Windows Installer repair issue for per-user folders/files

Question

Intro:
I have doubts that this is the right place to ask about this, since this issue has existed for me on many windows platforms, please suggest where this should be forwarded if this is an inappropriate place to ask.
Please do not be confused by the directory paths for XP, this issue is also true for Windows 7.
Description:
Windows Installer does not repair files in per-user directories, such as [AppDataFolder], when initial installation is performed using system account (for example - distributing the package through SCCM or using psexec) and repairing under a user with administrative
privileges (limited user repair works fine).
Example.
.msi installation installs a custom .xml configuration file to "[AppDataFolder]". We're installing .msi by using psexec /s. log output:
MSI (s) (D8:F0) [15:19:01:214]: Executing op: FileCopy(SourceName=SETTIN~2.CON|customXML,SourceCabKey=customXML,DestName=customXML,Attributes=16384,FileSize=2633,PerTick=32768,,VerifyMedia=1,,,,,CheckCRC=0,,,InstallMode=58982400,HashOptions=0,HashPart1=-1992414570,HashPart2=1238809189,HashPart3=-80616146,HashPart4=146746036,,)
MSI (s) (D8:F0) [15:19:01:214]: File: c:\WINDOWS\system32\config\systemprofile\Application Data\customXML;
To be installed; Won't patch;
No existing file
MSI (s) (D8:F0) [15:19:01:214]: Source for file 'customXML' is compressed
MSI (s) (D8:F0) [15:19:01:230]: Note: 1: 2318 2: c:\WINDOWS\system32\config\systemprofile\Application Data\customXML
When a user with administrative credentials accesses the advertised shortcut repair is run on the component that has the .xml configuration file, event viewer has an entry about this.
The verbose repair log file shows the following entry:
MSI (s) (D8:E4) [15:22:27:667]: Executing op: FileCopy(SourceName=SETTIN~2.CON|customXML,SourceCabKey=customXML,DestName=customXML,Attributes=16384,FileSize=2633,PerTick=32768,,VerifyMedia=1,,,,,CheckCRC=0,,,InstallMode=16908288,HashOptions=0,HashPart1=-1992414570,HashPart2=1238809189,HashPart3=-80616146,HashPart4=146746036,,)
MSI (s) (D8:E4) [15:22:27:667]: File: c:\WINDOWS\system32\config\systemprofile\Application Data\customXML;
Won't Overwrite; Won't patch;
Existing file is unversioned and unmodified - hash matches source file
Limited user repair log reads:
MSI (s) (78:8C) [15:26:27:406]: Executing op: FileCopy(SourceName=SETTIN~2.CON|customXML,SourceCabKey=customXML,DestName=customXML,Attributes=16384,FileSize=2633,PerTick=32768,,VerifyMedia=1,,,,,CheckCRC=0,,,InstallMode=16908288,HashOptions=0,HashPart1=-1992414570,HashPart2=1238809189,HashPart3=-80616146,HashPart4=146746036,,)
MSI (s) (78:8C) [15:26:27:406]: File: c:\Documents and Settings\test\Application Data\customXML;
To be installed; Won't patch;
No existing file
Your suggestions will be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello,
Did you ever get to the root cause of this?
I have a similar problem with a custom XML that is reported as "empty or is not a xml file." in the logs.
Wondered if you had found the root cause?
Kind regards,
Sio.