09-28-2011, 09:46 AM
When I first set about joining CotH (not all that long ago), my biggest hurdle to jumping into the server was the possibility of losing the characters I'd established on retail WoW combined with my uncertainty about whether I really wanted to get into the whole private server thing in the first place. In the interest of what pliantreality called "unnecessarily hedging your bets," I set about trying to install two separate WoW programs - one able to run Cataclysm on retail servers and one patched no higher than 3.3.5a for CotH purposes.
I didn’t run across any guides on how to run multiple WoW clients (that is, the program that runs WoW), and I think it’s high time the internet gets one. This is how to install multiple WoW clients…
…On Windows!
STEP 1
I’m assuming a blank slate here.
Download a copy of WoW. If you want one of your clients to run retail, then I suggest you install that one first. In any case, go to your server-of-choice’s site and follow their instructions for installing a WoW client. Make sure you know where WoW is installing. It should be making a new folder in “Program Files” by default (and likely is if it’s retail), but if you’re installing a client for a private server it may try to plant itself somewhere else. Just make a note of it. Then head outside to bid the sun a fond farewell.
STEP 2
After compulsively checking to see if the download is done for the umpteenth time, you may find that the client has successfully installed. Open the client as a test run to make sure it actually works. If your first client is a retail client, it will most likely want to install some updates. Let it do that, then give it a test run. If the client doesn’t work, this would be a good time to do some Googling.
STEP 3
At this point your first client should be working, and you should be starting to forget what grass feels like. Now we prepare to install your second client. Open “My Computer,” then “Local Disk (C
,” followed by “Program Files.” You should find a folder labeled “World of Warcraft” here. If you’re running Windows 7 and can’t find the “World of Warcraft” folder in “Program Files,” try “Program Files (x86).” It’ll probably be there.
If, back in Step 1, you noted that your computer installed WoW someplace other than “Program Files,” you don’t have to do Step 4, and Steps 5 and 6 are likely irrelevant, too.
STEP 4
Once you’ve found the “World of Warcraft” folder, move it to another location OUTSIDE OF “PROGRAM FILES.” Make sure to MOVE it, not copy it.
You can move the folder anywhere you like. I initially dropped it onto the desktop and later moved it into “My Documents” where I made a folder called “Retail Servers” that became its permanent home. You should make the location fairly obvious to yourself, in case you ever need to mess around with the WoW files. This is especially true if the client you just installed is for a private server.
STEP 5
Delete any and all shortcuts to WoW that may have plopped themselves on your desktop or taskbar as these will no longer be able to find the copy of WoW you just installed.
STEP 6
Go into “Control Panel” (you’ll find it in the start menu) and find the “Uninstall a Program” tool. Look through the listed programs and see if WoW is among them. If it is, click on it and tell the tool to uninstall it.
"What?!" I hear you cry, interrobang in hand. "But I just had to go out in the sun and the bugs waiting to INSTALL it!"
Quite so, but you see, you also moved it. The uninstall tool shouldn't be able to find it now. It will simply clear your computer’s metaphorical head.
STEP 7
If you've settled on where to keep this copy of WoW, now would be a good time to find the “WoW.exe” or “Launcher.exe” file within the “World of Warcraft” folder that you just moved. If this copy is for private servers, you're looking for “WoW.exe.” If it's for retail, “Launcher.exe” is the way to go. In either case, make a shortcut of the file and drop it somewhere useful like your desktop. Then rename the shortcut. DO NOT rename the actual file.
You're aiming for clarity with the new name. For my retail WoW I went with "rWoW" versus my private WoW client which is "pWoW" because I'm creative like that. You can name it "Muffins" if you like. Just make sure you know what it is.
STEP 8
Double-check that everything is happy and beautiful. This means: your shortcut works, the client works, the entire “World of Warcraft” folder is out of “Program Files” and is where you want it, etc. Now close out of everything.
HALFWAY THERE!
STEP 9
Alright, at this point you should hate computers but be feeling like a 1337 h4ckz0rz for your adept computer trickery. Now is the time to install your second WoW client. Again, go to the site of the relevant server and follow their instructions for install. Same rules apply as in Step 1. In fact, you’re basically doing Step 1 again. The only thing you need to be sure of is that this second WoW client doesn’t try to install in the same place you put your first one.
Go out with some friends while it’s installing and bid them a fond farewell.
