Hello everybody, after a long period away from simulation with P3D 1.4 (actually I discontinued my developer subscription) I was very curious about the new version, so I bought a new license for the v2.

 

Unfortunately I realized that I cannot install it, because I'm very short of free space on my tiny SSD system disk C: (60 Gb), despite the fact I have plenty of space on other two SSD D: and F: I tried to delete everything I could from C:\, but still I can get no more than 3-3,5 Gb of free space which seem not to be enough for the install process.

I've read a post below where somebody had the same issue but solved it getting more free space.

 

Moreover, every aborted try erases some more space on the system disk, but I can't make out where the temporary files are put. I deleted everything I could in AppData/Local/Temp but I got no free space back.

 

Now I use my PC mainly with expensive and complex music software and I would rather not messing it all out in order to change my system disk to a bigger one (and probably having to reinstall many programs), since I don't plan to fly intensively as before.

 

Is there any way to readdressing the temporary folder for the installation to a different drive?

I thought I could also temporarily delete the hyberfile.sys just for the installation time, but I'm not sure of it is a good idea.

 

Any suggestion would be very useful.

 

Cheers,

Stefano

Hello Stefano

 

You can install P3D to another drive/folder.

 

Click on Options when you start the P3D installer.

Hint from here

 

To clean temp files and other old stuff run Windows Disk Cleanup

Cheers

You can install P3D to another drive/folder.

 

 

 

Click on Options when you start the P3D installer.

 

That's not the problem. He will be doing that anyway. The problem is that the OS always puts the temp files on the C drive and there isn't enough room for that...

 

Stefano, you might want to have a look at the Windows junction option: this is a rather easy way of fooling Windows into thinking that a folder is in one place while it actually is somewhere else. There are a few posts about this on this forum too. Don't know for sure if it will work with the temp folder but you could give it a try. You can reverse the situation to what it was later on very easily.

 

Another option could be to simply move a lot of stuff to another disc just so you can install P3D and then move all that stuff back to the original location. That shoulnd't give any problems (as long as you don't use the programs associated with the moved stuff).

 

EDIT

Or try this:

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Location-of-the-Temp-Folder-in-Windows-7

 

Google for "windows move temp folder" and you get lots of hits!

That's not the problem. He will be doing that anyway. The problem is that the OS always puts the temp files on the C drive and there isn't enough room for that...

You are correct. I misread his post on the temp folder issue. :(

 

Anyway, he can gain space by running Disk Cleanup.

Choose the More Options tab. and Clean Up System Restore and Shadow Copies.

 

 

Another option could be to simply move a lot of stuff to another disc just so you can install P3D and then move all that stuff back to the original location. That shoulnd't give any problems (as long as you don't use the programs associated with the moved stuff).

Yes, that sounds very "quick and dirty" but also effective....

 

Meanwhile I googled "moving user temp appdata folders" and chances are that it will help, as well.

 

Thanks to both for answers!

To those might be interested, I found that the folder where the hugest temporary files for the installer are stored is

 

C:\ProgramData\Package Cache

 

During the installation a copy of every dataX.cab is put here, so if you are short of space there is no room for all of them.

I tried to make a "junction" for this folder on the bigger drive but it did not work either.

 

 

But it is possible to delete them "on the run" during the installation, so that no more than one or two of them are left on the disk at the same time.

 

After all .cab are copied there, the installer seeks for them to extract the requested files, starting from the first.

 

So manage to keep on the disk the data1.cab (and data2.cab depending how much free space you have).

The installation will go on and when the error message appears from the installer searching for the next data.cab, you just delete the previous .cab, copy the data2.cab, press Retry and so on until the last one.

 

It worked for me and it avoided me making more space, changing system disk or creating symbolic links.

Wow how annonying -- why do you need a temp directory, just install it directly into the folder I specify!

 

Ended up using a junction - mklink /J <new directory to be linked> <target directory>

 

with the Package Cache directory. 

To those might be interested, I found that the folder where the hugest temporary files for the installer are stored is

 

C:\ProgramData\Package Cache

 

During the installation a copy of every dataX.cab is put here, so if you are short of space there is no room for all of them.

I tried to make a "junction" for this folder on the bigger drive but it did not work either.

 

 

But it is possible to delete them "on the run" during the installation, so that no more than one or two of them are left on the disk at the same time.

 

After all .cab are copied there, the installer seeks for them to extract the requested files, starting from the first.

 

So manage to keep on the disk the data1.cab (and data2.cab depending how much free space you have).

The installation will go on and when the error message appears from the installer searching for the next data.cab, you just delete the previous .cab, copy the data2.cab, press Retry and so on until the last one.

 

It worked for me and it avoided me making more space, changing system disk or creating symbolic links.

 

Thanks for this post tex1763 I have exactly the same problem! I was concerned about using the junction idea so I think I'll give your solution a go. Presumably I should re download the P3D individual cab files rather than the full installer.

 

Failing this I will probably just get a bigger SSD and do a fresh install of Win 7 but I understand why some people won't wish to do this.

Update for anyone having problems installing Prepar3D with limited C Drive space.

 

Make sure you run the Prepar3D SETUP.EXE from the C:\ProgramData\Package Cache NOT from the drive you've extracted the download to.

 

As tex1763 says - you need to move the first CAB file to your Prepar3D folder in C:\ProgramData\Package Cache and then when it asks for the next cab file, copy it across to C:\ProgramData\Package Cache and continue until you've installed all the cab files.

 

My copy is now working thanks to the post from tex1763 - thank you