Reinstalling Steam.

riskyfrisky · 8 Jun 2015 at 08:03

Hey all.

I've got Steam installed onto the D drive and I've been using it for a while. Fairly soon I'll be doing a fresh install of Windows 7 (on the C drive obviously).

How much faffage is it going to be to get Steam running once again? This'll be my first reinstall of Windows since I put Steam on a different drive - how do I get Steam back into program files folder, will I have to install it from scratch?

Skeeter · 8 Jun 2015 at 08:23

If Steam is installed onto D then it isn't in your Program Files folder.

After you have done the reinstall, double click Steam.exe, play.

Poolybit · 8 Jun 2015 at 08:24

Not much faff at all really so long as it is set up as a additional library currently. If you currently have Steam installed to the default location (e.g. C:\Program Files\Steam) and your game data on an additional drive, all you will need to do is go into the settings within steam after you have installed on the fresh build and specify the previous folder as an additional library. Steam will then go off and scan the folder and mark any previously installed games as installed again.

riskyfrisky · 8 Jun 2015 at 08:36

I'm glad I asked because I find it confusing!

Steam definitely is NOT in C:\Program Files\Steam. So it is solely on the D drive. So as long as I back up my save games I should be alright with the reinstall?

ED209 · 8 Jun 2015 at 08:58

you should be fine.

I have steam installed on to my C drive and then my steam library on another drive so when I do a OS re install I just install steam and link it in to the games drive and all my games are back.

if steam is on the D drive you should be able to just re make the shortcut to steam.exe to your desktop and you should be good to go

Raumarik · 8 Jun 2015 at 09:12

Remember you can now backup games on steam to DVDs or folders on an external drive then simply restore them. Actually used this recently with a mates PC and it worked flawlessly. Previously I'd always simply copy the entire Steam folder but he had several drives with Steam games all over the place so this was a sweet way of restoring them all into the same, new drive on his new PC.

Skeeter · 8 Jun 2015 at 09:24

riskyfrisky said:
I'm glad I asked because I find it confusing!

Steam definitely is NOT in C:\Program Files\Steam. So it is solely on the D drive. So as long as I back up my save games I should be alright with the reinstall?

Yep, just run Steam.exe and you will be fine.

Save games are a pain as they can be all over the place depending on game.

riskyfrisky · 8 Jun 2015 at 09:32

Excellent, thanks chaps.

Scurburg · 8 Jun 2015 at 14:13

Skeeter said:
Yep, just run Steam.exe and you will be fine.

Save games are a pain as they can be all over the place depending on game.

This is true, but there is software out there that can really help. I use gamesave manager which seems to works very well.