STEP 10
Once your second WoW client is installed, head into the folder it installed to (likely “Program Files” again) and move it somewhere else, as we did before. Wherever you put it should not be the same place that you put your first WoW client. When I did this, I made a new folder called “Private Servers” in “My Documents” in which I put my new client.
If it happened to install itself in a place that is neither “Program Files” nor the place your first WoW client inhabits, then you can probably leave it where it is, unless you’d like to be tidy.
STEP 10
You've moved your second WoW! Now find “WoW.exe” and run it to make sure it works properly. If it does, delete any extraneous shortcuts that may have installed (except the one that leads to your first WoW client!) and repeat Step 6. Once that’s done, and your new WoW is where you want it to be, head to its “WoW.exe” file and create a shortcut of it. This is just like we did before: drop the shortcut somewhere handy like the desktop and rename it something like “pWoW” or “Bagels,” so that you know exactly which WoW you’re looking at.
STEP 11
Now you should double-check that everything is merry and glib. Check your shortcuts for both clients, make sure everything still runs, et cetera. If it’s all working, then congrats! You are now dual-wielding WoW clients!
(If it doesn’t work, post below, and we’ll troubleshoot.)
Other Notes and Thoughts
+Two is Better than One, and Three is Better than Two, and... and... INFINITE WOWS!
You could easily repeat this process ad nauseum to have as many WoW clients as you like. If you want your entire computer to be WoW clients, go ahead, be my guest, just keep each folder set separate from the others and label things clearly. Also, keep in mind that each time you install a new WoW client, you're taking up another WoW-sized chunk of gigabytes.
Part of the reason this method works is that each “WoW.exe” file is referring to a 100% separate set of files than the ones the other “Wow.exe” files are looking at. That means that you need to have separate copies of every single file relevant to WoW, and they have to be the right copies for the client’s particular patch, to boot. As such, I don't see any sense in having two WoW clients on the same patch as you can always modify your realmlist; you really don't need to use up all that space. Multiple clients strike me as primarily useful for when you need/want different patches.
+HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?
Folder trees. We are using folder trees to trick your computer.
World of Warcraft is not a single, self-contained program. It’s a series of files which one program (WoW.exe) references. When a program works this way, it traces a specific path through a specific folder tree to find the files it needs to run. So, suppose “WoW.exe” needs to look at “realmlist.wtf” (as it does whenever you log into a server). “WoW.exe” reaches out to the “Data” folder, through that to the “enUS” folder, where it finds “realmlist.wtf,” all of which (including “WoW.exe”) is happening within the “World of Warcraft” folder. If you were to move any of those individual files or folders to another location, “WoW.exe” would be unable to run properly because it wouldn’t know where to find “realmlist.wtf.”
Your computer at large works in the same fashion. By moving the “World of Warcraft” folder out of “Program Files,” you’re effectively hiding WoW from your computer. By separating the two “World of Warcraft” folder trees into different locations, you prevent them from looking through each other. Therefore, they are able to reference their own files at their own patch without interfering with one another.
Basically, this is the same premise as when you save “BookReport.doc” under “My Documents” and a separate “BookReport.doc” onto your flash drive and your computer doesn’t ask if you want to overwrite (when there wasn’t a pre-existing “BookReport.doc” in either location).
+So. Windows, huh? What about Mac? Or Linux?
I have never seen a Linux computer. Go away with your alien language.
As to Mac, I will be borrowing a Mac-user’s computer sometime soon and seeing if I can sort out how to do it on that. I theorize that the same basic process will work for Macs as well, but I also know that the Mac file/folder system is very different from the Windows one. I did attempt to enact this process with a much, much smaller program (a chess program), and it worked just fine, so feel free to try the methodology out. If it works, let me know. Either way, I’ll write up a guide once I have a chance.
+I'm Not Gonna Use a Retail Client, But, OH GOD, What If I Ever Want To Go Back To It?!
This is a suggestion pliantreality gave me when he was trying to dissuade me from taking so damn long with the install process: make a copy of your "Account" folder and save it elsewhere before altering WoW for your private server. Put into more detail:
Go into the “World of Warcraft” folder, then into the “WTF” folder. You should see a folder labeled “Account” there. Copy it, and save it somewhere safe, like your documents folder. Then uninstall or depatch your current WoW, depending on what sort of server you’re planning to use, and proceed along the usual install process from there.
