STEAM Backup & Restore - Win & Lin

[FatRakoon]

My Steam collection has grown to something ridiculously huge now, and pretty much since day 1, I have simply copied the entire lot over when reinstalling, or copying to my Laptops or spare desktop, or whatever.

This surely has had a side effect of making the steam folder have files and junk that should not be there.

Not only this, but with Linux now running steam, and there being a fairly large number of files for Linux too that I own, I was wondering a few things, and so, I have asked on the steam forums but got zero responce, and maybe I will try you lot?

The thing is, that I can save the steam games, thats easy enough, but reinstalling them I used to be able to do, but for some reason, I can no longer do that? - not the backed up files anyway, and not from a folder?

I can with some, install from a DVD ( or ISO Image ) using the -I X: switch, but not from a folder...

How can I restore the saved files?

The plan being to back up EVERYTHING, delete the lot, and then restore the files... Maybe it will clear out the junk, maybe not?

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Ok, now, on to part 2 of this post....

Can I use the backed up files on my Linux Steam install?

What I have done so far, is simply copy the lot over, and I am kind of thinking that steam sees the files it can use, and only downloads the files it needs, but again, this then leaves tons of files that it cannot and will not use.

Perhaps restoring the backed up files will save on the amount of downloading that I do.

Many thanks in advance...

 

[altrewin]

For restoring the backups, go to the top left and click the Steam button. Then Backup and Restore games, and select restore from a previous backup on the menu that appears. Then find the folder your game was backed up to and select it to restore it.

As for using the backed up files on a linux install I assume they'd work as long as the game itself supports linux, I know that at the very least some of Valves own games install the parts needed for OSX support (such as .icns files). I guess try testing it with the smallest game you have first to save some time?

 

[mortals]

Can I use the backed up files on my Linux Steam install?

You can copy games from steamapps folder from windows to linux and then tell steam to install the game, it 'should' then download the linux specific files in most cases.

The default location for steamapps in linux is: ~/.local/share/Steam/SteamApps/

I haven't tried it with many games (dota2, cssource, guacamelee, X3: Albion Prelude) but most of the time it just downloads the linux specific files for you (which can save some time).

 

[FatRakoon]

Cheers guys.

The restore part simply has notworked for me for a lot of things.

I have just now tried to backup the stuff I mentioned, the stuff that DOES work under Linux, for example HalfLife and all its extras into one chunk, but it hung on the first block, although all the anomaly games went through fine.

Such a shame because if you do the half life stuff all seperately, they take up tons of space but if you do them as a job lot, they take a fraction of it.

And yes, I know the default location etc, thats where I have so far chucked all the files, but its kind of hoping that I can do the restore so that it will ONLY take the files it needs for Linux, and then download the rest, making the folders clean, and containing ONLY the files it needs rather thn have loads of files from the Windows setup that it will never use.

I will keep at it anyway... Im going to and from the bloody things but I dont seem to be having much success because it ends up downloading entirely the whole of the game again.

 

[mortals]

I dont seem to be having much success because it ends up downloading entirely the whole of the game again.

I have had that happen to me on the windows steam client before

One time when I re-installed windows it took 3 tries to get steam to recognise the files were there for cssource
Gets annoying when you are on slow adsl

Also some games on steam that say linux seem to be running a wine type library (for directx) and the performance seems terrible compared to something running native with opengl

 

[FatRakoon]

Its not just being on slow speeds, but right now, I am in hospital, and I am on disgustingly poor speeds, plus I am on a limited cap too!

Many... Most... ALL ISPs dont care about things like updates and games etc... For example, I bought a brand new TMobile dongle with 3 months free internet for coming into hospital, only to find that I have used up the entire of my "FAIR USEAGE" data limit, in just a few hours!!! ... Fair? fair to whom? a gig a month is disgusting.

Anyway, the games that I am playing, seem to play just fine under Linux, I do also use playonlinux and of course there is crossover that I have yet to have a play with.

Ideally, I would love to get the WarHammer Dawn Of War games to run sweetly, and once I do, its goodbye to Windows permanently... Those games are the ONLY reason I still use windows to be honest.

 

[Witcher1979]

You could just have a windows box in a cupboard, use steam streaming to play your entire game collection on Linux including non steam games. It is a pain running two machines but this way you get to use Linux all the time and play every game you own on it. When you get back home that is.