How to create a dummy P3D install folder?

[captain420 3,099]

There are some old scenery that I wanted to install, but it needs a valid P3D v3 folder. I have uninstalled v3 a long time ago. I heard you can install it by creating a fake dummy P3D install directory with a fake prepar3d.exe in there. But it's not working for me. I have created the folder on D:\Games\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 and placed a dummy prepar3d.exe file in there. But the installer isn't recognizing it.

[downscc 1,327]

1 hour ago, captain420 said:

There are some old scenery that I wanted to install, but it needs a valid P3D v3 folder. I have uninstalled v3 a long time ago. I heard you can install it by creating a fake dummy P3D install directory with a fake prepar3d.exe in there. But it's not working for me. I have created the folder on D:\Games\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 and placed a dummy prepar3d.exe file in there. But the installer isn't recognizing it.

Very few installers still look for a copy of Prepar3D.exe, but those that still do can be fooled.  I install all my addons to D:\Addon and I create a dummy Prepar3D.exe file there (create a new text file, change it's name) and when the installer wants to be pointed to the P3D root folder I point it to D:\Addon and that installer will create it's folders and install its files to that location.  I then check scenery.cfg and add-on.cfg files in the programsdata folder to see if those were modified by the installer, and perform any modifications as I desire to ensure than the self discovery add-on.xml file in the addon documents folder is used.  I do it that way only because that's my way of doing things, not because it's right or better than any other method.

[captain420 3,099]

Okay so I have my P3D addons folder located at E:\P3D Addons\ so you're saying I should move any Prepar3D.exe (even the one from 4.3) to there? And the installer will work?

[downscc 1,327]

2 hours ago, captain420 said:

Okay so I have my P3D addons folder located at E:\P3D Addons\ so you're saying I should move any Prepar3D.exe (even the one from 4.3) to there? And the installer will work?

No.  I said create a dummy Prepar3D.exe in E:\P3D Addons\

A dummy file is a zero size file.  The installer only checks to see if the file exists, it doesn't see if it has a version or size.

[pgde 571]

You may also need to add a reference in your registry to point to your dummy folder.

[captain420 3,099]

How to add that reference to the registry?

[WarpD 824]

This is how systems get mangled and messed up....

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2 hours ago, captain420 said:

How to add that reference to the registry?

No.  Do not do this.  Agree with Ed, this is not a good idea unless you know enough that you don't have to ask how to do it.  Those installers are not looking at the registry if the dummy file fools them.