Windows Vista & Windows 7 use a more comprehensive security model than previous versions of Windows, especially a new feature called User Account Control (UAC). This feature is designed to prevent a user of the machine from doing things which might potentially break the computer - and the part that protects the Program Files folder is a little bit of a problem for WoW players.

The Virtual Store is a hidden folder in the Users folder.

Many applications/programs written before Windows Vista (including World of Warcraft) got used to being allowed to write files or change files wherever they wanted, but Vista doesn't allow this. Because applications (like games!) are not normally allowed to write or make changes to files into the Program Files directory, Windows Vista re-directs those files to a place called the Virtual Store.

If your copy of World of Warcraft is installed in the Program Files folder, you almost certainly have your Interface\AddOns and WTF folder (where WoW saves its settings) in the Virtual Store.

Patch 3.0.2 and Wrath of the Lich King Expansion:

Now, along comes Wow Patch 3.0.2, and knowing that people were having problems with WoW being installed in the Program Files folder, Blizzard decided to help Windows Vista users by moving the game to a new place. When you install Patch 3.0.2 or the Wrath of the Lich King expansion and you're running WIndows Vista with World of Warcraft installed to your Program Files folder the installer/patcher will ask to move your WoW install.

The new path is going to be "computer\[user name]\users\public\games\World of Warcraft." User name is of course the Windows Vista user account of the user logged in at the time of the install.

If you've installed your copy of WoW somewhere else (like me, D:\Games\World of Warcraft) you will be unaffected by this change.

More information on the Virtual Store:

The Virtual Store is a hidden folder in the Users folder. Your typical path for a World of Warcraft installation would look like this:
C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\World of Warcraft\.

For the technical explanation, read all about the UAC and the Virtual Store at these links:

Link 1 - the don't confuse me with technology version:
http://help.lockergnome.com/vista/Virtual-Store-ftopict16837.html

Link 2 - The Real Scoop:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc138019.aspx

Link 3 - Shirik's WoW Interface Guide on this subject with pictures!
http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14650

● To get to the Virtual Store:

Go to the "Program Files" folder, then your World of Warcraft folder and click "Compatibility Files" on the menu bar. This will take you to where the AddOns and WTF folders are. (If you're on Vista 64 bit versions, you'll have a "Program Files (x86)" folder - WoW will most likely be in there, if so, navigate to the AddOns or WTF folder before looking for the "Compatibility Files" button.

● How to Show Hidden Files/Folders: (do this only to help see hidden folders, not to fix anything).

1. Click the Start Button, and choose "Control Panel" from the menu.
2. Choose "Appearance and Personalization."
3. Under "Folder Options" choose "Show hidden files and folders."
4. Click the "View" tab.
5. Find the item labeled, "Hidden files and folders" and click the circle next to "Show hidden files and folders."
6. Click the "Apply" button.

To make troubleshooting easier for yourself you can do a couple of things:

1. (Easy, Secure, Best) - Move your World of Warcraft installation to a new location, outside of the Program Files folder. For example, on my PC I have WoW installed in D:\Games\World of Warcraft. You can move your entire WoW folder to anywhere else on your computer that you like. This prevents the whole UAC/Virtual Store issue entirely.

If you do this, you will need to modify the shortcut (icon) you use to run WoW. Richt-Click on the icon and chose "Properties" from the menu. Change the "Target" property to match your new path. This will not break your WoW install in any way. WoW is pretty self-contained, and any registry entries it needs to update it will do at run time. As an added benefit of this, patching can often be easier since the patch files won't get moved to your virtual store.

2. (Easy, but not secure) - You can, if you're an Administrator on the computer, allow WoW to run as an Admin, giving it special rights to write to the Program Files folder. Right-Click the icon you use to run WoW and choose "Run as Administrator" from the menu. This is not recommended because it essentially disables the protection of UAC.

*applies some sprocketpaste*

7/15/2009 Music Distribution through UI Add-Ons

We have recently seen a number of User Interface Add-Ons that are making modifications to the World of Warcraft in-game music files and wanted to take a moment to go over some important points with the community in connection with this. While we are currently allowing Add-Ons that remove or replace existing sound files, keep in mind that it is illegal to distribute copyrighted materials, in this case in-game music and audio files, without authorization. One of the primary goals of the user interface is to allow players to customize their game experience and we hope to avoid making any modifications in the future that will prevent this.


4/13/2009 UI Add-On Development Policy Update

On March 20, we released the new add-on development policy to the public as an ongoing effort to help ensure add-on integrity, safety, and quality for the community. Since that time we have been in touch with many UI development communities on what the policy means to them and the continuing development of these add-ons. We would like to announce further that we are providing a sixty-day grace period beginning at the time of the initial release of the policy for UI developers to comply with the new policy. After May 19th, Blizzard Entertainment will begin to enforce the Add-on Development policy, and developers found to be in violation of this policy will be contacted directly.

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World of Warcraft User Interface Add-On Development Policy
With the continuing popularity of World of Warcraft user interface add-ons (referred to hereafter as "add-ons") created by the community of players, Blizzard Entertainment has formalized design and distribution guidelines for add-ons. These guidelines have been put in place to ensure the integrity of World of Warcraft and to help promote an enjoyable gaming environment for all of our players - failure to abide by them may result in measures up to and including taking formal legal action.

1) Add-ons must be free of charge.
All add-ons must be distributed free of charge. Developers may not create "premium" versions of add-ons with additional for-pay features, charge money to download an add-on, charge for services related to the add-on, or otherwise require some form of monetary compensation to download or access an add-on.

2) Add-on code must be completely visible.
The programming code of an add-on must in no way be hidden or obfuscated, and must be freely accessible to and viewable by the general public.

3) Add-ons must not negatively impact World of Warcraft realms or other players.
Add-ons will perform no function which, in Blizzard Entertainment's sole discretion, negatively impacts the performance of the World of Warcraft realms or otherwise negatively affects the game for other players. For example, this includes but is not limited to excessive use of the chat system, unnecessary loading from the hard disk, and slow frame rates.

4) Add-ons may not include advertisements.
Add-ons may not be used to advertise any goods or services.

5) Add-ons may not solicit donations.
Add-ons may not include requests for donations. We recognize the immense amount of effort and resources that go into developing an add-on; however, such requests should be limited to the add-on website or distribution site and should not appear in the game.

6) Add-ons must not contain offensive or objectionable material.
World of Warcraft has been given a "T" by the ESRB, and similar ratings from other ratings boards around the world. Blizzard Entertainment requires that add-ons not include any material that would not be allowed under these ratings.

7) Add-ons must abide by World of Warcraft ToU and EULA.
All add-ons must follow the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and the World of Warcraft End User License Agreement.

8) Blizzard Entertainment has the right to disable add-on functionality as it sees fit.
To maintain the integrity World of Warcraft and ensure the best possible gaming experience for our players, Blizzard Entertainment reserves the right to disable any add-on functionality within World of Warcraft at its sole discretion. For more information...

If you are an add-on developer and have any questions about and this User Interface Add-On Development Policy and how it pertains to the add-on that you've developed, please don't hesitate to email us at WoWUI@blizzard.com.