Xbox PC app selectively not recognizing one specific drive

FluidFiend · Jun 30, 2022

This one has me baffled. Xbox gamepass app refuses to install games to my D: drive (an HDD mounted within the case). My libraries point to this drive. It can install Solitaire there just fine via gamepass. Every other gaming app (Steam, Epic, GoG) can install to this drive just fine. But I go to install Sniper Elite 5 or Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and the only options I get are C: (SSD inside the machine, used mostly for the OS and on-boot applications), E: (SSD inside the case used for installing some games), and F: (external HDD connected via USB).

What's even more baffling is when I go into setting via the xbox app, general, then install location, D: appears in that list, but there's no install folder listed and it won't let me select one. Once again, Solitaire selected that drive and runs just fine, so Windows knows the drive is there, it just refuses to install games to it for some reason. And to be clear, this HDD is internally mounted and very frequently accessed in a machine less than 12 months old, so I can rule out a mechanical fault. I've already tried deleting WindowsApps, WpSystem and WUDownloadCache, this changed nothing. My Windows 10 system is up-to-date, as I write this I checked settings and every update, including optional ones, is installed. Any suggestions?

:)

RHR cats

is it possible that your other hard drive is Locked for Administrator access only ?

JosefLBohorquez

That's odd, usually in that way you can install games on other drives

In that case I can suggest you perform a windows in-place upgrade, due to you already perform almost of regular troubleshooting steps :

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

JosefLBohorquez

Also, I'm thinking couple options more:

1. Try uninstalling the most recent windows update, just in case it is the one that is causing conflicts

2. If you're on Windows 11, downgrade to 10 and try again. Or do the opposite case if you're able to upgrade to 11.

3. Perform a clean boot keeping games and files on your actual Windows version, in that way you're going to have a clean installation of windows system. For all this, in the link below you can see steps:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/rec...

For option 3, you can try this workaround just to test:

Create a virtual machine with the same OS and version that you currently have, then try install one of those games on the virtual machine and see how it goes. It is working and none of the above works, this means best option will be perform the last one

FluidFiend

The drive is formatted NTFS.

Yes, it's set as where I want new apps to be installed. It still doesn't appear when I go to actually install an app, it defaults to another drive.

JosefLBohorquez

Hi and thanks for reaching Microsoft Xbox gamer's community. My name is Josef.
I'm an Independent Advisor and a Microsoft Xbox user like you.

Hope you're doing great today mate

May I know if you already set the desired drives as "where new apps are going to be installed" inside settings app?

Also, is the drive formatted as NTFS?

Xbox PC app selectively not recognizing one specific drive