You will only run into this problem if you installed EQ into the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder, but what Windows does is it requires administrator access to change files in the program files(and x86) directory. Now it can't just make a program NOT create files, so what it does is it makes them in another directory that you CAN modify. Knowing that this was happening I had to go find where the heck it decided to store these files, ready? here it is:
C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Sony\EverQuest
Getting to this can be a bit tricky, because once you get to your username folder you have to show hidden files. The way to do that is in your file explorer, hit the alt key, then click the "tools" menu that is now showing, then click Folder Options. Now in Folder options go to the "View" tab along the top and in the list of items towards the bottom middle of the window there will be an option to "Show Hidden files, folders, and drives" click that then click OK. Then AppData will show up and you can continue navigating to the folder.
How do we solve this problem? My suggestion is to simply move the everquest folder to your root drive C:\Everquest. Now if you are reading this and have the problem then you already have some modified files in the virtualstore directory, so you have to go about this a slightly different way than just copying the folder.
YOU SHOULD NOT DO THIS WHILE EQ IS RUNNING. LOG OFF OF EQ BEFORE DOING THIS.
1. Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony\ (If you don't have an x86 folder then just go to program files)
2. Right click on the Everquest folder and select COPY
3. Go to C:\ where you will see folders such as "Users" and "Program files" and paste it into the root directory so that you will end up seeing Everquest in this directory as well. This will take a few minutes as it is currently making a copy of the Everquest directory.
4. When this is complete go to the virtual store directory mentioned above:
C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Sony\EverQuest
Replacing YOUR_USERNAME with your user's name on this computer.
5. You should see all of the files in your Everquest directory, now hit CTRL A, this should highlight all of the files in your folder. Now hit CTRL C. Nothing visual will happen here.
6. Go back to your C:\Everquest Directory, go into the directory and you should see all of the EQ files for a normal install. hit CTRL V, this will bring up several dialog boxes one after the other. If it asks you if you want to MERGE folders tell it to merge them. If it asks you if you want to REPLACE files click that you want to Copy and replace. There will be a check box at the bottom of the dialog box that you can check if you want to "Do this for the remaining ### Items" Check that box before clicking copy and replace.
7. Wait for this to complete copying files.
8. Now go to your normal Everquest shortcut, and right click it then select properties. If you have the shortcut in the quick launch section, then right click the icon then right click again slightly above it where it will have whatever you named this shortcut "Eqgame shortcut" or something like that, then it will give an option for Properties. Click on Properties.
9. Now there are two options we need to update. First make sure you are on the Shortcut tab along the top. First the Target field will need to look like this:
"C:\Everquest\Eqgame.exe" patchme
Then the Start In: field will need to look like this:
C:\Everquest
10. Now test it out to make sure it has kept your hotkeys, video settings, friends list etc. If AND ONLY IF everything looks good with your new shortcut running out of your new directory, then go to C:\Program Files (x86)\ and DELETE the sony folder. If you have been working out of Program Files\ then do it out of there instead.
Again I will say this. ONLY DO THIS once you have CONFIRMED that everything is working after following ALL of my instructions. If anything is acting weird, or doesn't look the same as it was before you moved directories, then DON'T delete anything. Post here and I will try and help you out as best I can.
In summary this will make it much easier to update maps, update files, update anything in the EQ directory. I am open to any feedback and if a lot of people have problems with this I will update with pictures.
Thanks,
Mriswithe
