Copying apps to a fresh install of Windows is not working

[Chambraigne]

I'm assuming this isn't possible based on my searches but I thought I'd ask anyway. I just got a new larger SSD for Windows. I am on a junk, metered internet connection so I try to avoid downloading as much as possible. I did a fresh Windows install to the new SSD and I've been pulling files off my old one.

I reinstalled the Creative Cloud manager since I assumed it wouldn't function from just running an executable in the folder. Then, shut it down and copied over the Adobe directories in Program Files+Program Files x86 and all related folders I could find in /users folders from my old SSD to the new one (Which is C:). I was hoping that when I launched Creative Cloud it would just see my installs and magically work. But that appears to not be the case. Is there a way to manually tell the manager where the installs are or do I just need to reinstall my apps?

[John T Smith · Accepted solution]

Go to the Search bar at the top of http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx to find information about the Windows system registry and what it does

Just as you can't insert pages in a book and hope the infomation will magically appear in the index in the front of the book, you can't put a program folder on your hard drive and expect Windows to know what to do with what is in the folder

A fresh install is the only way for Windows to update the registry to know about programs