I am running out of space on my primary drive for my P3Dv4 installation.  Is there an easy way for me to copy it to my HDD drive?   Remember, I am a computer dunce.  I have Windows 10.

Noel

With xml scenery configs, you can install a scenery to any location on your computer.  You can also move them off your primary drive and change the xml to point to the new location.

How?  The Lorby-SI P3D Addon Manager is your friend...

I have some photo real scenery installed on Toshiba external SSD I bought at Radio Shack years ago. Works fine for addons requiring a lot of storage space. Just make a folder for that addon and point the installer to it.

Do you have a lot of ORBX sceneries?

You can also move any components to anywhere else you want and link it back use symbolic link, sort like shortcut but works for programs.

Use this tool you can easily make it with right click menu: https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html

What I found particularly useful is some backup/update/installation file saved under windows or appdata folder that can't be normally relocated but takes many space (eg. P3D installation file will take 10+G under windows but you'll only need it when you try to uninstall/reinstall, and Navigraph/PMDG update/backup file all take many Gs in appdata)

Move some non-speed critical components to HDD saves much space, and If you have other SSDs, you won't even lost speed by moving something there.

Actually what I am looking for is a way to move my entire P3D folder intact from the C drive to the D drive.  Is there a way to do that?  What happens if I just copy it over?

Noel

 

 

If it is your entire P3D folder, including the P3D program itself, then no, there is no way, at least as far as I know of.

The only way I know of to move the program itself is uninstalling it and reinstalling to the new location.

Jorgen

9 hours ago, birdguy said:

Actually what I am looking for is a way to move my entire P3D folder intact from the C drive to the D drive.  Is there a way to do that?  What happens if I just copy it over?

Noel

Then all the registry entries will be messed up and it won't work. The only way that I know is to purchase a program called Application Mover from FUNDUC software. That moves and adjusts everything to the new location. Might be a bit of a job to move a whole folder.

@birdguy, I see you're on v4. This might be an opportune time to switch to v5. A nice boost in fps plus better visuals and the whole world terrain and coastlines have been updated.

Most if not all of your scenery will work in v5. Aircraft should still work but each needs checking.

The easiest way to do this is to move the P3D installation and the add-ons folders to your spare drive then create symbolic links in the old locations to link (point/shortcut) to the new location. Keep the link names identical to the original names so the windows registry entries (usually license keys) will still be valid and everything will still work. 

To learn about symbolic links see this: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Assuming you're moving P3D from the C to the D drive: Something similar to this:

mklink /D "C:\P3D" "D\P3D"

Edited September 26, 20223 yr by jbee1a
clarity edit

1 hour ago, jbee1a said:

The easiest way to do this is to move the P3D installation and the add-ons folders to your spare drive then create symbolic links in the old locations to link (point/shortcut) to the new location. Keep the link names identical to the original names so the windows registry entries (usually license keys) will still be valid and everything will still work. 

To learn about symbolic links see this: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Assuming you're moving P3D from the C to the D drive: Something similar to this:

mklink /D "C:\P3D" "D\P3D"

There's a colon missing on the target...should be:  mklink /d "C:\P3D" "D:\P3D"

Also, the mklink command has to be run from an elevated (admin) CMD window.  People commonly miss that important detail and wonder why it's not working.

There is also a lot of information on symbolic links on the Orbx forums.  

Bode

37 minutes ago, Bob Scott said:

There's a colon missing on the target...should be:  mklink /d "C:\P3D" "D:\P3D"

Also, the mklink command has to be run from an elevated (admin) CMD window.  People commonly miss that important detail and wonder why it's not working.

Link Shell Extension will accomplish this with no coding required; it's drag and drop. I moved all my ORBX sceneries to another drive dramatically increasing space on my P3D drive.

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Most if not all of your scenery will work in v5. Aircraft should still work but each needs checking.

I just dumped V5 and went back to V4 Ray.  I don't like the haze in V5.  I live where the visibility is 100 miles + most days and never fly in weather.  My simulator is for sightsseeing and mountain flying.  The only cloud layer I have is 3/8 cirrus at 38,000 feet.  I hate to land at a 9,000 or 10,000 foot airport and have a cumulus cloud on the runway.

Way back when I flew my kids from Ogden UT to Novato CA to visit grandma.  I refueled in Reno.

When I took off from Novato in crystal clear weather on my return trip I reached 9,000 feet and could see the crest of the Sierras 150 miles away.  I can do that in V4 but not in V5 because of the built in haze even when I have it ticked off in the setups.

V4 suits me fine for my kind of simulator flying which I realize is quite unique..

Noel

6 hours ago, jorgensandersen said:

The only way I know of to move the program itself is uninstalling it and reinstalling to the new location.

Then I have to reinstall all of my Orbx scenery again.  But I just may do that.  This talk about mklink and Link Shell Extension frightens me.  My learning curved has flattened out with age.  I have a difficult time trying to learn anything new.  I miss DOS and BASIC.

Noel

Edited September 26, 20223 yr by birdguy