Since nobody seems to have posted this yet, here's the method I used for the last couple of years that I was playing and modding Morrowind:
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[Originally posted 06/01/04 02:52 PM] - by Dinkum Thinkum
Basic set up of multiple copies of Morrowind on one computer:
1. Use Windows Explorer to copy and paste (or drag and drop) your existing Morrowind installation (the 'Morrowind' directory and all its subdirectories and files) into a new directory.
2. Create a shortcut to the copy of 'Morrowind Launcher.exe' in the new directory. Also create a shorcut to the new copy of 'TES Construction Set.exe'. (I just copied the original shortcuts for Morrowind and the editor, then renamed them and edited them to point to the new directory.)
Repeat for as many more copies of Morrowind as you want.
And you're set!
Notes:
1. Each copy of Morrowind (and the Construction Set) will use the Morrowind.ini file and plugins that are in its own directories, so each copy can have separate .ini file settings and installed mods.
2. Most (all?) of the settings from Morrowind's in-game Options menu are stored in the Windows Registry, so all the installations will share the same settings. That wasn't any problem at all for me, since I normally set those options once and leave them alone.
3. Also, most of the Construction Set window positions and sizes are saved in the Windows registry, so these will be saved by all the copies of the Construction Set. This also didn't cause me any problems.
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Some suggestions:
1. Make sure you label shorcuts and directories clearly so it's easy to keep track of which Morrowind installation is for playing the game and which is for testing mods.
How I set it up:
My main Morrowind and Construction Set (for the game I actually play) had their shortcuts right on my desktop (and in the Start menu, which I rarely use). The two test installations had their shortcuts in a folder on the desktop named 'Morrowind Testing'. That made it easy for me to keep them all straight.
2. I did a complete uninstall and clean reinstall of Morrowind, to get rid of all the leftover bits and pieces of old mods I was no longer using.
After I had installed the expansions and the latest patch, I added my custom settings to the Morrowind.ini file (enabled screen shots, tweaked buffer settings, etc.)
Then I dragged and dropped a copy of the clean, customized installation into a second directory to use as my test installation of Morrowind, and set up shortcuts for starting the copy of the game and the copy of the editor.
3. I also made a .zip archive of the clean install, including the customized .ini file, as a backup. That came in handy several times, when my testing installation got too cluttered up with odds and ends of mods, different versions of the same mod, etc. I just deleted the whole testing copy of Morrowind, then unzipped a fresh copy from the .zip archive.
4. To run multiple copies of the editor at the same time, add the following line to the General section of the Morrowind.ini file:
AllowMultipleEditors=1
I found that very handy, since it makes it very easy to compare two different versions of the same mod or to compare a mod to the original game, without having to constantly load and reload the mods in the editor.
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[Posted Oct 21, 05 - 6:23 AM]
When working with the Construction Set in several different Morrowind installs, something that can be mildly confusing if you don't know about it:
When you click the 'add art file' button for an object in the editor, the file selection window starts in the last used directory tree. This may not be part of the same Morrowind installation you're currently working in.
For example:
I'm currently editing and merging some head & hair packs I downloaded, using a separate 'Head & Hair testing' installation of Morrowind. In the editor, I clicked on the 'add art file' button to change a body part to use a different mesh, and discovered I was looking at the meshes directory for my 'Clothing mod testing' Morrowind installation: no head meshes in sight.
When this happens, the solution is simple: just click the 'up one level' button (at the top of the file selection window) a few times, to get out of the current directory tree. Then browse down to the directories for the Morrowind installation you're currently working in.
Since the Construction Set remembers the last used file path, usually you'll only need to rebrowse to the correct directories when you switch to working in a different Morrowind installation.
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[added Dec 31 2005 7:30AM]
Multiple installs, third-party add-on programs, and MWSwitcher:
Morrowind and the Construction Set don't seem to care what directory they're run in: I've run copies all over my hard drive and on two different hard drives without any problems.
However, I have seen posts reporting that some of the third party add-on programs (script extenders, FPS Optimizer, etc.) will only work correctly with the original Morrowind installation: they'll crash or just not run if you try to use them with a copy of Morrowind in another directory.
I haven't tried it, but MentalElf's
MWSwitcher utility looks like it could solve this type of problem. From the description, MWSwitcher renames directories so whichever installation you want to run will look like the original Morrowind installation, so that FPS Optimizer and similar add-on programs will work correctly.
If you're not using add-ons with Morrowind, there's probably no real need for MWSwitcher: I've been using multiple installs for a couple of years without it and haven't had any problems. But if you are using add-ons that are picky about only working with Morrowind in the original installation directory, I'd recommend giving MWSwitcher a try.
...Just passing through...