Weird Windows 7 issue

[ainwood]

This is weird...

I have windows 7, x64. I have Civ3 installed in:
C:\Progam File (x86)\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\

Note that there is apparently no 'saves' folder there (I have "Show hidden files" ticked", as well as "show system files"). I also can't find the files by searching.

Yet if I load Civ3, there is the folder, and there is a save file (which I also can't find using search).

So, apparently its not visible to the OS, but is visible to Civ3. Anyone got any idea?


Edit:

...so manually putting in the folder name, and windows still can't find it.

Edit - solved. Need to hit the "Compatability files" button in windows explorer, which gets me redirected to the virtualization location. Apparently.

 

[Comraddict]

best explanation is that files are not saved to folder you expect, but somewhere else, similar.

 

[Cutlass]

Earlier versions of Windows saved the Civ files to your My Documents file in the Games subfolder. I would imagine that would be the place to look.

 

[Speedo]

As a security feature Vista and 7 don't allow programs to write directly to the program files directory. For compatibility, when a program attempts to write to program files it's actually redirected to %userprofile%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\, then those modified files are linked to the real directory via virtualization.

See http://windowsconnected.com/blogs/jerry/archive/2005/12/19/86.aspx

 

[Zelig]

As a security feature Vista and 7 don't allow programs to write directly to the program files directory. For compatibility, when a program attempts to write to program files it's actually redirected to %userprofile%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\, then those modified files are linked to the real directory via virtualization.

See http://windowsconnected.com/blogs/jerry/archive/2005/12/19/86.aspx

I actually did not know this, probably because I don't install stuff to the program files directories.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

As a security feature Vista and 7 don't allow programs to write directly to the program files directory. For compatibility, when a program attempts to write to program files it's actually redirected to %userprofile%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\, then those modified files are linked to the real directory via virtualization.

See http://windowsconnected.com/blogs/jerry/archive/2005/12/19/86.aspx

Sometimes this feature (IIRC, its called directory junctions) can be cool. 'Cause I can redirect some gamesaves to go to a folder under My Documents so I dont have to bother with sincing them. It even works with the data partition.

 

[Speedo]

Directory junctions are a different (though somewhat similar) feature. With junctions you're basically making a shortcut (junction) to an existing folder, though programs and even explorer will treat the "shortcut" just like a real folder.

With the Program Files virtual store it's a bit more complex. All file writes from a program that target Program Files are automatically redirected to the virtual store. Reads from Program Files are dependent - if the user has a copy of said file in his/her virtual store, the read targets it. If not, it comes from the original in Program Files. The main purpose is to prevent one user from making changes which can (due to poor application design) affect all users of a program.

 

[CanuckSoldier]

Yes this is a minor pain for Civ3, as it was made long before Vista came along. But even Civ4 was released prior to Vista by a few months and even though Firaxis attempted to make it GFW compliant, it does not fully understand the Vista/7 file virtualization and unfortunately this really screws with the MP mod security system that Civ4 has that Civ3 never did.

And this is the major reason on top of the MP mod system not being really user friendly, that mods in MP are highly problematic, players with different versions of windows just would not see each others modded games no matter what because of different file virtualization systems(or lack their off in XP).

And of course this was never fixed.

CS