When installing on Vista, it creates all the folders in the ~\Appdata\Roaming\mIRC folder. The Appdata folder is hidden. These folders...
Should be installed in perhaps ~\mIRC.
Do a search for Vista and you'll get a lot of information regarding the use of Appdata. Vista does NOT allow mIRC to write to the mIRC folder. It will automatically place the stuff into a Virtual Store folder inside Appdata. There's really no way around that unless Vista has some setting to get rid of that form of "security".
Also, if you're not using Vista, you can put mIRC.ini inside the mIRC folder and then mIRC won't use the AppData folder. This doesn't work for Vista.
Also, if you're not using Vista, you can put mIRC.ini inside the mIRC folder and then mIRC won't use the AppData folder. This doesn't work for Vista.
It does, but not in Program Files.
Oh? I don't use Vista, but I was sure I saw a discussion about it where Vista would not allow mIRC to write to its install directory no matter where it was installed (even if it wasn't installed to program files). I could be wrong. Like I said, I don't use Vista, so have no first hand experience with how mIRC works in it.
As far as I've found, it applies to the program files directory, the root directory of the system drive and any system directories.
Ok, so anyone using Vista who wants to use mIRC the way it used to work should just install to something like c:\mIRC\ or c:\Alternate Program Files\mIRC\
and it will work normally?
Good to know. It will help whenever I have to try and sort people out who are trying to run mIRC and Vista together and don't like the "hidden" folders.
If you install into program files as non-admin, and create a mirc.ini in program files (and OK the necessary prompts :D), mirc (even when run as non-admin) will create it's stuff into program files, even though Vista will store it in VirtualStore.
Some apps can't handle it because they hardcode to C:\Program Files\ and can't find the files in VirtualStore, but I know from experience that mIRC 6.21 (so I'd assume newer versions too) doesn't have any problem with the situation because it uses %ProgramFiles%, which Vista can detect and redirect to VirtualStore when needed. I'm not sure how complete-package-scripts handle it, but I don't recall issues with NoNameScript 4.03, YMMV.
I know Vista stores the items in Virtual Store. That's the "problem" that people have. My question wasn't related to whether mIRC can "write" to its own folder and have it silently moved to a Virtual Store folder. It's in regards to how mIRC can actually write to its own folder without Vista moving the data on you.
Okay my bad.... I'm a Mac user... when I said ~\mIRC... I was refering to the user's home directory. In otherwords...
%homepath%\mIRC
It should NOT BE STORED IN THE PROGRAM FOLDER DIRECTORY! Tbat's a public directory! The only things that should be stored there are public files...
I know what you mean. And this is why files are stored in the Appdata folder. The settings are stored for each computer user so that everyone has their own settings, logs, downloads, etc. And I told you how to avoid that if you don't like it. Note that the same instructions are in the versions.txt file right where it tells you that it was changed.
What MeStinkBad is saying isn't anything to do with Program Files or system vs. user data.
His point is that mIRC currently stores everything inside AppData - a hidden folder, which isn't appropriate for some of the things it stores. He's suggesting that things such as downloads should default to being stored within a non-hidden subdirectory of the user's folder so that they're easily accessible from outside of mIRC (eg. Explorer).
Which is probably a valid point, at least for downloads and sounds. There was
another thread about this on the Feature Suggestions board.
And at the same time, how should they be kept separate for multiple users? Personally, I don't like the whole hidden directory structure combined with the invisible moving of files to that location thing. Perhaps mIRC could natively add button(s) to take users to that folder even though it can easily be scripted. That would solve the "hidden" problem for users who don't display hidden folders and it would keep everything in AppData as it is now.
Of course, there's no real reason why mIRC has to use AppData for those things (or even for settings). It could just use Documents and Settings and place the files within the user's folder there. I'm not sure if that folder is in Vista, but it probably is.
In any case, just adding a button that takes users to the "Data" folder (name it whatever you like) that has the settings, downloads, logs, etc folders in it, would be helpful, I think.
And at the same time, how should they be kept separate for multiple users?
...
Of course, there's no real reason why mIRC has to use AppData for those things (or even for settings). It could just use Documents and Settings and place the files within the user's folder there. I'm not sure if that folder is in Vista, but it probably is.
You just answered your own question. Which is what the OP was saying too. Put the downloads folder in a subdirectory of the user folder, just not the AppData folder since it's hidden.
Perhaps mIRC could natively add button(s) to take users to that folder even though it can easily be scripted.
There is already a button to do this: Received Files. This opens Explorer at the Downloads directory.
Perhaps mIRC could natively add button(s) to take users to that folder even though it can easily be scripted.
There is already a button to do this: Received Files. This opens Explorer at the Downloads directory.
...and if you right-click that button you can choose the "sounds" dir or other folders defined in DCC Options / Folders
Thats stupid that it does that. If I have my mirc client on a usb stick it means I have to fill in some information about yourself, such as, your Internet address and the IRC server with which you want to connect ,again every bloody time. If the files all existed on my usb stick I would not have to keep re-entering and that includes the channels I have visited, there all gone too, when I swap computers, or re-boot the computer.
Thats stupid that it does that.
Well it's not stupid it's necessary for mIRC to work on multi-user systems.
If I have my mirc client on a usb stick it means I have to fill in some information about yourself, such as, your Internet address and the IRC server with which you want to connect ,again every bloody time. If the files all existed on my usb stick I would not have to keep re-entering and that includes the channels I have visited, there all gone too, when I swap computers, or re-boot the computer.
That's why mIRC has the -portable switch...