Robert writes:

<<I want to organize all the programs in C:\Program Files into several
different new folders like misc, games, office,  microsoft.  Do I have to
delete these programs then reinstall?  When I just try to move the folder
in windoze explorer I get a message the program may no longer work if I
move it.>>

That's not as simple as it might appear, and it's a trap many fall
into.  Essentially, any program that has been "installed" should not be
moved.  Why?

When you install a new program, entries are made in the registry telling
Windows how to deal with that program, where to find its essential files,
and so on.  Now, if you were to simply move the program to another folder,
it's like moving house.  If you don't tell the Post Office where you've
moved to, your mail won't find you. The registry doesn't "know" that you've
moved the file, so when you try to open the program, Windows (via the
registry) will continue to look in the old place, says to itself "Hah,
those files aren't there any more", and proceeds to dish up some sort of
error message, or simply won't do anything at all.

Therefore you can only "move" an entire program  by "reinstalling" it into
its final resting place---ie you are notifying the Post Office (the
registry) of your new place of abode.

Now, if you simply delete the program (as opposed to uninstalling it) you
will leave all the old registry entries intact. When you reinstall it to
the new folder, then you will end up with a lot of duplication in the
registry.  This will eventually slow performance, or even cause lockups.

Therefore you must uninstall, not delete, the program before reinstalling
it.  Do this preferably through a dedicated uninstaller such as Cleansweep,
or else through Control Panel Add/Remove, or through the program's own
"Unwise" or "Uninstall" file, though these often don't do as clean a job as
Cleansweep where the original installation has been properly monitored (and
thus every step can be reversed).

You should also be aware that installing a program often puts new common
files, such as .Dll files, into the Windows System folder.  When you
install some later program, it may look in the system folder and see that
File xxx is already there, so of course it doesn't duplicate this file.
When you uninstall the original program that put File xxx  into your
system, its uninstall program may or may not remove those common
files.  You may then find that your later program is now missing a vital
shared file, so you may need to reinstall it. This will allow it to insert
that file back into your system.

So you see, moving programs around on your computer after they've been
installed is not so simple after all. The safest rule is:
Don't.  Especially complex programs like Office. Usually these types of
programs are best left installed to their default locations. If you try to
install them elsewhere, they often will end up chasing their own tails.
It's even worse when you have other programs interacting with it
(integrated email, for instance).

There are special programs like Cleansweep which can move entire programs
and carry out the necessary registry modifications, but frankly I wouldn't
trust them on anything major like Office or browsers. Although I've had
Cleansweep for years, I must admit I've never used it for this purpose.
Provided it monitored the original installation, I see no reason why it
should not do the job properly.  But of course you'd still be left with the
problem of any interacting programs being unable to find the correct path.

There are some simple programs that don't need any installation at all,
they just work completely independently of the registry, and you can move
these anywhere you like. And you can relocate any independent data
folders/files to your heart's content.

The best alternative is to leave your programs where they are, but create
new folders of shortcuts (eg you can have folders for all your Games,
Utilities, Wallpapers, Misc, etc, and fill these with shortcuts). You are
free to move shortcuts around with reckless abandon.

Trying to move a program like Office, by whatever means, is asking for trouble.

Don Penlington





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