[Scummvm-tracker] [ScummVM :: Bugs] #17248: Windows portable EXE creates a `Saved games` folder in EXE directory even if a different `savepath=` is specified.

[ScummVM :: Bugs]

#17248: Windows portable EXE creates a `Saved games` folder in EXE directory even
if a different `savepath=` is specified.
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
Reporter:  nimaid        |      Owner:  (none)
    Type:  defect        |     Status:  new
Priority:  normal        |  Component:  Common
 Version:                |   Keywords:  saves, windows, portable, Saved
    Game:                |  games, ini, savepath
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
 **Version:** ScummVM 2026.3.0, Windows x64 zipfile, portable mode

 = Summary

 When running the Windows zipfile version of ScummVM in portable mode
 (`scummvm.ini` included in the same directory as `scummvm.exe`), no matter
 where the saved games folder is set using the  `--savepath=` argument or
 via the `savepath=` field in `scummvm.ini`, a folder named `Saved games`
 is created in the same directory as `scummvm.exe`. Games do actually save
 to the `savepath=` location, but even if that is set somewhere other than
 the directory where `scummvm.exe` resides, if the scummvm directory is
 read-only, it will fail to launch with the following error: `Cannot create
 ScummVM Saved games folder`

 = Recreating

 The easiest way to recreate this is to make an ISO with the following
 directory structure:
 {{{
 MyCD.iso\
   - scummvm\
     - scummvm.exe
     - scummvm.ini
   - Run.bat
 }}}
 The `scummvm.ini` file can be blank.

 The contents of `Run.bat` should be as follows:
 {{{
 @echo off

 set "SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0"
 if "%SCRIPT_DIR:~-1%"=="\" set "SCRIPT_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR:~0,-1%"

 set "SCUMMVM=%SCRIPT_DIR%\scummvm\scummvm.exe"

 set "SAVE_DIR=%APPDATA%\ScummVM\Saved Games"
 set "SCREENSHOT_DIR=%USERPROFILE%\Pictures\ScummVM Screenshots"
 set "LOG_DIR=%APPDATA%\ScummVM\Logs"

 if not exist "%SAVE_DIR%" mkdir "%SAVE_DIR%"
 if not exist "%SCREENSHOT_DIR%" mkdir "%SCREENSHOT_DIR%"
 if not exist "%LOG_DIR%" mkdir "%LOG_DIR%"


 start "" /b "%SCUMMVM%" --savepath="%SAVE_DIR%"
 --screenshotpath="%SCREENSHOT_DIR%" --logfile="%LOG_DIR%\logfile.log"
 }}}

 As you can see, the `savepath` along with the other paths are set in the
 `%APPDATA%` and `%USERPROFILE%` folders on the `C:\` drive, so one might
 expect that portable ScummVM would have no reason left to try and write to
 the program directory, which of course, on a CD is read-only and would
 fail.

 Mount `MyCD.iso` as a virtual disk (modern Windows supports this
 natively), and run `Run.bat`. You should get the error: `Cannot create
 ScummVM Saved games folder`

 Now extract that ISO to a folder named MyCD. Try running `Run.bat` again,
 and note how while the program starts up without issue, it creates an
 unused `Saved games` folder next to `scummvm.exe`. This confirms the error
 was due to ScummVM trying to write to the read-only CD.

 = Desired Behavior

 The desired behavior is for the Windows zipfile in portable mode to create
 a new saved games folder wherever is specified in either the `scummvm.ini`
 file or via the `--savepath=` argument. This way, it would be possible to
 run `scummvm.exe` from read-only media like a CD while saving the data
 somewhere on the local hard drive. Currently trying to do this *would*
 work if it weren't for the hard-coded folder failing to be created in the
 same folder as `scummvm.exe` regardless of the actual setting for the
 `--savepath=` argument or the `savepath=` field in `scummvm.ini`.

 = Bug Location in Source Code

 I have tracked down the issue to [a specific line of code in
 `backends/saves/windows/windows-
 saves.cpp`](https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/blob/ff4e32d90c625b512ed0346bc5d3c7f6ef6e9ac3/backends/saves/windows
 /windows-saves.cpp#L41):
 {{{
 ...
     if (isPortable) {
         Win32::getProcessDirectory(defaultSavepath, MAX_PATH);  // <-- BUG
 HERE
         // Should override this behavior if `savepath` is specified via
 argument or `scummvm.ini`
     } else {
         // Use the Application Data directory of the user profile
         if (!Win32::getApplicationDataDirectory(defaultSavepath)) {
             return;
         }
     }

     _tcscat(defaultSavepath, TEXT("\\Saved games"));
     if (!CreateDirectory(defaultSavepath, nullptr)) {
         if (GetLastError() != ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS)
             error("Cannot create ScummVM Saved games folder");
     }
 ...
 }}}

 I'm not familiar enough with the structure of this project to make a PR to
 fix it. But I hope this bug report is at least detailed enough to enable
 someone else to fix it soon! Thank you all so much for all you contribute
 to this project! <3
-- 
Ticket URL: <https://bugs.scummvm.org/ticket/17248>
ScummVM :: Bugs <https://bugs.scummvm.org>
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