Changing default installation directory in Windows
By default Windows installs all programs in C:\Program Files (and C:\Program Files (x86), if using 64-bit version of Windows). During installation of a program you can normally change the installation path. However I find this to be a constant annoyance, and some program installers do not provide the option to change the installation path.
Follow these steps to change the default installation directory. This tweak should work with Windows XP, 2000, Vista, and 7. Please note that only 64-bit OS users need to worry about the “Program Files (x86).”
- Create your new “Program Files” and “Program Files (x86)” directory.
- Type “regedit” in the Start Menu search box (Windows 7/Vista) or in Run dialog box (Windows XP).
- In Registry Editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
- Locate the value named “ProgramFilesDir” and change the default value of “C:\Program Files” to your new directory path. Do the same for “ProgramFilesDir (x86)” if using 64-bit Windows.
- If using 64-bit version of Windows: In Registry Editor, you must also navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and repeat step number 4 (above).
- Close Registry Editor and restart your system to apply the change.