2ND HARD DRIVE NEEDED FOR RENDERING?

Comments

Skuzzy wrote on 1/8/2010, 5:24 AM
To get around the 'virtual store' non-sense, simply install the application in another folder. This all started with Vista and UAC.

For example, I have all my applications installed in a "Programs" folder now. Solves the headaches associated with what Microsoft is doing with UAC and any other snooping they are doing. Even with UAC disabled, they are still doing something there as there is still a performance hit with UAC disabled. It's just not as bad.

Also makes UAC a bit of a joke. Just FYI. Virus writers were the first to discover this loophole and since have now placed thier files outside the "Program Files" folders making UAC nothing more than a nuisance for the operator of the computer.

In essence, UAC does nothing to help with the security of the computer. It just makes operating the computer more cumbersome. It also impedes software which has a built-in updater service.

Many companies have now defaulted to thier own install folder now due to this nonsense. Microsoft has driven them out of the "Program Files" folder with this idiotic implementation named UAC.
rmack350 wrote on 1/8/2010, 10:12 AM
I was reading up on the virtual store last night. The comments were that the programming recommendations have been in place from MS since Windows 2000, but only started being enforced with Vista.

The idea is that programs should not be writing data into the Windows directory nor the Program Files directory unless they are running with Admin priviledges. Rather, a well behaved program would behave more like a Unix program and put their data into a folder in the user's home directory or other common space.

The Virtual Store scheme is meant to be a temporary measure to ease the transition from unenforced good practices to enforced good practices. In the mean time it sounds like the workaround is to install the errant software into a folder that is NOT named "Program Files", like maybe "Program Files-No UAC" (I don't know if this causes troubles with 8.3 names, you might need to make sure the first 8 letters of the folder name are different).

Eventually there will be NO virtual store and then programs that would have used it just won't run at all.

When I first started running XP I tried to configure it like a Linux system with my home directories on a second disk. What I ran into was a LOT of inconsistant programming in applications. Some of them would recognize "D:\Documents and Settings\Rob" as my home directory and behave just fine, others would insist on creating a "C:\Documents and Settings\Rob" folder, and some would use BOTH folders because parts of the applications were using environment variables to find my home directory and other parts of the application would use hard coded paths.

So there's a lot of crappy code out there.

Rob Mack

lynn1102 wrote on 1/8/2010, 2:54 PM
Ever since Windows came out, I have been putting all program files on my system drive in it's own folder. I don't remember why. Vegas is in a Vegas folder, Quicken is in the Quicken folder etc. A few programs insist on doing the Program folder thing, so I let it go. Even so, I just check my Program Folder and found 72 folders there, many of them with program files that are installed in their own folder on the system drive. Taking a second look, there are files there that I have no idea what they are. Then in the program folder, there is the Common Files folder which has 23 folder in it, most of which have the same name as the Program folder and the system drive.
Sure seems like a big waste of time and disc space.
Almost make me want my Atari 520 back. Each program had it's own folder and each one was about 10% the size of the Window's file.

Lynn
Skuzzy wrote on 1/9/2010, 5:50 AM
rmack, it is not crappy application software that is the problem.

What is a software company to do when they want to included an auto-updater for thier software? A simply one-click solution to make it easy for people to update?

UAC, within the "Program Files" folder prevents that updater from running and patching the files. Microsofts solution is to have the program then "Run as administrator". Guess what happens then?

The 'virtual store' is by-passed and the auto-updater cannot find its files to patch!

Yes, there is some crappy software at work here and it came from Microsoft.

So what does the application software company do? "Oh, sorry you cannot patch our software anymore without downloading the patch manually, making sure you know where you are downloading to on your hard drive, then execute it manually."

Or we could contact Microsoft and ask them if they would include our patch in the Microsoft updater. Yeah, that will not happen.

Maybe we could tell people to shut -off UAC before the patch starts. Yeah, that is not going to work well, as shutting down UAC for a temporary amount of time could screw up a lot of applications on the computer which depend on the 'virtual store' now.

So, what is the solution?