I've brought this here from the Civil Aviation/New Microsoft Flight Simulator announced ! thread.

Basically I installed FS2020 through the X-Box Game Pass.After a few weeks I decided it wasn't for me so deleted it via the XBGP. However the uninstall routine seemed far too quick to remove what must have been 120 +gig and on checking it appeared that although the game entry had gone,the relevant game folders were not. Not unnaturally I wanted that space back.

I had elected to install the game to a SSD 'game' drive for speed of loading and the rolling cache on a separate mechanical drive that had loads of space.

I did note that 'program file' folders were created on the SSD and that was one of the folders that didn't delete during the uninstall routine. It makes sense though thinking about it now. That is a system folder and as such would probably have resisted all attempts to remove it via the 'right click/delete method. My mistake was forcing its removal (plus others that the game created). This lead to XBGP subsequently refusing to install any game on those drives. I assume it was looking for those deleted folders. An O/S 'refresh' has failed to resolve it so now it has to be a clean O/S install. A pain in the A but not terrible as all my games are kept on separate drives to the O/S.

I'm not the only one who had this problem. Others were in the same boat and in the time I was looking into it didn't find an answer other than a clean reinstall of the O/S. I did re-install the XB software just to see if that helped.

So this is just a warning to others and honestly I'm unwilling to repeat the process to see if it was just a glitch so the XBGP can go do one as far as I'm concerned.

Who is the owner of the folders?

I have the same problems if I download something through the Windows Store, it will just tell me that "Trusted Installer" is the owner, with me not knowing how to change it...

Then again, I've also had the same problem with DCS, so perhaps it is not just Microsoft being annoying

Whilst I was browsing for the answer,the ownership of the folders did pop up,with instructions on how to change it,but someone said that it didn't fix it. As to the owner,if I sign in with a M$ account then surely I am? I don't honestly know.

I have now reinstalled the O/S and am very reluctant to use XBGP ever again,even though I was enjoying Sea of Thieves somewhat.

I would think the same thing, but sometimes Windows derps out and doesn't recognize the (only) account on the system as the system administrator. If that is the case, safe mode won't work either.

Never found a solution though, so i've had to re-install Windows in the past as well. Never used Game Pass though, but i've had the same problem with other programs downloaded through the Windows Store.