Can we keep our Steam folder when re-installing OS (new SSD)?

Triggaaar

Triggaaar

Triggaaar

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Can we keep our Steam folder when re-installing OS (new SSD)?

My Steam folder is not on my C: anyway, but when I re-install my OS on my lovely new SSD can I just install Steam and tell it where my games are, to save downloading it all again? The Steam folder is 173 Gb.

Thanks
 
I normally backup my steamapps folder.

Then when I re-install windows I install steam, don't login, close steam & then copy the steamapps folder over.

probably loads of other ways of doing it.
My steam folder is only 67GB tho.

I think you can do some sort of symbolic link in windows to make steam link the games to another drive also.
Think it's a sort of hack tho.

Looking on steam support: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129
 
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copy your steamapps folder onto something then just copy that back into the steam folder when you reinstall.
 
As you've not got Steam on your C:, just run steam.exe when you load your reinstalled OS.

On rare occasions you may need to delete the clientregistry.blob file, although I've never needed to myself.
 
I just reinstall steam and point it to the directory of where your old one is now, it did the rest for me and worked fine.
 
Some save games are saved in the Steam folder (or on SteamCloud), some are in My Documents, some elsewhere.

GameSaveManager is a fairly useful bit of software which can both automatically backup and restore savegames for many, many games (meaning the list of ones you need to search manually for is greatly reduced) and it can even provide a nice GUI if you wanted to shift just one or two of your Steam games onto your SSD so that you benefit from the improved loading times of the SSD without filling it with all of your games.

If you've got any games which use GamesForWindows, then make sure you backup your GFWL profile!
 
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Confused said:
Some save games are saved in the Steam folder (or on SteamCloud), some are in My Documents, some elsewhere.

GameSaveManager is a fairly useful bit of software which can both automatically backup and restore savegames for many, many games (meaning the list of ones you need to search manually for is greatly reduced) and it can even provide a nice GUI if you wanted to shift just one or two of your Steam games onto your SSD so that you benefit from the improved loading times of the SSD without filling it with all of your games.
Click to expand...

oh sweet cheers mate ill have a gander at that...
 
Confused said:
Some save games are saved in the Steam folder (or on SteamCloud), some are in My Documents, some elsewhere.

GameSaveManager is a fairly useful bit of software which can both automatically backup and restore savegames for many, many games (meaning the list of ones you need to search manually for is greatly reduced) and it can even provide a nice GUI if you wanted to shift just one or two of your Steam games onto your SSD so that you benefit from the improved loading times of the SSD without filling it with all of your games.

If you've got any games which use GamesForWindows, then make sure you backup your GFWL profile!
Click to expand...

WOW i just had a look at that, you can even use it to backup your gamesaves to dropbox :O. I shall be using this thanks for the link! :)
 
Install steam onto a mechanical drive. Then use steam mover to move games onto the ssd that you play frequently.

Will help free up some ssd space, and also give you quicker loading times for your favourite games.
 
ThundyCat said:
Install steam onto a mechanical drive. Then use steam mover to move games onto the ssd that you play frequently.

Will help free up some ssd space, and also give you quicker loading times for your favourite games.
Click to expand...

i cant find the download button on that site am i been thick and not seeing it???

that seems like a useful program...
 
Confused said:
Some save games are saved in the Steam folder (or on SteamCloud), some are in My Documents, some elsewhere.

GameSaveManager is a fairly useful bit of software <snip>.
Click to expand...

This will come in useful for my own and the family pc.

ThundyCat said:
Install steam onto a mechanical drive. Then use steam mover to move games onto the ssd that you play frequently.

Will help free up some ssd space, and also give you quicker loading times for your favourite games.
Click to expand...

I am going to be doing a fresh install of Windows 7 onto my SSD soon and wondered which would be best (SSD = Crucial M4 256GB, HDD = Samsung 1TB F3):

Install Steam onto HDD and copy select games to SSD
Install Steam onto SSD and copy lesser played games to HDD
 
I'd run steam.exe from your mechanical HDD, then it will always default to that, then use SteamMover or GSM (which will also do the same) to move just the games you play on a regular basis to the SSD.

You don't particularly need steam.exe on the SSD, as it's got quite a small footprint anyway so the speed difference in loading won't make much difference, then you can ensure only the games you want on the SSD are on the SSD.
 
Zico said:
I am going to be doing a fresh install of Windows 7 onto my SSD soon and wondered which would be best (SSD = Crucial M4 256GB, HDD = Samsung 1TB F3):

Install Steam onto HDD and copy select games to SSD
Install Steam onto SSD and copy lesser played games to HDD
Click to expand...

Install Steam to the HDD, there less benefit and more hassle the other way round. :)

There's an FAQ linked in my sig that covers stuff like this. ;)
 
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