Why does Opera writes files changes to Visa VirtualStore not
to C:\Program Files\Opera

I just realised after updating to Opera 9.25 that changes to opera6.adr  
and to the mail folder are not written to C:\Program Files\Opera folder  
but to Vista VirtualStore under my user name (admin account)

Is it a choice I made during the installation (single/multiple users ?) or  
the way Opera works on Vista (changed from XP to Vista few months ago and  
migrated Opera Mail and Profile folder to retain my settings).

Thanks in advance
-- 

Op Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:31:00 +0100 schreef Alain Caillet  
<AA-Caillet@orange.fr>:

> I just realised after updating to Opera 9.25 that changes to opera6.adr  
> and to the mail folder are not written to C:\Program Files\Opera folder  
> but to Vista VirtualStore under my user name (admin account)
>
> Is it a choice I made during the installation (single/multiple users ?)  
> or the way Opera works on Vista (changed from XP to Vista few months ago  
> and migrated Opera Mail and Profile folder to retain my settings).

Under Vista, with default settings, a program can't write to the Program  
files directory except during instrallation, and for programs that try  
anyway, VirtualStore is used. So the 'single-user' profile option is  
essentially useless (unless you disable the UAC) and it harms the  
performance of your Opera installation. 'Single user' should not be  
offered on installation anymore when on Vista, but if you copied stuff  
 from you XP box, this can easily happen.

To fix, best switch to using the multiple users profile system.

* Change the 'Multi user' parameter in OperaDef6.ini to '1' (edit with  
admin rights :) )
* Start Opera, notice a clean fresh profile, use "Help > About
Opera" to  
be really sure about the locations now used
* Close Opera
* Move the old profile data and mail data to the new locations (or copy  
the folders, and change the name of the old folders to have a backup and  
be sure they are not used anymore)
* Edit opera6.ini in the new Profile directory to change all the file  
paths in it to the new locations
* Done.




-- 

                                                    Rijk van Geijtenbeek
                                  Opera Software ASA, Documentation & QA

On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:03:51 +0100, Rijk van Geijtenbeek  
<rijk@opera-dot-com.invalid> wrote:

Hi, thanks but I am a bit confused by what happens to the program files  
location: after (a) is done, when in (b) I start opera were do opera files  
go? Is Opera still in Program Files/opera folder? Then what happens to the  
old profile and mail data since you say in d) Move old profile and data  
files to the new location.

Thanks again. Alain


> Op Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:31:00 +0100 schreef Alain Caillet

>
> Under Vista, with default settings, a program can't write to the Program  
> files directory except during instrallation, and for programs that try  
> anyway, VirtualStore is used. So the 'single-user' profile option is  
> essentially useless (unless you disable the UAC) and it harms the  
> performance of your Opera installation. 'Single user' should not be  
> offered on installation anymore when on Vista, but if you copied stuff  
>  from you XP box, this can easily happen.
>
> To fix, best switch to using the multiple users profile system.
>
> a)* Change the 'Multi user' parameter in OperaDef6.ini to '1' (edit with  
> admin rights :) )
> b)* Start Opera, notice a clean fresh profile, use "Help > About
Opera"  
> to be really sure about the locations now used
> c)* Close Opera
> d) Move the old profile data and mail data to the new locations (or copy  
> the folders, and change the name of the old folders to have a backup and  
> be sure they are not used anymore)
> e)* Edit opera6.ini in the new Profile directory to change all the file  
> paths in it to the new locations

... I just realise that I can't find: OperaDef6.ini.
I search with Explorer on the whole C: drive but .... :-(

Alain

On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:03:51 +0100, Rijk van Geijtenbeek  
<rijk@opera-dot-com.invalid> wrote:

> Op Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:31:00 +0100 schreef Alain Caillet  
> <AA-Caillet@orange.fr>:
>
>> I just realised after updating to Opera 9.25 that changes to opera6.adr
 
>> and to the mail folder are not written to C:\Program Files\Opera folder
 
>> but to Vista VirtualStore under my user name (admin account)
>>
>> Is it a choice I made during the installation (single/multiple users ?)
 
>> or the way Opera works on Vista (changed from XP to Vista few months  
>> ago and migrated Opera Mail and Profile folder to retain my settings).
>
> Under Vista, with default settings, a program can't write to the Program  
> files directory except during instrallation, and for programs that try  
> anyway, VirtualStore is used. So the 'single-user' profile option is  
> essentially useless (unless you disable the UAC) and it harms the  
> performance of your Opera installation. 'Single user' should not be  
> offered on installation anymore when on Vista, but if you copied stuff  
>  from you XP box, this can easily happen.
>
> To fix, best switch to using the multiple users profile system.
>
> * Change the 'Multi user' parameter in OperaDef6.ini to '1' (edit with  
> admin rights :) )
> * Start Opera, notice a clean fresh profile, use "Help > About
Opera" to  
> be really sure about the locations now used
> * Close Opera
> * Move the old profile data and mail data to the new locations (or copy  
> the folders, and change the name of the old folders to have a backup and  
> be sure they are not used anymore)
> * Edit opera6.ini in the new Profile directory to change all the file  
> paths in it to the new locations
> * Done.
>
>
>
>



-- 

On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:03:51 +0100, Rijk van Geijtenbeek wrote:

> Under Vista, with default settings, a program can't write to the
> Program files directory except during instrallation, and for
> programs that try anyway, VirtualStore is used. So the
> 'single-user' profile option is essentially useless (unless you
> disable the UAC) and it harms the performance of your Opera
> installation.

But this virtualisation of the files and some registry settings is
purely for old programs written without following the Windows
guidelines, and putting user customisation files into the \Program
Files\ area. And it usually works pretty well, only causing
confusion when users try to directly modify such files, when you can
end up with two versions of an .ini file one in \Program Files\ and
one in \VirtualStore\. ( been there, done that...) Surely Opera is
better written than that, they must understand the Windows Security
model and so on by now surely?

-- 
Chris Game