I just did the new update on both laptops and neither one installed to where I have my program files which are in C:\Rootsmagic 11. I downloaded and installed on both computers, and every time I sign on to the program it reminds me about the new download.
Why is there no option to save to the correct path? Do I go to the program files path and copy from there and delete and then paste in the C:\ RM11?
What do you mean by your “program files”? Do you mean database files copied from an earlier version (.RMGC for RM7 or .RMTREE from RM 8/9/10) ? if so, the C:\Rootsmagic 11 should be typed into the Settings>Folder Settings>Data folder
Or do you mean you now have two installations of RM11?
it may simply be terminology. But the RM11 program will not be installed in
C:\Rootsmagic 11, nor will any other program. Rather, the RM11 program will be installed in C:\Program Files\RootsMagic 11\ if you install the 64 bit version and it will be installed in C:\Program Files (x86)\RootsMagic 11\ if you install the 32 bit version.
You may be referring to your RM database, and it could certainly be in C:\Rootsmagic 11 if that is where you put it. Installing the most recent RM11 update will not change where your database is located.
It sounds like the new RM11 update didn’t actually complete on either one of your computers which may be why RM is telling you that you still need to do the update. I think we need some screen shots to clarify the nature of the problem.
I recall you had a problem when installing v11 3 weeks ago?
C:\Program Files\RootsMagic 11 OR C:\Program Files (x86)\RootsMagic 11 are the default locations for the program.
You can have your Data anywhere such as C:\RootsMagic 11
Yes my program files are installed in C:\Rootsmagic 11. The original installation went smoothly without problems as I changed from the suggested path before install.
My datafiles are in C:\RM11data. I ended up copying the application from the program files path and overwriting the one directly on the C drive. The message to download now is gone and it says I am up to date. Should I remove the duplicate application from the program files path?
I prefer to install programs I access frequently directly on the C drive where I can easily find them and their data files. I have all my versions of RM that I am keeping there as well as their data files. An interesting fact is that RM7 always found my path when I did updates.
I reported this problem last month after the first update (as I like my programs on my E drive). The responses were that I shouldn’t have programs other than where RM management decides to put them - pretty much a free speech issue!
As a workaround, if you copy and overwrite the exe file in your preferred folder (just drag & drop it) with the updated one from where RM dumps it it will all work perfectly. Never was an issue with previous versions and, personally, I object to people telling me where to install files on my computer.
Object all you want, however don’t expect support if things don’t work. And this has nothing to do with RM specifically. Back in the days when I did software support, you would be lucky if the techs would even try to sort your problem.
Is your E drive an SSD also? I ask because, typically, SSD drive concerns involve potential shortening of lifespan due to constant writing/changes to files. Much less of concern is reading and that is the majority of what program installation folders do… reading and executing files that rarely if ever change and that also load much faster from SSD. Program data (ie. RM databases and auxiliary scratchpad files) are a different story with much more frequent write changes.
My C drive is an SSD and E is an internal hard drive. I have no issues with loading speeds from E and like to keep everything other than than windows away from my C drive as I am aware of the reduced life of SSD drives. I just don’t understand why with RM11 (unlike all previous RM versions from 7 onwards) insist on putting an additional application on my C drive when I update it from my E drive.
I don’t know why the Update feature isn’t aware of your current E drive folder. When you first installed RM11 did You specifically point to the E drive folder path as the target or did You let RM11 install to Program Files or Program Files (x86) THEN drag the whole folder to E drive, maybe? That likely would leave RM thinking it was still at the former location. One shouldn’t do that after any program is installed.
Regardless, I’m pretty sure that if you skip clicking the Upgrade prompt (upon program startup) and instead just go to the RM website and download the installer… it will let You point to the drive/folder You are currently using during the course of the installation dialog.
From a study done by Backblaze, it would seem SSD drives have advanced considerably from the early days, which appears to be what you are basing you non-standard process on.
Backblaze, a cloud storage and computer backup company, has been performing a study comparing SSDs and HDDs as boot drives for their servers. It is closer to the stress an average user might put on their drives. Their study is simple: How many boot drives die per year? What is the annualized failure rate of HDDs vs. SSDs? Conclusion: HDDs and SSDs will die at a similar rate for the first 3 years of operation, but after that, the failure rate of HDDs begins to rapidly increase, whereas the failure rate of SSDs remains fairly constant for at least 5 years. Whether or not SSDs will hit a “failure wall,” an age where many drives begin to spontaneously fail is not clear yet, however you can likely count on your drive working for at least 5 years.
