Where to install

[teamo]

I just got the boxed version. Looking forward to installing it. Where should I put it? I have two 1TB hard drives. Each one has a 500GB partition. I have a reserved partition for FSX and another one for it's addons. Should I put the A-10 on the default C drive with other programs or should I put it on the other partition of that drive? Thanks.

Jim

[kylania]

Anywhere but Program Files is good. :)

[EtherealN]

Note btw: when you partition your drives like that, you are forcing one partition to run in the slow half of the platters.

 

So I would say: install to whichever partition is on the OUTSIDE of the HDD platters - usually the "first". Installing on the second partition would essentially gimp loading times.

[ALDEGA]

I don't think this will affect performance that much. Once the data is cached in RAM, it's meaningless anyway (provided there is sufficient RAM available).

[ALDEGA]

Anywhere but Program Files is good. :)

Why not in the Program Files directory?

[MTFDarkEagle]

UAC doesn't like that very much.. Weird things can happen.

[EtherealN]

I don't think this will affect performance that much. Once the data is cached in RAM, it's meaningless anyway (provided there is sufficient RAM available).

 

Once the data is cached in RAM, yes. But would you consider it pointless when you wait 40 seconds to load a mission instead of 10? ;)

 

Similar considerations affects mid-flight loading of assets ("load-stutter"), though in this case the seek-times are the bigger issue - if, for any reason, your OS was caused to read from the other partition during your flight (which will happen a LOT, there really is no such thing as Windows not doing hard drive IO - it is potentially possible to "help" through completely eliminating swap file, but on the other hand many programs assume swap and this might make your system or unrelated programs unstable) you'll constantly send the seeker head running between different halves of the platter.

 

Essentially, I don't buy into this kind of partitioning shenanigans. There are some uses for it in UNIX-style file systems but for a gaming rig it does you no good and only introduces artificial limitations to HDD performance. Much better to just keep your file system in check and ensure your performance sensitive files are on the outside and folders are contiguous.

 

EDIT: As a side-note, all of the above is rendered pointless with the use of an SSD.

 

Also, an alternative method to improving load-stutter and seektimes on a mechanical HDD is to partition it, but to NOT use the second partition for anything - don't even allocate it. This will ensure that your seeker head is always near to what it is to read. Obviously though, this will mean that your drive will have less useable space. Proper HDD management is preferable.

Edited October 31, 2011 by EtherealN

[ALDEGA]

UAC doesn't like that very much.. Weird things can happen.

That's due to the DACL on the Program Files folder, requiring privilige elevation for write operations in the Program Files directory (unless you change the default DACL). This should only be required during installation of an application as volatile user data should be stored in the OS' user profile, which is the case with DCS-A10. Hence DCS-A10 can be installed in the Program Files directory without having to face UAC every time you use it.

 

DCS-BS is a different story though. It doesn't use the OS' user profile.

I had to change the DACL on the folder to fix this issue. Much better than running a "game" with administrator priviliges.

Edited October 31, 2011 by ALDEGA

[ALDEGA]

Once the data is cached in RAM, yes. But would you consider it pointless when you wait 40 seconds to load a mission instead of 10? ;)

Save half a minute of loading on a 1 hour+ mission? ;)

 

Also, an alternative method to improving load-stutter and seektimes on a mechanical HDD is to partition it, but to NOT use the second partition for anything - don't even allocate it.

Might as well get a dedicated SSD then :)

[kylania]

Why not in the Program Files directory?

 

Permissions and the silly shadow folder things mostly. Any game where you're going to mod it simply doesn't need to deal with all those things. Running the game as administrator just to get it to work, having files appear in some strange roaming hidden folder but acting like they are in Program Files, not being able to change files easily.

 

It's much easier to just install somewhere where you'll have full control over the game files instead of having to work around and fight the OS to make changes. :joystick:

[ALDEGA]

With DCS-A10 the files are where they belong.

You don't need administrator rights to use DCS-A10.

If you want to change the application's files you can simply change the permissions of the main folder and they will be inherited by all subfolders.

 

By the way, what do you mean by "shadow folder things"?

[EtherealN]

Save half a minute of loading on a 1 hour+ mission? ;)

 

I take it you abstained from reading the rest of the post? ;)

 

And besides, partitioning like that. What does it give you? What is the benefit? Quite simply - there is none.

The only reason, ever, to partition, is to create a seaparate (and thereby forced-contiguous) swap partition. Anything else is both pointless and going to cost you performance both while loading a program and during the running of the program.

Edited October 31, 2011 by EtherealN

[macedk]

On ya ssd if you have one....i mean a extra ssd game drive :)

[teamo]

For now I am going to just put it on the "C" drive which also includes the operating system, program files, etc. In the future I will reorganize everything and set things up differently. Should I make a new folder on the drive and put a name on it or use the standard default path which would most likely be C\program files\dcs\etc? The reason that I ask is because I put my microsoft fsx into it's own folder on a separate drive at the recommendation of some users on the fsx forums.

[TulsA-10]

UAC doesn't like that very much.. Weird things can happen.

 

I turned uac off on my last install of windows about 6 months ago and i've been good to go. DCS is installed in program files on my ssd and i have not had anything weird so far thank God. :thumbup: I only use that pc for DCS anyway.