MD-102 Manage applications Practice Question
You manage Windows 11 devices with Microsoft Intune. Users run a line-of-business desktop app that writes configuration data to HKEY_CURRENT_USER. After you deploy the app as a Win32 app with an install context of System, users report that their settings are not saved between sessions. You need to ensure that each user's settings persist in their own profile while the app still installs without user interaction. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that changing detection rules or requirement rules changes the runtime context of a Win32 app, when only the install context setting controls whether the app runs as the user or as the system account.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the app's install context to User and redeploy the app.
Win32 apps deployed by Intune can run in either User or System context. System context installs with elevated rights and writes to the system account's profile, so per-user HKCU data is not preserved for the signed-in user. Switching the install context to User makes the app run per user, allowing HKCU writes to land in each user's profile and persist.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Wrap the app in a Win32 app package that includes a PowerShell script to copy HKCU settings to HKLM at logoff.
Why it's wrong here
Copying HKCU to HKLM does not preserve per-user settings and can create security and profile conflicts between users on the same device. It also does not address the root cause, which is the System context running the app as the system account. This workaround would be fragile and unsupported for per-user configuration.
- ✗
Add a requirement rule that targets only Windows 11 devices and redeploy the app.
Why it's wrong here
Requirement rules control which devices are eligible to receive the app; they do not change the security context in which the app runs. The problem is caused by the System install context writing to the system account's HKCU hive, not by device eligibility. Adding a Windows 11 requirement rule would not change how per-user registry writes are redirected.
- ✗
Configure the app's detection rule to check for the registry key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
Why it's wrong here
A detection rule only determines whether Intune considers the app installed; it does not control the runtime context or where the app writes data. Changing detection to HKCU would not make the app run as the user. The app would still install and run as System, so user settings would still be written to the wrong hive.
- ✓
Change the app's install context to User and redeploy the app.
Why this is correct
Setting the install context to User makes the app run under each signed-in user's context, so HKEY_CURRENT_USER writes go to that user's own hive and persist between sessions. The app is already packaged as a Win32 app, so only the context needs to change. Installing in System context runs the app under the local system account, whose HKCU hive is not the user's profile.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Deploying Applications with Intune
Key term
Windows 11
Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest desktop operating system, offering a redesigned interface, enhanced security features, and improved support for modern hardware.
Key term
Intune
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that helps organizations manage their users' devices and applications, ensuring security and compliance without needing to own or control the physical hardware.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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