How to I change default install folder c:/Program Files ?

I do not want my instlls going into c:/Program Files. It has become obvious
to me that installing into this folder is very hazardous!!!
I have searched everywhere in Vista but cannot find how to change the
default install of a new program. I know I was able to change the default in
Windows 98 to something other than this folder.
What magic must be performed in order to get new program installs to go
somewhere else?

This is not Windows 98. This is a secure operating system by comparison. It
is not going to allow you to do something that will jeopardize that
security.

Answer, you use the custom install feature of each program and direct where
YOU think it should be installed. Many hundreds of entries will still make
it to areas on the C:\ partition anyway.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)


"Baba O'Reilly" <Baba O'Reilly@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BE54FDA2-3E51-4D5D-BA96-77984FD59B2B@microsoft.com...
> I do not want my instlls going into c:/Program Files. It has become
> obvious
> to me that installing into this folder is very hazardous!!!
> I have searched everywhere in Vista but cannot find how to change the
> default install of a new program. I know I was able to change the default
> in
> Windows 98 to something other than this folder.
> What magic must be performed in order to get new program installs to go
> somewhere else?
>

Hello Richard. Somehow I think this is too restrictive an interpretation. I
am the only user on my laptop. Security is not my issue. Unfortunately,
most of the time my installs are 'User' applications and require that I
constantly redirect the install away from c:/Program Files. This is a
nusiance. But not redirecting is a very hazardous action.
I think it would be nice if I were allowed to make the decision as to
security. What you have suggested as to the reason seems very dictatorial to
me.
I sell and distribute a commercial user application and in the install is a
warning about not isntalling into c:/Program Files. It appears I will be
distributing with that warning for life.
Regards - PW

"Richard Urban" wrote:

> This is not Windows 98. This is a secure operating system by comparison. It
> is not going to allow you to do something that will jeopardize that
> security.
>
> Answer, you use the custom install feature of each program and direct where
> YOU think it should be installed. Many hundreds of entries will still make
> it to areas on the C:\ partition anyway.

> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Baba O'Reilly wrote:
> I do not want my instlls going into c:/Program Files. It has become obvious
> to me that installing into this folder is very hazardous!!!

Why do you say that????

--

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services

Your installation program is free to create a directory and install your
application wherever you wish. If you pick a system area you will run into
Vista's security. You start out by saying you are the only user then
continue to say you distribute a commercial application. You don't own the
computers that run your application so why should you be allowed to change
their security? What would happen if you advised your customers to change
the default security to suit your application then because of this change
they became vulnerable to malware. How happy would your customers be when
they found out you were the reason they were infected? You need to change
the application to live within the default security boundaries. Past
programming practices are not suitable for the current environment. If you
don't evolve then eventually you will become extinct.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"Baba O''''Reilly" <BabaOReilly@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EEE6D95C-B322-4F63-9387-94168D512EC3@microsoft.com...
> Hello Richard. Somehow I think this is too restrictive an interpretation.
> I
> am the only user on my laptop. Security is not my issue. Unfortunately,
> most of the time my installs are 'User' applications and require that I
> constantly redirect the install away from c:/Program Files. This is a
> nusiance. But not redirecting is a very hazardous action.
> I think it would be nice if I were allowed to make the decision as to
> security. What you have suggested as to the reason seems very dictatorial
> to
> me.
> I sell and distribute a commercial user application and in the install is
> a
> warning about not isntalling into c:/Program Files. It appears I will be
> distributing with that warning for life.
> Regards - PW
>
> "Richard Urban" wrote:
>
>> This is not Windows 98. This is a secure operating system by comparison.
>> It
>> is not going to allow you to do something that will jeopardize that
>> security.
>>
>> Answer, you use the custom install feature of each program and direct
>> where
>> YOU think it should be installed. Many hundreds of entries will still
>> make
>> it to areas on the C:\ partition anyway.
>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Richard Urban
>> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
>> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)
>

Hank-I'm glad I caught your attention with that one. It is hazardous
because: I lost at least an hour the first time I installed into
c:/Program FIles and then had to install an exectable update to a program. I
then looked all over in the directory for the .exe and couldn't find it.
Went back and did the download again. Same problem. Where is this &%$%#&(
thing??
Well you know what it was. A big surprise to me. Especially when about a
month later the same thing again(I forgot!). So, now I issue a BIG warning
to my users about not isntalling my product into c:/Program Files.
Please let me change this default. I am a single user on my PC(PC means
'Personal Computer' doesn't it?).

BTW, I am assuming that somebody will publish a Registry hack to change
this default directory. You really don't want that do you?
PW

"Hank Arnold (MVP)" wrote:

> Baba O'Reilly wrote:
> > I do not want my instlls going into c:/Program Files. It has become obvious
> > to me that installing into this folder is very hazardous!!!
>
> Why do you say that????
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> Hank Arnold
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows Server - Directory Services
>

Keryy-I didn't say that I wanted to change my users directories. Only my own.
PW

"Kerry Brown" wrote:

> Your installation program is free to create a directory and install your
> application wherever you wish. If you pick a system area you will run into
> Vista's security. You start out by saying you are the only user then
> continue to say you distribute a commercial application. You don't own the
> computers that run your application so why should you be allowed to change
> their security? What would happen if you advised your customers to change
> the default security to suit your application then because of this change
> they became vulnerable to malware. How happy would your customers be when
> they found out you were the reason they were infected? You need to change
> the application to live within the default security boundaries. Past
> programming practices are not suitable for the current environment. If you
> don't evolve then eventually you will become extinct.
>
> --
> Kerry Brown
> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
> http://www.vistahelp.ca
>