This allows you to avoid the whole two-client brouhaha without losing your characters, though you’ll only be able to play on one server at a given time. If you ever want to go back to your previous server, all you need to do is return to the relevant patch and plop your old “Account” folder into “World of Warcraft/WTF” in place of the one the program automatically created.
I didn’t run across any guides on how to run multiple WoW clients (that is, the program that runs WoW), and I think it’s high time the internet gets one. This is how to install multiple WoW clients…
…On Windows!
STEP 1
I’m assuming a blank slate here.
Download a copy of WoW. If you want one of your clients to run retail, then I suggest you install that one first. In any case, go to your server-of-choice’s site and follow their instructions for installing a WoW client. Make sure you know where WoW is installing. It should be making a new folder in “Program Files” by default (and likely is if it’s retail), but if you’re installing a client for a private server it may try to plant itself somewhere else. Just make a note of it. Then head outside to bid the sun a fond farewell.
STEP 2
After compulsively checking to see if the download is done for the umpteenth time, you may find that the client has successfully installed. Open the client as a test run to make sure it actually works. If your first client is a retail client, it will most likely want to install some updates. Let it do that, then give it a test run. If the client doesn’t work, this would be a good time to do some Googling.
STEP 3
At this point your first client should be working, and you should be starting to forget what grass feels like. Now we prepare to install your second client. Open “My Computer,” then “Local Disk (C
,” followed by “Program Files.” You should find a folder labeled “World of Warcraft” here. If you’re running Windows 7 and can’t find the “World of Warcraft” folder in “Program Files,” try “Program Files (x86).” It’ll probably be there.If, back in Step 1, you noted that your computer installed WoW someplace other than “Program Files,” you don’t have to do Step 4, and Steps 5 and 6 are likely irrelevant, too.
STEP 4
Once you’ve found the “World of Warcraft” folder, move it to another location OUTSIDE OF “PROGRAM FILES.” Make sure to MOVE it, not copy it.
You can move the folder anywhere you like. I initially dropped it onto the desktop and later moved it into “My Documents” where I made a folder called “Retail Servers” that became its permanent home. You should make the location fairly obvious to yourself, in case you ever need to mess around with the WoW files. This is especially true if the client you just installed is for a private server.
STEP 5
Delete any and all shortcuts to WoW that may have plopped themselves on your desktop or taskbar as these will no longer be able to find the copy of WoW you just installed.
STEP 6
Go into “Control Panel” (you’ll find it in the start menu) and find the “Uninstall a Program” tool. Look through the listed programs and see if WoW is among them. If it is, click on it and tell the tool to uninstall it.
"What?!" I hear you cry, interrobang in hand. "But I just had to go out in the sun and the bugs waiting to INSTALL it!"
Quite so, but you see, you also moved it. The uninstall tool shouldn't be able to find it now. It will simply clear your computer’s metaphorical head.
STEP 7
If you've settled on where to keep this copy of WoW, now would be a good time to find the “WoW.exe” or “Launcher.exe” file within the “World of Warcraft” folder that you just moved. If this copy is for private servers, you're looking for “WoW.exe.” If it's for retail, “Launcher.exe” is the way to go. In either case, make a shortcut of the file and drop it somewhere useful like your desktop. Then rename the shortcut. DO NOT rename the actual file.
You're aiming for clarity with the new name. For my retail WoW I went with "rWoW" versus my private WoW client which is "pWoW" because I'm creative like that. You can name it "Muffins" if you like. Just make sure you know what it is.
STEP 8
Double-check that everything is happy and beautiful. This means: your shortcut works, the client works, the entire “World of Warcraft” folder is out of “Program Files” and is where you want it, etc. Now close out of everything.
HALFWAY THERE!
STEP 9
Alright, at this point you should hate computers but be feeling like a 1337 h4ckz0rz for your adept computer trickery. Now is the time to install your second WoW client. Again, go to the site of the relevant server and follow their instructions for install. Same rules apply as in Step 1. In fact, you’re basically doing Step 1 again. The only thing you need to be sure of is that this second WoW client doesn’t try to install in the same place you put your first one.
Go out with some friends while it’s installing and bid them a fond farewell.
STEP 10
Once your second WoW client is installed, head into the folder it installed to (likely “Program Files” again) and move it somewhere else, as we did before. Wherever you put it should not be the same place that you put your first WoW client. When I did this, I made a new folder called “Private Servers” in “My Documents” in which I put my new client.
