Tool to inject and configure the Package Support Framework to fix common issues seen in repackaging existing Win32 and DotNet Framework based applications for MSIX.

Version 3.5 includes a pre-built version of the PSF with the improvements I …