How to Change Default Install Location

[Saar Koren]

I have Windows installed on a 32GB SSD that is only meant for the OS. I was able to install my games and some other things on my 1TB hard drive, but some things automatically install on the SSD. How can I clear up some space on my SSD? If I move something from C:\Program Files to D:\Program Files, would it still work?

 

[Y0GI]

No, that will NOT work. Here is what you need to do: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1792156/secondary-harddrive-question.html

Yogi

 

[Saar Koren]

No, that will NOT work. Here is what you need to do: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1792156/secondary-harddrive-question.html

Yogi

Thanks!

 

[Y0GI]

You're welcome.

Good luck!

Yogi

 

[Guest]

That's very much possible using symlinks
Symlinks are like link-ups with other directorys but a bit heavier than the windows build-in feature

Your installed App might use C:\PhotoshopInstallment but actually accesses D:\Program Files\PhotoshopInstallment
The Application won't notice that the files are actually somewhere else because the filesystems tells the applications that the files are still on your small SSD (C:\)

You can create symlinks on windows using the "mklink"-command
Here's an article on how to use mklink: http://lifehacker.com/5496652/how-to-use-symlinks-in-windows

To prevent software installing on C:\ in the future you might want to change the directory that windows uses as default to install.
There's a open source applicationcalled InstallDirChanger which does exactly that.

You can download it on SourceForge:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/install-dir-changer

This is of course shameless self advertising because I'm the author of that open source application.

Have fun with the symlinks and the small tool and have a nice day

best regards,
Jonas Dralle

 

[Fabio_V]

Here’s a different procedure that worked perfectly for me.

1 - Create a *.bat file in the same folder of your *.exe installation file.
2 - Edit the *.bat file with the following line:

install_file_name.exe TARGETDIR/INSTALLDIR=”E:\Program Files\folder_name”

3 - Run the *.bat file

I’m not a computer expert… don’t know if it will work for everyone.