How do get windows to expand install files on SSD not HDD

[newUser8776]

I have a SSD + HDD setup on my Windows 7 machine.

When I install any new program and part of that installation process causes windows to expand the install files, it moves those temporary install files onto my 2nd drive (my HDD) rather than keeping them on my faster primary drive (SSD). This slows down the install.

How do I tell windows to use my C:\ drive to put temporary install files rather than my B:\ drive (which is my hdd).?

I saw someone post a similar question here, but no answers:
http://superuser.com/questions/71325/windows-installer-using-usb-drive-for-temp-purposes

thanks

 

[ram1009]

If what you're saying is true it would be the first time I've heard of it. Programs I have installed are always on the drive I select. Temporary files are usually deleted upon completion. Why would you care anyway? Temporary files are only created to aid in the installation and are unused when the program is run. That's why they are usually deleted.

 

[newUser8776]

It matters because it is writting to and reading from the hdd instead of the Ssd. So installing files is much slower than it would otherwise be

 

[ram1009]

Temporary files are not used to run a program. If they were they wouldn't be temporary files. Personally, I use an external HDD in a housing with a switch to turn it off & on. I only turn the HDD on when I need to store something.

 

[daswilhelm]

what programs are you constantly installing?

 

[ram1009]

what programs are you constantly installing?

I didn't say I was "constantly installing" any programs. Most of the time it's upgrades to programs already on my systems. That often means overwriting the program completely. However, as I said, I've never seen temp files placed anywhere except the same drive used for the program installation. If this is actually happening to you maybe you could try unplugging your secondary drives during installation.

 

[lafontma]

Most temp files are place in .... your TEMP folder. By default the temp folder is in your user profile. Did you move your user profile to the HD?

Verify the temp variable in a command prompt by running the set command

 

[newUser8776]

I've verified that both TEMP and TMP folders are set to:
%userprofile%\appdata\local\temp

I'm not 100% sure how to verify where %userprofile% is saved to (how can I check this?) but in looking through my secondary drive (B:\) there aren't any user profiles there and on my primary drive (C:\) there is a user folder at c:\User\.... so I assume that is confirmation enough.

As for unplugging the external drive every time need to install something, the secondary drive is installed in my machine. So i suppose I could open up my machine and unplug the wires each time, but that sounds like a less than elegant solution.

There has to be some registry key or environmental variable somewhere I could set to fix this, right? Again, in that original link i found where someone else was having the trouble, they got as far as finding a microsoft article which says:


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa371372%28VS.85%29.aspx
" If ROOTDRIVE is not set at a command line or authored into the Property table, the installer sets this property. During an administrative installation the installer sets ROOTDRIVE to the first connected network drive it finds that can be written to. If it is not an administrative installation, or if the installer can find no network drives, the installer sets ROOTDRIVE to the local drive that can be written to having the most free space."

And that's what I think is happening here, it is writing to the secondary drive because i have the most free space there (700 gigs vs. 50 gigs)