So my old ssd which contained myold windows installation was going bad.
i bought MSFS from steam when it first came out…i put the installation on my D drive which is a data drive and still good.
i have made a fresh install of windows 10 on a new ssd drive…
how do i access the installation of msfs 2020 from my new windows system? i am hoping i do not have to download the whole thing again given the game installation is on that data drive which is still good…
as the installation is gigantic as i always kept msfs up to date and installed all the new items …i reckon it would take days to download everything again…
is there a way for me to run it from this new windows installation somehow?
any advice and help would be greatly apprecaited !
Just run the installation from your new OS and when it asks for the location of where to install MSFS, choose the other drive’s installation location. It will appear to start the huge download but will soon realise after 1-2GB that the rest of the files already exist, and will complete the installation super quick.
gleff1 thank you for your advice mate …much appreciated …
i did think of that same thing but heres the things MSFS installs in a really weird folder structure!
i found it today its on my D: drive in some weird as hell structure so not even sure where the install files are there …i had to mess around just to get access to that folder …change permissions and all the rest…
but yeah any idea where in that crazy structure of directories and sub directories is where the actual installation files go ?
gone are the days of where a game would just be installed to d:\crysis …
the microsft directory is under something lil d:\users\appdata\local\packages\microsoft"somewerd ■■■■"\more weirdshit\more weirdshit\moreweirdshit.… pretty freakin confusing
…i mean i couold just go right to the end of the directory structure and hope thats where the files are actually installed but he thing is if i dont tell it the exact right location then this strategy fails!
also given i had to adjust permissions just to gain acces then im guessing i willhave to run the installation as admin as otherwise the installer will be denied access …but then again the installer is run off the app store so how the hell do you tell it to run as admin …what im guesisng will happen if you can run it as admin is it will try to install there and the installation will be debied access to that folder …
i really wish it was as simple as the olden days or as what you said above…
i had a huge problem and am still having the problem with the nw ea app instead of origin …the brilliant minds that designed it did not add in functionality to be able to point the new origin to old installed game files …have been back and forth with their tech support for a week…
its funny they say just run the old origin with the new ea app open and it will know hwere your games are installed…only thing the numbskulls have blocked access to using the old origin lol you cant win !
i wish these devs would think of this sort of stuff when they are creating their new toys!
It sounds like you didn’t initially install it to a custom directory on a different drive but let it use it’s default directory.
Example. When I installed it, I told it to install on e:\MSFS. All the program files are located on my c: drive, but it installed all the data files to my e: drive and now if I need to re-install the software, I just point it to the e: drive and it finds all the data files. Furthermore, I made a backup of e:\MSFS by simply copying the files to another hard drive just in case.
If you have it installed in the default directory style, you may not be able to point it to the data files because you’re right, it’s a weird folder path.
As much as it pains me to say, you might need to do a full re-install if that’s the case. I’d suggest if you do that though, this time, specify a custom MSFS directory (preferably on a different drive) that way if you ever replace the main drive, you can easily copy the MSFS custom directory and all it’s files into a backup location, or move it, or whatever. It makes it so much easier and quicker for future re-installs.
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to utilize an old data folder if you use the default folder structure. It’s probably a good idea to start over anyway if you’ve changed permissions etc.
Perhaps someone else might know if you can point to an old MS2020 data structure. I personally wouldn’t trust it though if you’ve changed permissions and it was on a dying drive.
FWIW I’ll post my own experience. Bear in mind that I got the sim from the store, not Steam.
Back in 2021 I had to reinstall the sim due to a non-sim-related issue that I won’t bore you with.
Microsoft recommend that the sim itself is installed on C:; I take the view that they know a thing or two about Windows programs and that’s good enough for me. Being new to this version of MSFS, I’d also put the data files on C:, which I decided to change.
In File Explorer, I took my Packages folder containing Community and Official (I forget the path but it was somewhere in Appdata, the default) and moved it to D: and renamed it FSPackages. So my data was now D:\FSPackages.
I reinstalled the sim (not a huge download) and, when the installer asked where to put the data, I pointed it to D:\FSPackages.
After a few seconds, the sim was happy and I was ready to fly. I noted that the original Packages folder reappeared but remained empty so I just left it as it doesn’t take up any space.
That’s poor advice: You should actually install MSFS along with your other programs and once MSFS is started it will ask for the package location. It is only then that you should point to a folder set up on the other drive.
It is in: (for MS Store installs)
C:\Users\userid\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8we?kyb?d8bbwe\
You will notice in File Explorer that all the folders are Symbolic Links.
The File Explorer Icon with the bottom left arrow.
This Icon indicates that this folder is a Windows Symbolic Junction. The links point to the actual physical location of the files.
The default installation path is:
C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Official\OneStore
The location of the Packages folder is in UserCfg.opt:
C:\Users\1ron2\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb?d8?bwe\LocalCache\UserCfg.opt
The last line of this file indicates where the Packages are located.
In my PC, it is D:\FS2020.
What you did is correct.
But it is easier to use the FS2020 App “Move” Command to move it.
To the admin that moved the location of the thread ! I’m sorry for the incorrect location of my posting and will remember now where to post these kind of things for any future questions …my apologies !
