Why do i get E_ACCESSDENIED when reading public shortcuts through Shell32?

Question

I\'m trying to read the targets of all desktop shortcuts in a C# 4 application. The shortcuts on a windows desktop can come from more that one location, depending on whether

Answer 1

Yes, you cannot get access to the .lnk file in that folder by default. You are creating a COM object that allows you to modify the .lnk properties. And that requires an administrator level account with UAC turned off.

Yes, you can fix that with a manifest.