11 minutes ago, jmdriskell said:

I don't remember seeing any messages asking me where I wanted the bulk of MSFS installed.  I assumed that Steam would put it on my SSD where Steam is and where FSX-Steam is but the installer put the bulk of the files on my c drive which would probably make the whole system run very slowly.  So far, my opinion of MSFS seems to correspond with many of the horror messages that I've read elsewhere.  We had an old saying when I started working with main frames in the 1960s, "Software sells hardware!"  MFSF falls into this category because it sure has made lots of folks upgrade their hardware in order to run this application.

I'm done for a while until either I build a hefty new machine or buy a Cray!

Jim Driskell

In steam, one creates a "Library" folder, or folders on the drives you wish to put the Steam game or games. I created a "library" on my SSD drive F:\ and called it MSFS.  Pointed install to there. There are minimal files on Drive C:\.

I'm really sorry about your experience, but the bottom line is that you didn't quite understand how Steam works, no fault on your part, a lot of us have done the same thing. Been there and done that. 

I've had no issue with Steam and putting MSFS where I wanted it to go.  I followed this YT video: 

 

These "horror stories" about installing MSFS is one of the reasons that I haven't taken the leap yet. I bought MSFS through a Steam sale maybe 3 or 4 months ago, but I still haven't had the courage to install it because of the problems I have read people having. So maybe in another year or so, I will give it a try.

42 minutes ago, jmdriskell said:

I don't remember seeing any messages asking me where I wanted the bulk of MSFS installed.

It happens when you first launch the sim, before the patching process.
This screen here, you'll want to click browse and select whatever folder you want it to install to.

  

13 minutes ago, jlund said:

These "horror stories" about installing MSFS is one of the reasons that I haven't taken the leap yet.

Most of them are exaggerated and/or easily avoided.

Edited December 29, 20214 yr by Tuskin38

1 hour ago, jlund said:

These "horror stories" about installing MSFS is one of the reasons that I haven't taken the leap yet. I bought MSFS through a Steam sale maybe 3 or 4 months ago, but I still haven't had the courage to install it because of the problems I have read people having. So maybe in another year or so, I will give it a try.

Install the steam version that goes into a Steam Library - fewer, if any, issues going this way.  Many install issues concerned the Microsoft Store and Xbox app around the time of SU5-6.  I myself had a big issue with one update, but by that point I had been running MSFS for a very entertaining year.

I switched to the Steam version that was easy to install and no issues at all so far.

I think I see my problem.  Never having installed MSFS before, I let it go to the default directory on the c drive.  I do now see how to control this so I'll try it again in a few days.  I deleted MSFS thru the control panel Programs and Features.  Didn't take long and whe I started Steam again, the MSFS entry was labeled "Install".  I checked the MSFS data directory under my account and found that nothing had been removed so I deleted the directory.  It had  129,264 items for about 130GB of data in it.  It's gone now.  I do have about 160 GB free on my SSD so I'll try to install MSFS there when I test it again.  In any event, I've gotten quite an education reading all the responses to my initial question.  Thanks to everyone for showing the real "AVSIM" dedication to simming.

Jim Driskell

It will put the majority of files where you point it to install with Steam, but there will still be many files placed on the C drive and in your steam library (whatever drive it's on) in addition to where you tell to install too. That's just the nature of MSFS with Steam.

 

So far, I've seen MSFS files installed to

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

E:\Games\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\MicrosoftFlightSimulator    (where my regular steam library is)

E:\Games\MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR (where I pointed it to install)

The last is where the majority of MSFS install goes to. It also houses the community folder where mods go.

I'm sure if I looked harder I'd fine a few more places on the C drive where Microsoft stashes some MSFS related files

 

54 minutes ago, jmdriskell said:

I think I see my problem.  Never having installed MSFS before, I let it go to the default directory on the c drive.  I do now see how to control this so I'll try it again in a few days.  I deleted MSFS thru the control panel Programs and Features.  Didn't take long and whe I started Steam again, the MSFS entry was labeled "Install".  I checked the MSFS data directory under my account and found that nothing had been removed so I deleted the directory.  It had  129,264 items for about 130GB of data in it.  It's gone now.  I do have about 160 GB free on my SSD so I'll try to install MSFS there when I test it again.  In any event, I've gotten quite an education reading all the responses to my initial question.  Thanks to everyone for showing the real "AVSIM" dedication to simming.

Jim Driskell

160 free space might not be enough?

Here's my simple installation of MSFS Steam. I hope this'll help:
C:\Users\...\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator  50 GB
F:\MFS 185 GB
F:\MFS\Community 13 GB (3 freeware plane improvement mode's, 2 avionics improvement mods, 2 payware sceneries, misc small files only eg. water fixes)
F:\MFS\Official 171 GB (1 avionics mod, 1 payware scenery)

9 hours ago, jlund said:

These "horror stories" about installing MSFS is one of the reasons that I haven't taken the leap yet. I bought MSFS through a Steam sale maybe 3 or 4 months ago, but I still haven't had the courage to install it because of the problems I have read people having. So maybe in another year or so, I will give it a try.

and  you still will  face  the  same  issues,  and  your  going  to  wait  a whole  year  for  just  maybe  you  will  have some  issues in  downloading.

Time for a new machine.