Windows 7's Compatibility Mode Behavior

Question

I am reproducing this question which I posted to superuser.com a while back, without getting any response. I need to know the answer to this question; more and more of my users are encountering this problem. 
http://superuser.com/questions/743064/windows-7s-compatibility-mode-behavior
Consider the Application Compatibility Mode settings for a typical Windows program:
The question is: What exactly will happen to the environment (specifically, the access to C:\ProgramData) supplied by Windows to the program when the only change is to configure the properties for compatibility with WinXP SP3, as follows:
The background:
An application that was last updated during Windows XP's heyday is now giving us some problems. Specifically, it's tuned to use a .NET library to write some files to a subdirectory in the %ALLUSERSPROFILE% area (on Windows 7, that's
typically C:\ProgramData) which are vital to the application's licensing. The files themselves are plain text files.
These text files are created and written using a much newer and separate .NET program which functions properly, writing the files in the correct place. But then running the older program doesn't read the files correctly; we haven't been able to determine
exactly what's going on.
Many users are finding that setting compatibility mode makes it possible for the system to run correctly. I need to understand that much better.
-- Rob

Answer 1

But that is not the question. The question is, "What is the list of shims and what does each of them do? "
As I pointed out, they're plain text files written to a subdirectory in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%. The installer requires administrator mode and then sets the rights on the subdirectory to "Full Control" for "Users" after it creates the folder. 
"Specifically, it's tuned to use a .NET library to write some files to a subdirectory in the %ALLUSERSPROFILE% area
(on Windows 7, that's typically C:\ProgramData)
which are vital to the application's licensing. The files themselves are plain text files.
These text files are created and written using a much newer and separate .NET program which functions properly, writing the files in the correct place. But then running the older program doesn't read the files correctly; we haven't been able to determine exactly
what's going on."
-- Rob