# Folder Options

PinballY uses a number of external files to read and store information on the pinball tables you have installed on your system, and the video and graphic files displayed in the UI. This dialog lets you tell PinballY where to look for these files.

- Media folder: this is the folder where all of the graphics and video files for your games are installed. This folder contains subfolders for different media types and for different systems (Visual Pinball, Future Pinball, etc). The actual media files are stored in subfolders according to the type of image/video they contain.
- Table database folder: This is the folder where your "table database" files are stored. These are XML files that contain information the installed games, such as the title of each game, the manufacturer, and the pinball program that it's written for.

In most cases, you should be able to use the default settings for the folder paths. You can change them as needed if you have an unusual setup. Here are the basic options for each folder type:

- Auto: This is the default setting for each type. When this option is selected, PinballY will first look to see if you also have PinballX installed on your system. If so, it'll use the existing PinballX folder for this item. If not, PinballY will use the appropriate folder within the PinballY program folder.

  This option is the default because it works whether or not you have PinballX installed, and if you do have PinballX installed, it lets you use all of your existing table lists and media without having to copy or move any files. It makes it pretty much effortless to try out PinballY and migrate to it if you like it. PinballY is compatible with the PinballX database and media formats and folder structures, so you can always go back to PinballX later if you like, even if you use PinballY to add new tables and/or media. You can also freely switch back and forth between the two programs.

- Use the PinballY folder: This tells PinballY to ignore any existing PinballX installation on your machine and use only the PinballY program folder.

  This option is useful if you want to maintain separate PinballX and PinballY installations, rather than sharing files between the two, since it prevents PinballY from trying to access your PinballX files. This lets you have separate table lists and separate media files for each system.

- Use a different folder: This option lets you choose a specific folder, rather than using one of the default locations. This gives you full control in case you have an unusual setup that requires a special location for these files.

  It's usually better to use one of the defaults, since the default settings will adapt more automatically if you ever move files around. If you enter a fixed folder path, you'll have to remember to update the setting if you should ever move that folder to a different parent folder or to a different disk drive.