Forum Discussion
MSIX Packaging Tool and Registry User.Dat and UserClasses.Dat files
Thank you for reporting this. In the future, the MSIX Packaging Tool will ensure User.dat gets created even if there are no changes to HKCU\Software\Classes.
In the meantime, as you said, you can create an extra registry key under HKCU\Software\Classes to ensure User.dat is created.
My modification packages created on Windows 10 2004 (with changed HKCU content) do not contain User.Dat AND UserClasses.Dat.
They do not work.
On 1909 it was still working (User.Dat AND UserClasses.Dat were created and are in the modification package)
dilorenzo I'm adding ShakersMSFT reference to this to bring it to attention.
If you are correct in your supposition, you could try the following.
I have noticed that the User.Dat and UserClasses.Dat files are not generated in the package in later versions of the Microsoft MXIX Packaging Tool unless the capture ingredients include at least one entry under HKCU\Software\Classes (even if there are other HKCU based entries). So I have been adding a "HKCU\Software\Classes\NonExistent" reg key into the packages. I can't remember what I noticed not working, but this solved that problem for me and perhaps it is what you need.
FYI: The user.dat file appears to contain the complete application hive and these two extra files appear to contain a copy of subsets. I am unsure of their use, but it would seem that portions of the system that only require a subset can use these for expediency.
ChaconMicrosoft
Thank you for reporting this. In the future, the MSIX Packaging Tool will ensure User.dat gets created even if there are no changes to HKCU\Software\Classes.
In the meantime, as you said, you can create an extra registry key under HKCU\Software\Classes to ensure User.dat is created.