Any way to force a game to install to a drive other than C?

[Pacfanweb]

Title is self-explanatory.

I searched on the game's site, no help.

It just starts installing to my C drive, but I have my OS only on that drive....I put everything on D.

This game doesn't give me an option to change the installation folder.

Anyone know a way to force the change?

It's Jumpstart World First Grade, if that matters.

 

[DaveSimmons]

If you use some sort of registry tracking or differencing app you might see what keys it's creating that contain a path, then change them to D: after installation.

There may also be .ini / .cfg / .xml files in the game folder with paths.

Unfortunately if the install doesn't let you pick a path the above might not work -- the game itself might include hard-coded file paths that point to locations on C:

 

[Bateluer]

I wonder . . . if you created a folder on D, then mapped it to C and installed the game there, would that work?

 

[lxskllr]

No idea

Kids games are one of my biggest piss offs in computing. They're almost uniformly garbage, with bugs, and irritations galore. They also tend to be boring, and slapped together with minimal thought.

I really have to get off my butt and learn Unreal.ed. I'd love to make a kids game that looks nice, and is fun to play. I've been toying with that idea for a couple of years now. I need to make it happen.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
I wonder . . . if you created a folder on D, then mapped it to C and installed the game there, would that work?

I'd expect it to, as long as the game lets you pick your own folder (really bad installers won't).

It might work to install the game, see what folder it created, delete it, map D:\otherfolder to that folder on C:, then reinstall

 

[JBT]

Try this
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
2. Find ProgramFilesDir whose default should be C:\Program Files
3. Change this to whatever directory you wish. I changed it to D:\Program Files for example.

Reboot. Install game. Change the setting back or leave it if you ussually install to D anyways... reboot if you changed it.
I've done this on quite a few machines but I don't know if it will work on a app that doesn't even ask...

 

[potato28]

Maybe google it? I had to install 250 of those stupid games over the summer, those installs are so stupid proofed I thought that I was using a Mac...

 

[nova2]

consider using NTFS junctions. You can easily utilize them with NTFS Link
http://www.google.com/search?h...+ntfs+link&btnG=Search

or if you're in vista, you could use symbolic links, i think

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: Bateluer
I wonder . . . if you created a folder on D, then mapped it to C and installed the game there, would that work?

I'd expect it to, as long as the game lets you pick your own folder (really bad installers won't).

It might work to install the game, see what folder it created, delete it, map D:\otherfolder to that folder on C:, then reinstall

Couldn't you name the created folder the same as the program's installation directory?

Poor installer programs are annoying. Installations that take up my entire 24in LCD to display a 20x80pixel progress bar are a major source of annoyance.

 

[bamacre]

I would try installing it as is. Then move the entire directory where it installed over to your D drive.

This works fine most of the time. In fact, I remember one game I had that would not install on Windows 2003 Server (said it only supported Win2000 and XP). So I installed the game on a Win2000 computer, and then just moved the entire directory over to my Win2003 Server box, and it played just fine.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Couldn't you name the created folder the same as the program's installation directory?

Right, install, find where it installed to (say "C : \HappyTreeFriends\Funzo") then map D: to that.

You wouldn't even need to reinstall if you rename the installed folder (say to "C: \HappyTemp") before doing the mapping, then copy all of its files to the mapped folder.

I've never had a reason to actually try any of this, but it sounds plausible

I would try installing it as is. Then move the entire directory where it installed over to your D drive.

That will work as long as there are no registry keys used and all file paths in the program code are relative to the program file instead of hard-coded as drive C: -- it's easy to try this first, before messing with the drive mapping and the regkey editing and the flaaavin.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Thanks.
I'll reinstall and just move the entire folder the game is in to my D drive. I guess if the start icon points at C, that's easy enough to change the target so it goes to D instead.

I just don't have enough room on C for that game...guess I should have made the partition bigger for the OS, for stuff like this, but the computer IS almost 5 years old. I thought 10 gigs was enough. :Q

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: bamacre
I would try installing it as is. Then move the entire directory where it installed over to your D drive.

This works fine most of the time. In fact, I remember one game I had that would not install on Windows 2003 Server (said it only supported Win2000 and XP). So I installed the game on a Win2000 computer, and then just moved the entire directory over to my Win2003 Server box, and it played just fine.

Yep. I did this when my son played all those kid games that would only install on C:, created a folder somwhere else and just edited the shortcut, worked everytime.