Probably, almost all users working with Windows operating systems, when installing any serious software product, noticed that some files are copied to the Application Data folder for OS versions 7 and higher during installation. What kind of object is present not only in desktop, but also in mobile "OSes", now it will be told.
Main directory: why is it needed
First you need to focus on some issues of the theory. Let's highlight the main points regarding understanding why the Application Data folder is used on any system.
We note right away that in older versions of Windows, the folder name may differ, but this will be discussed later.
The directory itself is intended to save not the main, but the accompanying files of the installed programs, which should be outside the user's intervention. To make it clear, some game settings files or soundbanks of virtual synthesizers (as well as configuration files) are stored here. Thus, the Application Data folder is, roughly speaking, a repository of information about all applications installed in the system, not counting the standard ones that are included in the set of Windows itself.
How to find Application Data folder (Windows 7)?
Some meticulous users try to find this directory through the standard "Explorer" or some other file manager. Unfortunately (and the disappointment of many), this is not an easy task. The folder is a system folder, and due to the presence of such properties is hidden from the user's eyes.
However, the most important thing is that there may be several Application Data folders attached to a specific user in the system. If you really need to find this directory, you should use the menu for displaying files and folders, called when the corresponding Explorer command is executed. Here, a tick from the line of prohibition of showing hidden objects is simply unchecked, that's all.
Windows OS: possible problems with finding, renaming and moving
Not everyone, of course, refers to the Application Data folder when cleaning up the system, especially since it is hidden. But a search by the name of an object does not always give the desired result.
The reason for this is only that in some versions of Windows this directory is called AppData. By the way, on many mobile devices it is called exactly the same.
Should I change the directory itself and its location
Now a few words about the fundamental changes. Firstly, if you delete something from the folder, it’s not a fact that some application to which the corresponding files located in this directory were mapped will start at startup.
No, of course, some of the simplest programs start up, but most of the main functions turn out to be inaccessible, as a result of which the corresponding type of error is issued.
Naturally, it is not recommended to rename or relocate this folder (otherwise you can disrupt the operation of all programs installed by the user). However, there is a way out, for example, when the hard drive simply does not have enough space. We will make a reservation right away: from the location of this directory in the local user settings Local Settings / Application Data, the movement of the object must be recorded in the system registry, otherwise Windows will not see this folder and the settings stored in it later.
So, first copy the folder to another location, and then call the registry editor (regedit). Here we find the Shell Folders section, in which you have to specify the new location of the desired object manually (for example, D: \ Application Data.
Among other things, it should be said that few users know how to find this folder, even if it is hidden. The capabilities of the standard "Explorer" to do this allow, as they say, elementary.
There is a search bar at the top right. It is on it that we will focus. We enter the entry “% USERPROFILE% \ AppData” (without quotes, of course), after which the system gives out the presence of the desired directory and its location, showing that the object is hidden. But access to the folder can only be obtained after activating the display of hidden files and folders.
Mobile Data Monitoring Application: what is it?
As for mobile systems, they also provide for folders that store the configuration settings of installed applications. True, the directory itself is called somewhat differently (in Android systems, these are usually folders on the internal Android drive and DCIM).
If we talk about the concept of Mobile Data Monitoring Application, it is, in fact, a monitoring program (as the name implies), focused on monitoring signal strength in 3G / 4G networks and managing router parameters like stationary modems. So do not confuse the data needed to run the mobile application with this utility. In the best case, it is useful only when working with programs that download content from the Internet during operation, as a last resort - to track outgoing and incoming traffic, but nothing more.
The overall result
As already understood, here only general questions were considered, regarding what the Application Data directory is, what is stored in it and how the system uses it in terms of installed programs and applets. There is only one conclusion: it’s better not to touch the folder. The maximum that can be done is to manually delete unused objects remaining after uninstalling some applications.
But here it’s better not to engage in amateur activity, but to use professional utilities to remove programs like iObit Unistaller, which not only physically delete program files from the hard drive, but also erase all “junk” entries in the system registry. Moreover, such a formulation of the question is as safe as possible from the point of view of the operability of the entire system as a whole.