diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
index 6e47e5d7..675aa3eb 100644
--- a/.vscode/launch.json
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@
             "type": "swift-lldb",
             "request": "launch",
             "name": "test_app",
-            "program": "${workspaceFolder:swiftwinrt}\\out\\${command:cmake.activeBuildPresetName}\\bin\\test_app.exe",
+            "program": "${workspaceFolder}\\out\\${command:cmake.activeBuildPresetName}\\bin\\test_app.exe",
             "args": [],
-            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder:swiftwinrt}/tests",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/tests",
             "preLaunchTask": "Install"
         },
         {
             "type": "cppvsdbg",
             "request": "launch",
             "name": "test_app (pdb)",
-            "program": "${workspaceFolder:swiftwinrt}\\out\\${command:cmake.activeBuildPresetName}\\bin\\test_app",
+            "program": "${workspaceFolder}\\out\\${command:cmake.activeBuildPresetName}\\bin\\test_app",
             "args": [],
-            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder:swiftwinrt}/tests",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/tests",
             "preLaunchTask": "Install"
         }
     ]
diff --git a/swiftwinrt/Resources/Support/HString.swift b/swiftwinrt/Resources/Support/HString.swift
index d7c7d2bb..54e84d52 100644
--- a/swiftwinrt/Resources/Support/HString.swift
+++ b/swiftwinrt/Resources/Support/HString.swift
@@ -10,10 +10,24 @@ final public class HString {
   internal private(set) var hString: HSTRING?
   
   public init(_ string: String) throws {
-    self.hString = try string.withCString(encodedAs: UTF16.self) {
-      var result: HSTRING?
-      try CHECKED(WindowsCreateString($0, UINT32(wcslen($0)), &result))
-      return result
+    let codeUnitCount = string.utf16.count
+    var pointer: UnsafeMutablePointer<UInt16>? = nil
+    var hStringBuffer: HSTRING_BUFFER? = nil
+
+    // Note: Methods like String.withCString are not used here because they do a copy to create a null
+    // terminated string, and requires an additional copy to create an HSTRING. Instead, a single copy is
+    // done by using WindowsPreallocateStringBuffer to allocate a buffer and directly copying the string into it.
+    try CHECKED(WindowsPreallocateStringBuffer(UInt32(codeUnitCount), &pointer, &hStringBuffer));
+    guard let pointer else { throw Error(hr: E_FAIL) }
+      _ = UnsafeMutableBufferPointer(start: pointer, count: codeUnitCount).initialize(from: string.utf16)
+    
+    do {
+      var hString: HSTRING? = nil
+      try CHECKED(WindowsPromoteStringBuffer(hStringBuffer, &hString));
+      self.hString = hString
+    } catch {
+      WindowsDeleteStringBuffer(hStringBuffer)
+      throw error
     }
   }