Default apps reset, Windows looking for data in the wrong place

Horcza · 08 Dec 2017

Hi everyone,

6 days ago, I installed a sizeable update ( version 1709). Afterwards, Windows didn't know what programs to use for many files, including any pictures or archives. I use Picasa & WinRar respectively, and I had to find their .exe and set them as default again. I have the C drive, a 120GB SSD on which I installed Windows and a few other programs, but the vast majority of my stuff is on D, a 1TB HDD. For some reason though, Windows doesn't seem to care, and believes that I have everything on C, except it can't find any of the data of course.

For example, on my desktop I had a shortcut for the game Dishonored 2, which used to point to the correct location (on drive D), but after the update it was changed automatically to drive C, and the shortcut was also duplicated, so now I have a Dishonored 2 (1) shortcut, which points to drive D (the correct one). This is the case in many apps, but not all, and I can't seem to find what they have in common.

I tried to launch GTA V just a few minutes before, and it says it needs to install the game. How do I un**** this? Any helpful tip would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

edit: this might seem like a minor detail, but could be important; before the update, I had WinRar's shortcuts in the right click context menu, like extract here, extract to folder etc, after the update it was gone. I have since reenabled it, but I guess it could mean something.

pepanee · 08 Dec 2017

That's strange. Sorry you're going through all this, it must be annoying. I don't know if there's a way to fix all that automatically. What I would do is that every time an icon, for example, points at the wrong direction, just fix where it's supposed to point at, and delete the duplicate one. Over time, you will have eventually fixed up everything.

If you experience "missing things" from what you have installed and are used to it (like in the WinRAR example you said), one way to fix something like this is to uninstall the program, and reinstall the program. It should put the default settings that are supposed to show up.

Other than that, I don't know what else to say. Maybe someone else knows more.

Horcza · 08 Dec 2017

Yes, it's incredibly frustrating. I have already reinstalled a few programs, the problem is, I don't want to re-download the 60gb that is GTA V and I couldn't find any setting to tell it where the data actually is.

Edit: I managed to solve the GTA issue with regedit, I tried before I just couldn't find what I needed. It was in this direcetory: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V" so if anyone else in the future has this problem, regardless of which software, you'll probably find it around there. A bit tedious to fix it one by one, but better than reinstalling everything. God I hate windows sometimes.

pepanee · 08 Dec 2017

Let's try this:

1) Search for, and open, Programs and Features.
2) Look for GTA V in that list
3) Double click it
4) See if there's some sort of repair option

Horcza · 08 Dec 2017

That could probably also have worked, although I have fixed the GTA issue. If I come accross any programs in the near future that Windows insists is on drive C, I'll try the repair tool before the regedit. Thanks!

pepanee · 08 Dec 2017

Yes you're welcome. I'm sure over the next few days you will have eventually re-pointed all the little messed up settings to point at the right directions. Don't worry about it =)

dalchina · 09 Dec 2017

Hi, you're not the only one who experienced problems related to programs installed on D: - see:

The problem:
Since the Fall Creator’s update, Windows somehow figured that all my programs are installed on C:. This has lead to the following 4 issues, which I presume all stem from the same problem:

On the desktop, all shortcuts of programs on D: were changed to the same folder on C: (which doesn’t exist), and the original shortcut was copied to the desktop as well appending ‘(1)’.

Fall Creator's update (1709) broke the program index - Windows 10 Forums

-unfortunately no replies to that. There may be other such threads...

Horcza · 09 Dec 2017

Yep that's 100% the same as my problem.

Right now, I think using regedit to manually repair the install directory of every broken program seems to do the job. What I'd love to know is why this happened, but I guess I never will.

dalchina · 09 Dec 2017

Also here:
Since Windows 10 Fall Creators Update - Many app - Microsoft Community

Win 10 Fall Creators Update Hates programs Not on System - Microsoft Community

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/since-windows-10-fall-creators-update-1709-many/6fb8e5a3-08a3-4134-91ba-cd79fbbb618e

What worries me is that most of my programs are on D: - I'm still on 1703.

Edward Hyde · 12 Dec 2017

The shortcuts are annoying, but indeed fixable in a way that's not too laborious (although still a pain in the backside). However, changing all programs separately in the registry in order for Windows to recognize it and allow it as default/in context menus/make it work in the programs list is just insane (if it works at all).