If it happened to install itself in a place that is neither “Program Files” nor the place your first WoW client inhabits, then you can probably leave it where it is, unless you’d like to be tidy.
STEP 10
You've moved your second WoW! Now find “WoW.exe” and run it to make sure it works properly. If it does, delete any extraneous shortcuts that may have installed (except the one that leads to your first WoW client!) and repeat Step 6. Once that’s done, and your new WoW is where you want it to be, head to its “WoW.exe” file and create a shortcut of it. This is just like we did before: drop the shortcut somewhere handy like the desktop and rename it something like “pWoW” or “Bagels,” so that you know exactly which WoW you’re looking at.
STEP 11
Now you should double-check that everything is merry and glib. Check your shortcuts for both clients, make sure everything still runs, et cetera. If it’s all working, then congrats! You are now dual-wielding WoW clients!
(If it doesn’t work, post below, and we’ll troubleshoot.)
Other Notes and Thoughts
+Two is Better than One, and Three is Better than Two, and... and... INFINITE WOWS!
You could easily repeat this process ad nauseum to have as many WoW clients as you like. If you want your entire computer to be WoW clients, go ahead, be my guest, just keep each folder set separate from the others and label things clearly. Also, keep in mind that each time you install a new WoW client, you're taking up another WoW-sized chunk of gigabytes.
Part of the reason this method works is that each “WoW.exe” file is referring to a 100% separate set of files than the ones the other “Wow.exe” files are looking at. That means that you need to have separate copies of every single file relevant to WoW, and they have to be the right copies for the client’s particular patch, to boot. As such, I don't see any sense in having two WoW clients on the same patch as you can always modify your realmlist; you really don't need to use up all that space. Multiple clients strike me as primarily useful for when you need/want different patches.
+HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?
Folder trees. We are using folder trees to trick your computer.
World of Warcraft is not a single, self-contained program. It’s a series of files which one program (WoW.exe) references. When a program works this way, it traces a specific path through a specific folder tree to find the files it needs to run. So, suppose “WoW.exe” needs to look at “realmlist.wtf” (as it does whenever you log into a server). “WoW.exe” reaches out to the “Data” folder, through that to the “enUS” folder, where it finds “realmlist.wtf,” all of which (including “WoW.exe”) is happening within the “World of Warcraft” folder. If you were to move any of those individual files or folders to another location, “WoW.exe” would be unable to run properly because it wouldn’t know where to find “realmlist.wtf.”
Your computer at large works in the same fashion. By moving the “World of Warcraft” folder out of “Program Files,” you’re effectively hiding WoW from your computer. By separating the two “World of Warcraft” folder trees into different locations, you prevent them from looking through each other. Therefore, they are able to reference their own files at their own patch without interfering with one another.
Basically, this is the same premise as when you save “BookReport.doc” under “My Documents” and a separate “BookReport.doc” onto your flash drive and your computer doesn’t ask if you want to overwrite (when there wasn’t a pre-existing “BookReport.doc” in either location).
+So. Windows, huh? What about Mac? Or Linux?
I have never seen a Linux computer. Go away with your alien language.
As to Mac, I will be borrowing a Mac-user’s computer sometime soon and seeing if I can sort out how to do it on that. I theorize that the same basic process will work for Macs as well, but I also know that the Mac file/folder system is very different from the Windows one. I did attempt to enact this process with a much, much smaller program (a chess program), and it worked just fine, so feel free to try the methodology out. If it works, let me know. Either way, I’ll write up a guide once I have a chance.
+I'm Not Gonna Use a Retail Client, But, OH GOD, What If I Ever Want To Go Back To It?!
This is a suggestion pliantreality gave me when he was trying to dissuade me from taking so damn long with the install process: make a copy of your "Account" folder and save it elsewhere before altering WoW for your private server. Put into more detail:
Go into the “World of Warcraft” folder, then into the “WTF” folder. You should see a folder labeled “Account” there. Copy it, and save it somewhere safe, like your documents folder. Then uninstall or depatch your current WoW, depending on what sort of server you’re planning to use, and proceed along the usual install process from there.
This allows you to avoid the whole two-client brouhaha without losing your characters, though you’ll only be able to play on one server at a given time. If you ever want to go back to your previous server, all you need to do is return to the relevant patch and plop your old “Account” folder into “World of Warcraft/WTF” in place of the one the program automatically created.
