Xbox PC App installed games are gone and "There was a problem load install locations. Try...

Thank you but I have performed all of these steps multiple times before and after doing a full reinstall of the OS. The issue persists.

Well, I seem to have solved this issue for myself. I actually tried to get MS support but they bounced me around different departments 4-5 times and then after a 30 minute hold, I was disconnected.

Posting here to for anyone who finds it useful in the future.

The only commonality that I found between my two computers with this issue is that they use a SSD for game installs that is not the same as the one that the OS and xbox app run on.

After updating to Windows 11, something about this caused issues for the xbox app. I had some suspicions about this given the text of the error. When I looked into it, Windows/xbox app were now set up to use the SSD that the OS is not (not my gaming SSD) for game and app installs. The games had previously been installed on the gaming SSD. I tried changing back to the gaming SSD but it did not solve the issue (in Settings > System > Storage > Advanced Storage > "Where new content is saved").

Despite being set up to use the OS SSD, the xbox app didn't seem to be writing to it or was unable to connect to it. I could even see that it files in the xbox games folder in the gaming SSD were still being updated somehow based on the file timestamps.

It was as if no matter what I changed, the xbox app was trying to work with the old gaming SSD. So I formatted the old gaming SSD. In the time while it was formatting, the error in the xbox app went away. And as soon as the format was done and the drive was back online, the error came back. Also, the xbox app immediately starting making folders in the SSD that I had just formatted. So regardless of what I changed, it was always trying to use the gaming SSD.

Next I turned off the PC and physically unplugged the gaming SSD. Again, with that SSD gone, the error went away. I plugged it back in and the error came back. Even when it was unplugged and the error was gone, it would not allow me to download games on the OS SSD (it would just put downloads into Pending). During this time I reinstalled the xbox app, gaming services, etc to try to break its obsession with the old gaming SSD. I found an article that pointed me toward registry entries to see where Windows was set up to install apps and games and it said the OS SSD but it would never write there.

So finally I reinstalled the OS on the OS SSD without the Gaming SSD plugged in. From there I was able to use the xbox app without the error and download games to the OS SSD. I plugged in the gaming SSD, formatted it and now I'll use it for Steam, Battle.net, etc but for whatever reason I can not use it with the xbox app without getting the error.

To summarize:

• The issue for me related to games being installed on a different drive from Windows/xbox.
  
• Removing the gaming SSD cleared the error but I still couldn't download games to any drive.
  
• The only way I could get windows to switch to a different drive was an OS reinstall.
  
• I dare not try to use a separate SSD for xbox app games again.
  

Im sorry to hear that may you please kindly Contact Microsoft Support through there Live Chat they'll be able to assist you better with the Current Issue you are facing, They may require you to give them Remote Access to you're Computer so they can find the Issue. You can Contact them Here --->>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus

If you are experiencing issues with your Xbox PC app installed games disappearing and receiving the "There was a problem loading install locations. Try again." error, here are some steps you can try to resolve the issue:

1. Check for updates: Make sure the Xbox app is up to date by going to the Microsoft Store and checking for updates.

2. Restart the Xbox app: Close the app and relaunch it.

3. Restart your computer: Sometimes, a simple restart of your computer can help fix software glitches.

4. Reset the Xbox app: Click on the Start menu and search for "Apps & features". Scroll down to find the Xbox app and click on "Advanced options". Then, click on "Reset" to reset the app to its default settings.

5. Reinstall the Xbox app: If none of the above steps work, uninstall the Xbox app and then reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.

Hopefully, one of these solutions will help you resolve the issue with your Xbox PC app installed games disappearing and the "There was a problem loading install locations. Try again." error.

Thanks for replying The Xbox app on PC installs games to the C: drive by default.
Although you can change the default installation location in the app's settings, some users have also told me that the app still returns to the C: drive by default. This could be a bug or a problem with the app.

Here is a link to change location:
https://support.xbox.com/help/games-apps/game-setup-and-play/game-installation-issues-on-PC