1. Manually copy the C:\Program Files (x86)\Frontier folder to E:\Frontier in my case.
2. Rename the C:\Program Files (x86)\Frontier folder to XFrontierX as a backup.
3. Start the game directly with E:\Frontier\EDLaunch\EDLaunch.exe.
4. The launcher wants a login. Enter the Email for the account and password.
5. The launcher wants a validation code. Go to your Email to get it then enter.
6. Select the ED game desired and click play.
The game runs and everything works where I last played it. Closing the game and the launcher there is a Frontier message that wants a hardware file sent to them. It doesn't work. I delete it, start/end the game again and the Frontier message no longer appears.
7. Delete the C:\Program Files (x86)\XFrontierX folder (I was nervous doing this!).
8. Start/end the game to verify all is working.
9. Run validate files from the launcher. Frontier took a lot of time to start this maybe wondering where all the files went so do something in real life for awhile. Eventually it worked and nothing was added to the C:\Program Files (x86) folder that no longer exists.
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My differences
Two 500GB SSD drives and four 3TB standard drives but that is another story. C for the Windows 7 Pro OS and E for games. I was lazy getting around to moving ED. With Horizons using 19GB and Odyssey at 50GB with probably more coming my C drive was down to 40GB. The end result was the game actually loads faster not fighting with the Windows OS and I don't have to 'run as administrator' when I started in the C:\Program Files (x86) folder. Does the game play any faster? Probably not as Frontier servers control that.
I have two PC accounts for the bubble and Colonia. With an update I start the new EDLaunch.exe for each Email, password and verification then save each as EDLaunch01.exe and EDlaunch02.exe. Add shortcuts to the desktop then all works great.
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Comments
ED like other games loads player info into Username\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments folder on the C drive. Take a F10 snapshot it will be placed in the Username\Pictures\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous folder on the C drive. Leave these alone as they are needed to play the game. Mine uses 250Mb not even a dent in my C SSD drive.
Finally using Windows 7 I assume the folders are the same for Windows 10, 11 and the future. For Epic and Steam they require building a new folder in another drive but others know how to do that.
I researched this on the Forum and Google with a lot of complicated answers with players trying to figure it out. But players often post too soon hoping to help others and not always right. I hope my success will help others especially with the usual current bugs after an update. Probaby not of one of my best game decisions at the moment but it worked.
Regards
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