Stop using removable drives as a temporary location for installation

[meisterplaceb]

When installing recent updates for LabVIEW 2018 an error message came up that said the installer needs access to "My Documents". However this location "file path" is not available.  My company has a drive mapping package that has the my documents located on the server as well as my favorites so it is automatically backed up for recovery purposes.  The installer keeps getting this error and forums state that the IT admins need to get involved every time to update & set my documents to local temporarily to install, then back to the server for automatic backups.  This is very tedious and takes a lot of manpower.  My colleague has the same issue with DIAdem 2018 as well.  Looking to possibly have a fix where it gives the user a browse option to find the file path it needs for the install.  

[Intaris]

Sounds like a kind of stupid setup to be honest.

So your system cannot write to "My Documents". I suppose that certainly makes backups easier..... Why doesn't your IT implement things better. I also have "My Documents" on a server drive, but I can install no problem. I think the problem is with your system setup, not with NI.

[thols]

"Stop using removable drives as a temporary location for installation"

- Are you sure that is what is happening? LabVIEW installs a few things in My Documents I think.

Did you run the installer from a local folder? If not, then try that. 

[wiebe@CARYA]

As a solution (if this is the problem), I'd make the target directories in my documents a symbolic link (mklink) to a local disk...

My documents is a different folder for each user. Each user could mklink to the same local folder.

Worked for me to get Minecraft working under 2 accounts...

[wiebe@CARYA]

Also, IIRC, My Documents is the MS recommended place to put things.

Where to draw the line? What if Program Files is 'moved' to a removeable disk?

[AristosQueue (NI)]

@meisterplaceb Microsoft documentation describes "My Documents" as the appropriate place for apps to install files that are meant to be user modified after installation. MS says this is supposed to be a writeable location that the current user (whoever is logged in) always has write access to. There's no other acceptable location for LV to use for such files under the MS rules of installation. If your IT department has made My Documents inaccessible for writing, that's a problem on your end.

[Darren]

Declined for reasons listed in AristosQueue's post:

"Microsoft documentation describes "My Documents" as the appropriate place for apps to install files that are meant to be user modified after installation. MS says this is supposed to be a writeable location that the current user (whoever is logged in) always has write access to. There's no other acceptable location for LV to use for such files under the MS rules of installation. If your IT department has made My Documents inaccessible for writing, that's a problem on your end."

[wiebe@CARYA]

Related:

https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/Error-This-installer-needs-access-to-quot-My-Documents-quot/m-p/139...

Solved, but you won't like the solution! Haven't read the entire thread, there might be some gems in there.

[MichaelBalzer]

See also this idea: https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Make-it-possible-to-change-the-folder-for-My-Document...

and corresponding CAR 448899.