Origin uninstall deleted everything in Program folder

[Rabaal]

    TL;DR I received Error: 327683:0 while trying to install a game. After a cursory google search, I was told to uninstall and reinstall origin. After Origin uninstall had completed, I noticed that everything in my programs folder had been deleted, not just origin.

"How did that happen!?"

    I'm glad you asked. It appears that Origins uninstaller is not very discrete when it goes to task. I had installed Origin on a secondary hard drive that I use as mass storage. When origin installed, instead of creating a sub-folder to place all its files in inside the directory I specified, it just deposited all its files loosely into my programs directory. In an effort to tidy up, I  manually created an Origin file, and deposited all the files it had strewn about my programs folder into it. I began trying to install my game at this point (sims 4) to be greeted with this error as the game is about to finish.

    This is about the time I goggled the error code and saw it was asking me to reinstall (I now realize that origin just didn't know where its files had gone). I attempted an uninstall at this point, with all the files safely nestled in the Origin folder I had created, but the installer wouldn't load. I repeated the operation about four times, when it dawned on me that it maybe needed to be put back as it was before I moved the files. I placed the files loosely back in to my Programs folder, as the installer had done originally, and initiated the uninstall. Much to my chagrin, all of my files and folders that were located in my Programs file are now gone.

    I have since repeated this process twice with a bunch of copied garbage from other directories on my storage drive, to ensure it wasn't a fluke. The origin installer will absolutely deleted EVERYTHING located in the same folder with it, even if the installer mistakenly placed it in the Program directory.

[Straatford87 · Accepted solution]

[THIS POST HAS BEEN MARKED AS A SOLUTION TO INCREASE ITS VISIBILITY]

@Rabaal @Felderburg @AimlessEquation7 @WastedBreider

[post has been edited to clarify the current situation]

First, I would like to apologize to all of you that I initially misjudged this situation. I tagged you in this post to notify you that we are currently investigating how to keep a faulty install and uninstall from happening.

Once again, I'm really sorry that we didn't pick up on this earlier. I therefore want to thank all of you for reaching out to us with your feedback. I will update this thread once more information is available.

Current step to avoid this problem:

• Enable Beta versions for Origin during installation, or via Origin -> Application Settings -> Participate in Origin client betas if Origin is already installed.
• Before uninstalling Origin via the control panel, first verify that Origin is installed in its own sub folder; e.g. C:\Games\Origin instead of C:\Games\.
• If Origin is not installed in its own sub folder, the don't uninstall via the control panel, but instead via a manual uninstall.

[Straatford87]

@Rabaal

To confirm:

When you are installing Origin outside of the default location, are you then first creating an Origin folder where you will install the files? If you just select a new disc, but not a new sub folder (that you might have to create first), then you will see the behavior like you've detailed in your post.

[WastedBreider]

I had the exact same problem. I wanted to install Origin in a seperate hard drive just for games (the largest one on my computer). So i changes the install location from the default location to the other harddrive. I browsed to my "Games"-folder but i didn't know if i were supposed to just install it to "Games" or to "Games/Origin". Most of the times installed program creates a separate folder automatically, and if you create a folder manually then the file location will be /"application name"/"application name"/. Even if the default folder is "C:/Programs/"application name". That's almost as annoying as having all the files spread out in the root folder. I assumed that I wouldn't have to create the Origins folder myself and thought that i could just uninstall Origins and reinstall it to /Games/Origins if it was wrong. But all the files created a mess in my Games folder, i uninstalled Origins and everything was gone.

[Rabaal]

That was exactly my issue, WastedBreider. It makes no sense that the installer wouldn't create an origin folder and deposite all the files in it. There is no reason I should have to create an Origin folder in my programs folder beforehand to install the program in to.

[Straatford87]

@WastedBreider @Rabaal

What you are seeing is that default install location already have this Origin folder created / selected. If you choose a new install location then you have to create or set this new Origin sub folder yourself.

[WastedBreider]

It makes even less sense that the uninstall process deletes everything within the same folder, instead of just uninstalling the Origin files.

[Straatford87]

@WastedBreider

The uninstall process is set up to delete your specified folder. If there are no sub-folders there, then everything will be deleted.

I do want to clarify that this is normal behavior for an installer or uninstaller, this is not unique to Origin.

[AimlessEquation7]

This is NOT normal behavior. I've accidentally installed applications in a program folder instead of its own folder, and I've never had this problem uninstalling

Are you kidding me? I just lost about 200 Gb worth of programs and files because of this mess. It's not in the recycle bin, it's just GONE.

[Felderburg]

I just had this happen to me. I agree, this is not normal behavior. I was lucky in that I had installed origin to a Gaming folder, but it's still annoying that all the games and programs I had installed there got deleted. I don't think the Origin Uninstaller should be deleting Steam or my sub folders for other games.

[Straatford87]

@Felderburg

To verify, in which situation was Origin installed for you:

• C:\Games\Origin (the files would have its own Origin sub folder)
• C:\Games\ (the files would not have its own Origin sub folder)