Thanks. I installed it on my E drive initially but any upgrades install a new instance on my C drive, which I have never used for RM (or anything else for that matter!).
Thanks for the information, very interesting.
I just went to the RM downloads website, wanting to reinstall Rootsmagic 11 from that site. I did not get an option to put the program any alternate folder. So rather than doing another installation to program files I just cancelled out and leave my current copy and paste alone. Not being able to install directly to the C drive is new to RM11. I have done just that for years and do not recall having any difficulty to doing the upgrades to my initial install folder.
My working database is in RM7, so my workaround to copy the RM11 folder to C:\Rootsmagic 11 will not mess up my data, but eventually I may go to the new version and have no desire to create problems in doing so.
Thanks for clearing that up. Okay, that suggests RM11 is “aware” of being already installed. The next presumption would logically be that RM11 “knows” which drive and folder path it was installed to. I’d be surprised that the installer would be “intentionally” programmed to only install to C drive (that is counter to it offering any drive and folder at 1st install). It must not be preserving or fails to properly reference a preserved install path during the updates.
Wondering if Renee has weighed in on such matter.
This piece being missing from running the installer, after RM is installed, seems to be disallowing the user from mistakenly pointing at the wrong (not current) folder or doing a second install, but not being there seems to be resulting in exactly the same result.
I totally agree. As a sample size of one, I have never had an SSD disk to fail, and I have had numerous HDD disks to fail. HDD disks are mechanical with moving parts and SSD disks are entirely electronic with no moving parts. That doesn’t mean that SSD disks never fail, because they do. But I think the fear of SSD disks failing is way overblown. And in my opinion, moving files from SSD disks to the inherently much less reliable HDD disks because SSD disks might fail does not make a lot of sense. Let me say that again: HDD disks are inherently much less reliable than SSD disks. And no matter what, all disks do fail eventually. So be sure to have a good backup plan in place for when they do fail.
I confess that originally I missed the main thrust of this thread. Namely, the thrust was that the RM executable was originally installed in some location other than the default of C:\Program Files\ and that an update was putting the executable back into the default location. I could be wrong (again!), but I don’t think there is a way to tell the RM installer where to put the RM executable. I think it always puts it in C:\Program Files\ Am I missing something there? So it sounds to me as if the RM executable was moved after the install. If that’s what happened, then an update should be thought of as a re-install which will simply put the new RM executable into C:\Program Files\ again. If that’s what is really happening, then the RM executable would simply have to be moved again after the update since the update is really just a new install.
What’s bothering me about this is that apparently it worked differently prior to RM11. If so, then the scenario I described is definitely not correct. Does anybody know for sure exactly how RM installs and updates worked before RM11 and how RM installs and updates work now with RM11? Has something really changed? Maybe the installer is supposed to put the update where the user moved the original executable? I just don’t know for sure.
P.S. The 32-bit version of RM for Windows is installed by default in C:\Program Files (x86)\ rather than in C:\Program Files\ But I didn’t want to have to keep saying that over and over again.
When installing RM7, the installer ALWAYS offers the file path choice (whether already installed or not). Can’t speak for 8&9, but 10&11 DO NOT offer file path choice (when bit-ness matches) if the program is already installed and has not been properly uninstalled via Control Panel, I believe.
You and mscheffler are 1-offs as to where you want RM to be installed.
Fortunately you have the knowledge to do a work around while the majority are happy with their location.
Object all you want won’t do any good LOL
I don’t recall if you were on a Windows machine or not, however have you looked at using symlinks? There are more and more apps now installing to a hardcoded default folder, and I am not sure if the links will work when installing updates, my guess is that it will.
For an example (I did not test this):
Open a command prompt as administrator and type
mklink /d "C:\Program Files (x86)\RootsMagic 11" "E:\Rootsmagic"
Of course substituting you own paths as needed.
Thanks for the advice Kenneth, I’ll give it a go. I do use Windows 11 pro.