SHP Forums

I've recently been trying to better organize my files, and I'm considering reinstalling a bunch of my programs (that now reside under the Program Files directory) into folders outside of the Program Files directory. This will include my emulators like DOSBox and ScummVM, and several other progs. Will this cause any problems? I've never been real clear as to why most software by default installs itself under Program files. Is it simply their own way of trying to organize your files better, or is it something more? I've also wondered why it always asks for admin permission when moving things in and out of Program Files? Is this just to deter inexperienced users from accidently moving important files around? Anyone have some insight on this?

I think it's simply the way Windows organizes files.

My wife (she's on this board as Maiandra) installs most, if not all, of her games into a self-made directory aptly called "games." The default location is in Program Files.

It is considered good practice for modern programs to be installed in the Program Files directory. This is in part to keep these programs separate from the system. Pre Windows 9x most peoples hard drives ended up an unorganized mess, with every program install creating its own base folder. The Program Files directory has become more than just a way of organizing your programs. There are important folders and files that reside in it, such as the Common Files, which can be a target of malware. As such, this system folder is a protected folder with restricted write access. It is not a problem for newer games and programs that adhere to modern standards and write any files (preferences files, save games, etc.) they may need to the user's folder. It does, however, create a problem with older programs and games that are programed to write these files to its own folder.

For backwards compatibility with the UAC on Vista and Win7, Windows uses a "Virtual Store" in the user's folder to redirect these file writes out side of the Program Files directory. Usually, this works pretty well, but because Windows does not allow all file types to be written to the Virtual Store some older games will fail when it need to write a file type that is not allowed. This is why Leisure Suit Larry 5 is unplayable on Vista/Win7 if installed in the Program Files directory. Installing legacy games in a non system folder avoids this problem altogether. It is why my installers default to a different folder outside of the Program Files directory ("C:\Sierra\"). It is also partly why most of the DOSBox tutorials suggest installing your games in a folder such as "C:\oldgames".

I was concerned more with moving DOSBox itself than the games, but it sounds like it shouldn't be a problem. I also have all my games inside a separate games folder, and it works out just fine.

I never install games or emulators in Program Files anymore. It's good to avoid any issues with UAC.

It doesn't hurt to have DOSBox itself installed in Program Files as it follows modern good practices and writes to the user's appdata folder. UAC is not an issue with DOSBox.

You can consider downloading and installing the portable version. You can move it anywhere you want without AFAIK any problems

The portable apps version is rather meaningless. It has nothing to offer over the official version that can't be accomplished simply by starting DOSBox with the -conf switch.