AppV5 - Update files in an already mounted package

An issue I’ve been dealing with lately is we have some in-house applications baked into an AppV package. We are encountering some issues with them and they require updating almost on a daily basis. Since you can’t update/copy .exe’s via a preconfig script or by breaking into the environment (CoW restrictions) they need to be baked into the environment.

One of the new features of AppV 5 vs. 4.6 is that it can mount the files as actual files in the filesystem as opposed to a single binary. This exposure of the AppV 5 packages allows for manipulation of the files *after* they are deployed, but you need to make some modifications to the mounted files.

1) Navigate to the folder you want to change, right click on it and take ownership of it. Make sure you replace permissions on all items within the folder.

2) Set the permissions on the folder to Everyone Full.

And at this part you can now replace .exe's within that folder and subsequent launches of the application now use the new .exe's. At this stage I can now replace these files without recreating the package and when another update to that .exe comes down the pipe I don't have to open the sequencer to update a file, update the share, update the batch file with the new /appvve: GUID's. At least until their software becomes stable and final for this build.