In another post you specifically say you warn your customers not to install
your program in the Program Files directory. This is what I was talking
about. If you don't want then to install into the Program Files directory
then your installation program has to make this change. During the
installation you'd create the directory wherever you want and set the ACLs
to whatever you want. I'd argue that this non-standard practice isn't
necessary but there could be a valid reason why you want to do this. So far
all you've done is say that it's hazardous and you couldn't find the files
because they were somewhere else. If you told us where the somewhere is was
someone may be able to help. I'm still confused as to what you actually
trying to do. It sounds like you have two problems, one on your personal
computer, and one when installing your software on other computers.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"Baba O''''Reilly" <BabaOReilly@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:19B0D8A1-8DEC-4275-AAFD-C1A752C607D6@microsoft.com...
> Keryy-I didn't say that I wanted to change my users directories. Only my
> own.
> PW
>
> "Kerry Brown" wrote:
>
>> Your installation program is free to create a directory and install your
>> application wherever you wish. If you pick a system area you will run
>> into
>> Vista's security. You start out by saying you are the only user then
>> continue to say you distribute a commercial application. You don't own
>> the
>> computers that run your application so why should you be allowed to
>> change
>> their security? What would happen if you advised your customers to change
>> the default security to suit your application then because of this change
>> they became vulnerable to malware. How happy would your customers be when
>> they found out you were the reason they were infected? You need to change
>> the application to live within the default security boundaries. Past
>> programming practices are not suitable for the current environment. If
>> you
>> don't evolve then eventually you will become extinct.
>>
>> --
>> Kerry Brown
>> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
>> http://www.vistahelp.ca
>>
>

Kerry-I thought it was 'intuitively obvious' what I meant by Hazardous.
Putting software into c:/Program Files means that when you add files to your
directory, you cannot view them without clicking on something called
'compatibility files'. This is unnatural to me and easy to miss. This
redefines what a file is. It means I have to remember that I am not in my
own directory anymore and overly complicates the process of just wanting to
view a file. When I stumble around for hours trying to find my files only to
finally discover that I've been fooled once again, then I stop doing that.
No more.

Note: I do not have a problem with other computers except to warn my
customers to stay out of c:/Program Files unless of course they want to
stumble around for awhile and waste their time.
I simply learned my lesson.

Note: my pc has one user-me. It is an engineering/Software development
machine and is not used to download pictures, movies, music, etc etc. Just
to do work.
PW


"Kerry Brown" wrote:

> In another post you specifically say you warn your customers not to install
> your program in the Program Files directory. This is what I was talking
> about. If you don't want then to install into the Program Files directory
> then your installation program has to make this change. During the
> installation you'd create the directory wherever you want and set the ACLs
> to whatever you want. I'd argue that this non-standard practice isn't
> necessary but there could be a valid reason why you want to do this. So far
> all you've done is say that it's hazardous and you couldn't find the files
> because they were somewhere else. If you told us where the somewhere is was
> someone may be able to help. I'm still confused as to what you actually
> trying to do. It sounds like you have two problems, one on your personal
> computer, and one when installing your software on other computers.
>
> --
> Kerry Brown
> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
> http://www.vistahelp.ca

It sounds like you are storing data files in your program folder. This is
not a good idea. I recommend you read up on programming for Vista.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/win...a/default.aspx

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-ca/win.../aa904955.aspx

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/Sho...81842&SiteID=1

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"Baba O''''Reilly" <BabaOReilly@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EA5F605D-36F1-4822-8878-0F873FB526BD@microsoft.com...
> Kerry-I thought it was 'intuitively obvious' what I meant by Hazardous.
> Putting software into c:/Program Files means that when you add files to
> your
> directory, you cannot view them without clicking on something called
> 'compatibility files'. This is unnatural to me and easy to miss. This
> redefines what a file is. It means I have to remember that I am not in my
> own directory anymore and overly complicates the process of just wanting
> to
> view a file. When I stumble around for hours trying to find my files only
> to
> finally discover that I've been fooled once again, then I stop doing that.
> No more.
>
> Note: I do not have a problem with other computers except to warn my
> customers to stay out of c:/Program Files unless of course they want to
> stumble around for awhile and waste their time.
> I simply learned my lesson.
>
> Note: my pc has one user-me. It is an engineering/Software development
> machine and is not used to download pictures, movies, music, etc etc.
> Just
> to do work.
> PW
>
>
> "Kerry Brown" wrote:
>
>> In another post you specifically say you warn your customers not to
>> install
>> your program in the Program Files directory. This is what I was talking
>> about. If you don't want then to install into the Program Files directory
>> then your installation program has to make this change. During the
>> installation you'd create the directory wherever you want and set the
>> ACLs
>> to whatever you want. I'd argue that this non-standard practice isn't
>> necessary but there could be a valid reason why you want to do this. So
>> far
>> all you've done is say that it's hazardous and you couldn't find the
>> files
>> because they were somewhere else. If you told us where the somewhere is
>> was
>> someone may be able to help. I'm still confused as to what you actually
>> trying to do. It sounds like you have two problems, one on your personal
>> computer, and one when installing your software on other computers.
>>
>> --
>> Kerry Brown
>> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
>> http://www.vistahelp.ca
>