To everyone else …thank you all so much for the in-ut and helping with this problem …
I noticed someone mentioned there is a move command somewhere ? I still have access to my old windows installation that was going bad ….I am still moving things across etc so have not removed that drive yet …
Can I simply boot into that windows installation and somehow move or tell it that I would now like to run msfs202 from the new windows drive ? Is that possible can I just do something like that ?
Both drives with windows 10 are on this computer now ….I could just boot into the old one if so and tell ut to use my new os as the launch point ?
tenpatrol …the install was done on my old windows ssd …so i would launch the game from there but the data files are installed on mt D:\ data drive and are still there…
so i have a new ssd with a new install of win10 …was hoping to just point the msfs202 launch files to the installation on the d drive…
i did manage to access the folder on the d drive from within my new OS where the data files are stored by changing some permissions …
i am writing right here to you after booting in with my old ssd and copy of windows …but heres the kicker …seeing as i changed some permissions to view the installation firectory from my new OS install …now the MSFS launcher is missing from my old OS install now lool
so now i cant access it on either windows installation hahah it keeps getting worse and worse lol
i have a feeling im just going to have to reinstall the entire bloody thing !
Unless I’m missing something, all you have to do is reinstall the sim, which isn’t that big a download. The installer will ask you where to put the data files (they might call it “content” or something). You just point it to your existing folder on your D: drive.
Unless it’s different with Steam, which I know nothing about.
so far I understand you own STEAM , right ?? In special with Steam its very easy to “share” the packages folder ( dont be confused with main application versus packages folders )
The best scenerio is, you had already on the old pc the “packages” folder shifted to a “D:” drive ( moved and changed the UserCfg file ).
Note: The original package install path for Steam users is C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Packages ( that in contrast to the game itself , which lies in one of your steam-lib-folders ).
On your new PC you simple have to install MSFS as per Steam App into a Steam-Library of your choice ( most users have only one lib on C: drive ). This downloads only 1gig. When you start MSFS the msfs-installer ask for the package folder location ( it not directly ask, but you can change the folder ). Then simple point to the folder where your existing packages folder lies and thats it.
In that way I reinstalled MSFS on a new PC, switched back to my old PC because these horrible Gigabyte Board, and then again switched to the new PC
The settings comes mainly from the Steam Cloud. The only Settings you have to redo are graphics related ( of course ).
If you have former NOT installed only the packages folder to a different drive , e.g. you installed the whole game to a new Steam-Lib on D: drive, the situation might be different ( and as more I read your post, as more it sounds like that ). But its also possible to avoid the redownload in that situation ( the packages folder exist ). If you not have STEAM, then the folders are different.
( in Steam you can import existing lib-folders, but not sure whether that cause an redownload . Best might to seperate the packages folder . Not clear is, why you run into permission issues. Should not happen if you did not completly strange things ).
And: NOT copy/paste the AppData\ settings to the new PC.
An example how a target folder for packages can looks like:
UserCfg file in that way: InstalledPackagesPath “D:\msfs\Packages”
In case it looks different, then you did somewhat different
Here’s what I would do in your situation. Simplest situation and least likely to cause frustration or issues:
Create a new folder on the drive where you want your MSFS data files. Such as D:\FlightSim
Drag the Community and Official folders from your old install location to the new folder you created in step 1 (Can be on the same drive, if so, it’ll do a “move” and it’ll be super-quick)
Reinstall MSFS and when it asks where the data files should be located, point to the folder you created in step 1
This will make finding/accessing those files easier in the future, give a shorter total pathname to deal with, and might help with the permission issues. (You still might have to right-click the Official and Community folders and take full ownership in settings.)
Michalmma: here is a picture of the directory structure …i remember buying this on steam but maybe i amwrong as i have never accessed it from steam …maybe i bought it on the app store…
now the second picture is what i get when i try to access the folder where the files are from mynew OS install …access denied and i believe this is because the old windows install is claiming ownership of the folder …
editer: ok thats an idea i will try that! boot in with my old OS and move those folders to a new drive dedicated for the flight sim !
thank you both very much for your inout and help …very much appreciated!
So yes, at first we should then clarify that your Topic Tag “STEAM” is not correct. You not have a Steam installation
Therefore you also run into the permission problems, because WindowsApps is a protected area.
I not own MS-Store install, but @MSFSRonS mentioned the packages folder location for ms-store already. But may be its in meanwhile realy easier to reinstall MSFS…
michmma : that’s correct i don’t think i have a steam installation any longer …i got confused there with it all…
in somenotes i found on the sinstallation i was worried i made a mistake getting the appstore version as i might not be able to use steam VR because i bought it on the app store…but in the end i could use steam vr so all was ok,anyways i went back over my notes and figured it all out…
also have figured out the problem and have now pointed the new installation to the directory on the D drive…
basically i just had to delete the old windows installaton …or in my case i removed that ssd as it was going bad. anyways…random crashes then when it would reboot i was told i need to insert a disk with an OS …would happen once or twice a day …why i got a new SSD with a new win 10 install…
basically the old windows was claiming ownership of those files …so once i removed the old ssd they opened up the old windows stopped claiming ownership and i have full access,
so now will copy the community and official folders editer suggested to the new drive i have and point the installation there and hopefully the installer will realize the files are there and I’m all set…will update how it goes …
thank you very much everyone for all of your help ! had i of been better organized and realized i did install from the app store and not steam this all may of been easier…my bad …
thanks everyone!
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