2.5 Install to Program Files by default
By default, the application must install into an appropriate sub-directory where the current user’s program files are stored.
- If you are using the Windows Installer, this folder is represented by the ProgramFilesFolder property in a Windows Installer-based package. (The ProgramFilesFolder property is a variable that exposes the path to the Program Files folder, and the Windows Installer sets that variable appropriately on all Windows platforms.)
- If you are not using the Windows Installer, the recommended method is to use SHGetFolderPath API to retrieve the string represented by the CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES value. On English-language systems, this folder is often C:\Program Files. However, do not hard-code that path, even for use on English systems, because it is not universal.