"Can't save program!" message

[Kernelpanic]

@Phil, the first thing you should do is throw that crap AVG down. This is snake oil! Windows Defender has been working excellently since Win 8.1 at the latest, you don't need another one.

Installed programs store certain data in "C:\user\Name" so that you can work as a user - without admin status. As a user, you don't put anything down, that's taboo.

A program is installed under "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Programme" (German), some programs need this, such as Strawberry Perl.
Then you create a working directory in which you create a folder for QB64, something like this: "C:\lab\QB64\Exercises" (I have all working directories under "lab". "Lab" is the abbreviation for "Laborare!". Work!)
In "Exercises" you write your programs and save them there. Now one only have to activate it in QB64 under "Run -> Output EXE to Source Folder".

@SMcNeill - Go to your folder under C:\Program Files (x86).

And so forth.

That's not a good idea! Now anyone, including malware, can access this folder without admin rights. Quite dangerous! 

[mnrvovrfc]

A few weeks ago I wanted to check out Terra programming language. This is an 86MB EXE file, supposedly an interpreter asking for M$ Visual Studio installed *and* the SDK! At first I was unwilling to install the former, but included the latter because that's what Terra's error message contained. The SDK was installed... this was a lot of 64-bit stuff, into "C:\Program Files (x86)". I kid you not -- 64-bit stuff into the area which is supposed to be for 32-bit programs! I couldn't get the Terra to work, wanted M$VC as well. I thought it didn't need the SDK any longer so I took it off after I spent over 10GB on the other thing I never wanted. Still couldn't get Terra going. What a shame.

I sounded writing a bit harsh to the OP about putting user files into "Program Files". There were a few reasons to do it while we were all on WindowsXP but times have changed, with the OS's more and more looking and behaving like each other. Considerations for security had to be increased because bad people were breaking stuff on purpose and then looking for a lawsuit talking about hackers, government operations, undesireable industrial visitors and that sort of thing.

Right now I'm on one of the Linux distros trying to copy about 4-1/2GB into a slow-as-hey external USB disk, it still hasn't finished after 45 minutes. Sheesh...

[mnrvovrfc]

Even better, put everything on drive D: and avoid the C: drive completely.

I almost forgot to mention, there is one reason why one should never save anything to "C:" drive if not in the user's "home".

What if the user needs to reinstall Windows? Starting with Windows8 (I think) there's this really neat feature (not) to "clean install" it again, the "Windows Reset". Yeah but it doesn't do it to the Registry...

Anything that is not in the user's "home" could be wiped out, including what is on "Program Files", to whatever M$ desired. It could wipe out "C:\myprogram". It's not worth taking the risk. Anyway the user should back up everything in the "home" before attempting this "Windows Reset". This is even if the OS clearly gives the user the choice to preserve only the "home".

I have a computer that dislikes external USB disks plugged in for too long, and to demonstrate it, eventually burned out of good performance one I bought for 20USD a few years back. I'd avoid the C: drive completely iff I could better predict M$'s operating system. Cannot put it down completely for Linux because I'm into music production and other things related to it. The best programs for that, especially payware are available for Windows and expect to be used only on Windows. Wine has come a long way but... I'm forced to hold on to see what happens with Windows12.

[SMcNeill]

If you guys want to talk unusual setups, my laptop has 128 GB ram installed -- much more than I'll ever need.  64 GB of that, I turned into a persistent RamDrive, which saves itself on the hard drive when shutting down, then loads itself back into memory at power on.  My OS is on the RamDrive, with Windows not to be found anywhere on my hard drives.

Drive Z: (ram drive) is my OS, rather than C:, so I have Z:/Program Files and such for the OS files, and all my data maps to a home cloud drive that's plugged into my router and not my PC or laptop.  (24 TB networked drive FTW!!)

So I think it's safe to say that Windows can be configured into some very odd setups, just like Linux, with a little work and persistence!  LOL!

The drives on my laptop and PC and 100% local files and just junk I download from the web, or screenshots, or whatnot.  Everything of importance is on //168.128.1.6/My Drive Duo/ (that's the drives home network address, which I usually network map to a simple Drive X, so if Windows ever decides to eat my C:/, I'll just laugh that off.

If I ever lose my X:/ though...  I'd cry for a week, and be happy my most important stuff is stored on the web, with the vast majority of my network drive backed up and stored at https://www.smcneill.website.  (Costs me about $150 a year, but the sense of relief for having a secondary copy online is more than worth the expense.)

If one wants security for their stuff, they have to back it up!  

[bplus]

Interesting work around! Makes it tricky for Windows to do Updates LOL