Should you install TS or any game into C:\ Program Files or the C:\ Program Files(x86) folders? I see a lot of comments on this topic and this is my feeble attempt to explain the position a little more clearly wrt to modern computers and operating systems. In early versions of Windows, there was a good reason to install any software into C:\ Program Files or the C:\ Program Files(x86) folders (and files) as these were “protected folders”. For many years when you uninstalled an application, you had to hope the uninstaller had been written correctly. If the uninstaller was not written correctly then it could (worst case scenario) remove EVERY installed software file on the C:\ drive. MS got around this by installing any software into either of these two “protected folders and files. This means that the uninstaller can only remove what is specific to the software you are uninstalling, ie nothing else is deleted from these two folders or any other folder/file on your system. That is the only security feature that applies to these two folders! This information is old “technology” superseded by modern methods of protection against malware, trojans, viruses etc. Why doesn’t Windows change it – old legacy software support – too hard! However, the best reasons for NOT installing TS and other games in the C:\ Program Files or the C:\ Program Files(x86) folders, are: · The C:\ drive usually contains the OS and the Windows OS generates an awful lot of writes to this drive - which means in the case of a spinner HDD the drive is fragmented daily and can take longer to access/load software. Defrag the drive regularly. · In the case of a SSD many disk sectors can become unusable and the SSD can slow down. Run TRIM command regularly. PLUS · Installing games on a drive different to C: makes sense because - if you need to format your OS drive for whatever reason, all that you’d lose is your OS, - PLUS whatever software installed on the C: drive. Using a separate drive means that you can re-install the OS on the C: drive and not affect software/games installed on a separate drive. You may ask: Program Files, Program Files(x86) Why Are They Split Up? · This was a compatibility feature designed for old 32-bit programs (pre-TS). These old 32-bit programs may not be aware that a 64-bit version of Windows even exists, so Windows keeps them away from that 64-bit code. · Without this feature old 32-bit software might crash/not run due to the way a 64-bit OS handles 32-bit code. · This has long been superseded by software being updated/revamped and better coded. · Windows automatically installs software to either of these 2 folders. The 2 major security factors that can affect games loading/performance are UAC and DEP, but although these are installed on the C:\drive they act universally on software on any drive. Usually, if set correctly they have little impact on performance.
I chose to install almost everything that would need write access into seperate folder, because some games required Steam to be run as admin (maybe only when installing) to have access to the Program Files (x86) folder. I do not like running programs as admin, and I only do when doing administrative work. I keep Steam in the root folder, as well a Games folder for non-Steam games on root level. Nothing in Program Files, except for system related stuff. For example there is Oovee's Class 57 (a brilliant pro loco), whose script writes a settings.ini to its assets folder each time you're driving it. Modern programs store the userdata in the public or user's folder. But some need write access to the windows protected folders. So my habit is to keep things outside, and going online and playing as Standard User. Never ran into trouble that way.
Torf Sorry Torf but that is not how the Program Files(x86) folder works. It has nothing to do with admin "writes" in this day and age. Steam does NOT have to access these folders - no software does. These are the default windows install folders originally designed to prevent software from being removed from a PC due to a faulty uninstall procedure. There is no admin security imposed on these folders that is any different from any other folder on Windows. What programs require "write access" to either the PF/PF(x86) folders? These two folders only contain software apps that have been INSTALLED by using the Windows default settings. You cannot write data to something you haven't installed there. I guess that they might access a file in these 2 folders that were needed say for perhaps the correct running of your software - but I can't think why any "writes" would be made to either of these 2 folders. Users. app data and "userdata" are totally different to these two folders - there is no connection, except for software actually installed in the PF/PF(x86) folders.
I was trying to say that because of Steam not having access to Program Files folder, I chose to install it outside, exactly for this reason. When I came from using the Amiga (had an A1200/68030@50MHz) in the nineties, I was heavily put off by Windoze. But the PC had SVGA... and Commodore was run into the ground by incapable management... I wasn't used to the harddisk always doing stuff, as on the Amiga and Linux there is harddisk access when you execute a command or program. You do nothing - your computer idles too unless you'd give it something to do. Anyway I wanted to be in control of what my PC was doing, that's why I'm doing serious stuff on Linux and use the PC for gaming. That's why I even avoided the "My Files" libraries - I simply did not want Windows to scan and arrange my stuff, so I started having structures like C:\Games C:\Tools C:\Audio C:\GFX D:\My Files... it saved me from a lot of hassle others experienced (or people running as admin all the time who don't care until that day when it hits them...) Btw, I'm still on Windows 7. Never change a running system, and it runs super smooth and I haven't had to reinstall in 11 years now. Just updated GPU, RAM, and Power Supply. Runs a lot of very old games too. But that's going off-topic, sorry. Thanks Peter for another interesting technical insight.
