- How to change default program files directory windows 7 windows 7#
- How to change default program files directory windows 7 windows#
Furthermore it might be safe to change all other paths directing to the old directories to point at the new ones as well. Click on that key once to show its contents and locate the ProgramFilesDir and ProgramFilesDir (x86):ĭouble click those values and change C:\Program Files to E:\Program Files as well as C:\Program Files (x86) to E:\Program Files (x86). Now browse the left registry pane for the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion key. I will be referring to our new installation path as E:\Program Files and E:\Program Files (x86), so replace these paths with the ones you want to have (you can choose other names as well). Now that you have been warned, let's get started: Open a Run.
How to change default program files directory windows 7 windows#
You are responsible for all consequences.įurthermore, since we are going to edit the Windows registry for our causes, you should have that backed up first in case something goes wrong. If the hard drive you have the operating system installed on is running out of space though, or you just want to have the OS on a separate SSD, you might want to consider changing these default installation paths.īe warned before you go on though! Microsoft does not officially support changing installation directories (see here). Too techie? Forget I ever told you about this and go with the Windows Explorer method described above.By default Windows installs all programs into the C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) directories. The DOS command for renaming a file is ren and with it you can give a new name to any file… not just a new extension. Type in the following command you obviously need to substitute the file names (in the square brackets] with the one you have and the one you want. Move to the folder that contains the file/s whose extension you want to change.
![how to change default program files directory windows 7 how to change default program files directory windows 7](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CByQZ.png)
Open a terminal window from “ Programs” -> “ Accessories” -> “ Command Prompt“. Use DOS commands through the terminal window
How to change default program files directory windows 7 windows 7#
Windows 7 might show a warning message (below) – ignore it and click the “ OK” button. Only the first part of the file will be selected – refer image below.īut we need to modify the file extension, right? Thus, select that and change it to whatever you want. To change the file extension using Windows Explorer, click the file once, wait for a second or two and then click on it again. This can quickly be done by changing the settings via the Control panel – please refer that link for details. You first need to get file extensions to show in Windows 7.
![how to change default program files directory windows 7 how to change default program files directory windows 7](https://www.howtogeek.com/thumbcache/2/200/f2f2eede365c163b6bfd9c68a7547101/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/img_58139f451729a.png)
Windows Explorer method of changing the file extension The latter requires you to know a couple of DOS commands and would sound a little intimidating for the beginner.
![how to change default program files directory windows 7 how to change default program files directory windows 7](https://docs.python.org/3/_images/win_installer.png)
The first one involves using the familiar Windows Explorer program and the second, the Command Prompt. There are two methods you can use to change the file extension. Two ways to change the file extension in Windows 7 Microsoft understands this danger and has, thus, kept the file extensions hidden by default. doc as the file extension will cause all sorts of trouble since Microsoft Word will not be able to open the video file. Since the extension associates the file with a particular program, changing it would cause problems in opening and/or viewing the file. Why is the file extension hidden in Windows 7?