Re-install or move to new folder

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
1

Can’t beleive how good this looks so far - with my first flights around the Ballarat areas in Australia.

Questions regarding re-intalling or moving the sim from it’s default install location, as I should have changed the default install location. DOH!

  1. Can it be re-installed without blowing through another 100gb of data (ie. is there an install package that i can run now that I have the sim installed)
  2. If no to the above, can it be easily moved to a new location away from the default install location in AppData

Thanks!

2 Likes
2

Hi @ScarsdaleTim. Welcome to the forums!

See if you can find what you’re looking for here in the Installation Guides.

3

Thanks for the pointer, however looks like I can only move to another drive, not move the installation to another folder path on the same drive.

Does anyone know if you can re-install without downloading everything again?

4

Interested in this as well… I didn’t change my folder in my haste to start the download and now it’s deep in a series of sub folders in D:\WpSystem\S1~51\AppData\Local\Packages\ etc.

5

Some of us around the globe do have either slow (< 50mbps) internet or download limits to consider. I have around 100mbps but still a cap at 500GB but still…

I think what would be a good idea would be an option or utility to do -
a) a reinstall without downloading 100gb everytime. So something to make an installer that you could store on a large USB drive, or a back up drive.
b) along with that a way to ensure that your progress in the sim is retained and can applied to the new install (or is that already kept on record via your profile on the xbox site?)

1 Like
6

Probably a case for a different thread, but it would be nice to be able to have some kind of ability to ‘back up’ (Save to USB/External Hard Drive etc) to prevent customers having to download the whole 90GB again if they reformat or build a new machine.

Just allow the Installer to use a local backup, and download any updated files from the cloud.

I’m pretty sure this is how MacOS and Windows Installers work these days too so it’s not too far fetched.

2 Likes
7

If I follow the following instructions, does that actually move the data that FS2020 is using?

To move an app to a different drive:

  1. Press Windows key + I together to open Settings .
  2. Click on Apps > Apps & features .
  3. Click on the app that you want to move, and select Move .
  4. Select the destination drive.

Since the “Microsoft Flight Simulator” app is listed as just 0.98 GB, I’m assuming that’s just the starting program, not the data that was downloaded during the first run. My game is loading terribly slow (multiple minutes to get in-game) so I’m assuming this is because I put it on a hard-drive instead of my M2 SSD. So now I’d like to move the ~90GB that was first downloaded, to speed it up. But cannot find out where I can do this.

1 Like
8

Just make sure that you leave the checkbox marked that says move downloaded content, it will move everything.

1 Like
9

What do you do when there’s no move button there, just uninstall? Would prefer not to uninstall and reinstall to move it.

10

it only appeared to move about 9GB of downloaded data, and it’s “somewhere”.
it would be nice to update the path where the Content Manager looks for packages.

11

Thanks!

But it seems like “Downloadable Content” in the new Microsoft/Windows Store world refers to addons, DLC and alike. When you get FS2020, the downloadable content would be the digital license you get, for example, not the rest of the ~90GB download.

So still no way of moving it…

12

If you did not notice when you started installing the game, when you first startup the launcher, it asks you for a directory.
By default this directory is at

%AppData%\ . .\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages

Remove the spaces from inbetween the dots and put that into Explorer.

From here you can copy and paste the files out into a new MSFS Cache directory that you create after you run the launcher. After you’ve pasted them, restart the launcher and it will recognize the new files and update accordingly. This means you only need to redownload 900 megabytes (the launcher) instead of 100 GB if you plan on reinstalling.
Make sure that when you start the launcher fresh, that the directory for the new cache location is set.

1 Like
13

Installation the Microsoft Flight Simulator.

I have the same problem:
I installed the 10 DVD in a 1TB-drive E\ FS2020 (created by me) instead the default drive C\ User \AppData etc. without problems. C\ for me is only for windows, I’d never installed a SIM in C. and this is generally the case I think.

Then I activated the SIM with my Microsoft account with the 25digit code. Then came a hint I should specify a drive that holds 120GB, so again a complete version that could be seen by X-Box like me?? Why this question, the installation an drive F has already started? Confus.!

I indicated drive M because is was an another big one.
Then, via the content manager, the further installation of another 19 GB (additional. Planes and airports)
No advice in the manual with relation to changing the drive and there are many discussions in the forums,.

Now following Drives and Folder are available:

Drive F

FS2020 (created by me) instead the default C\User\AppData etc.Content:108GB !!

-Community (no content)

-Official

–One Store

----175 folder (aircrafts,airports…100GB)

Drive E

(after the installation of the 10 DVD’s I indicated it when a new large Folder was requested,content:(9,8 GB)

-Programm Files

-Windows Apps** (no access)

-WpSystem** (with all the important folder)

The Sim is running, no problems at this time, the Update 14 are installed without problems

In Settings/Apps are 2 Apps available: Drive E- Microsoft Flight Simulator 0,98GB- move possible,
Drive F- Microsoft Flight Simulator-DVD content,change possible.

Have I anything to correct, move or change because the SIM is stored on 2 Drives for worry-free working??

Regards