[Closed] How to get my PC to stop bugging me...

Be an administrator and switch off UAC

**Edit: In windows search, type "UAC" and it should find the tool - Set to "never notify"

Right, thanks 😳 Sorry, got a bit stressed there.

You probably don't want to set it to "never notify" as you're crippling an important security feature. Assuming it's the same as W7 I'd set it one up from "never" as the absolute minimum.

Changing that made absolutely no difference.

I also have a lot of trouble deleting files, tend to get a 'this file is in use..' messages and have to use a third-party program to unlock it and delete it.

Come back Windows XP.

Ok, tell us exactly what you're "reorganising"?

A VST plugins folder, in program files (x86). The files tend to have a dll extension.

Sorry, VST is 'Virtual Studio Technology', software audio effects etc.

OP is now appreciating the finer detail of the Windows logo as his PC fails to boot properly 😉

Right. Program Files is a protected location. That's why it's trying to stop you from fiddling with it.

Why do you need to move the .DLLs particularly?

I'm not doing anything crazy, nowt I've not done before on less annoying versions of Windows.

That's as may be, but it doesn't answer the question.

(Less annoying versions of Windows used to let people **** about inside the system with impunity and then take to popular forums to complain loudly about how shit Windows was because it crashes all the time.)

Just so they appear in different places in the program I use to access them. Can I turn off the nanny state for program files?

It's PC gawn mad.

Thanks by the way!

Copy them rather than move them, then?

Yeah, I'm copying some, moving others. It will let me do it, it just introduces another level of warnings etc which I'd rather not have.

NT6 can be overzealous with its "are you sure?" prompts, but generally if it's saying "look, leave this alone," there's usually a good reason for it. If you want to frig about with the filesystem, do it in c:\users\your-username

Ok, thanks. I didn't know about the c:\users\your-username thing.

Can't you just right click and key in the password? 😀

Would installing the program you want to dick about somewhere other than program files help? (so it's not protected)

chewkw - Member
Can't you just right click and key in the password?

Computer says no.

Would installing the program you want to dick about somewhere other than program files help? (so it's not protected)

Probably. To be honest, I'm still finding my way with W8.1. I stuck with XP until the bitter end, then upgraded to W7, then got a new laptop in a matter of weeks with 8.1.

What I [i]should[/i] have done is kept the sweet-running machine with XP as it was, but kept offline. And used a laptop with 8.1 for everyday tasks whilst getting to know the operating system.

jambourgie - Member
... I'm still finding my way with [b]W8.1[/b]

I see. I am waiting for W10 if I got the budget to upgrade otherwise W7 for a while.

I will only upgrade to Intel NUC as I want my PC to be super tiny.

Ok, thanks. I didn't know about the c:\users\your-username thing.

C:\Users is the post-XP equivalent of C:\Documents and Settings. It's where the root of your profile lives, your Docs, Downloads, Pictures etc are all subfolders from there.

Would installing the program you want to dick about somewhere other than program files help? (so it's not protected)

That's a good point actually. If it's a really old program that doesn't really understand that ProgFiles is 'special' then installing it elsewhere is probably sensible. Either that or see if there's a newer version available. I get this quite often installing old "retro" games, far better to install in C:\Games or some such.

Still not quite sure why you'd want to be moving dlls, but I'll assume you know what you're doing there. What I'd do is copy the entire installation to some other directory, move the dlls, then run it from that second (copied) installation. Just leave the first one where it is. (I do this with Java a fair amount, it means I can have various versions installed on the same machine).

I'm assuming it's some sort of plugin-loading procedure.

Just moving folders around probably works for Java applets but is unlikely to work with apps. You'd need to uninstall the app and reinstall it into the new directory.

I really think though that your best course of action is either to create a "plugins" folder for it in \Users, or leave it alone.

Just moving folders around probably works for Java applets but is unlikely to work with apps. You'd need to uninstall the app and reinstall it into the new directory.

Maybe, although I was talking about the full Java SDK not just an applet.

Still not quite sure why you'd want to be moving dlls

It probably won't be very interesting unless you're into music production, but I'll tell you anyway. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I'll begin:

On a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) one usually has a host program where you mix all your tracks, add effects etc (In my case, the host program is called Cubase). Effects generally come in the form of VST's (Virtual Studio Technology), which are separate third-party mini programs that are installed in a specific folder (VST Plugins) to be accessed by the host program.

All well and good, except they generally install into their own manufacturer specific folder within the VST Plugins folder. I don't want this. I want a folder for EQ effects, a folder for compressors, delays and so on. You can move them about, as long as they're still in the 'VST Plugins' folder, you might have to re-authorise them the next time they are used but it's no hassle. Well, it [i]wasn't[/i] much hassle until Windows decided I was up to no good...

😉 get a Mac

Indeed 8)

If the purpose of having them grouped in your own folders is to make them easy to locate, would it work to leave them where they are but create group folders containing shortcuts?

Junctions, more like.

Here,

http://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=112869#p112869

(Though TBH I'd just copy it if it were me I reckon.)