Moving game content between SSD and HDD

Dawoodoz · 10-30-2009, 01:07 PM

The problem with using steam with SSD is that it's cheaper to have many small SSDs than one big SSD.
I can't fit all my steam games on one small SSD but placing all games on one HDD would load too slow.
There should be an option to move games that I rarely play to another drive.

eastx · 11-07-2009, 01:39 AM

I agree! I'd really like to be able to install Steam games to 2 separate directories or move them back and forth easily.

Sturmeh · 11-07-2009, 01:48 AM

Use symbolic links.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_link

ReBoot · 11-07-2009, 03:50 AM

Or just move your whole Steam folder.

Pc_Madness · 11-07-2009, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReBoot

Or just move your whole Steam folder.

Then what was the point in buying that SSD?

L.o.D. · 11-07-2009, 07:22 AM

What's the point of buying a SMALL SSD?

eastx · 11-08-2009, 12:05 AM

They're all small. If I installed every Steam game I own, it would exceed the largest existing SSD drive.

Symbolic links is the current best solution to this problem, but they could also fix Steam to be much friendlier to multiple hard drive setups.

How to setup symbolic links

L.o.D. · 11-08-2009, 06:52 AM

How big is your steam folder?

Kailieann · 11-08-2009, 09:12 AM

Mine is north of 100 GB, and I haven't even started re-downloading most of my big games, yet.

I've seen a few SSDs that could, perhaps, hold the full force of my Steam games, but said drives are all in excess of $900

eastx · 11-09-2009, 02:36 PM

I don't have all my games installed, but there's 82 games. Of course many of them are smaller games like Doom and Quake, but there's still loads of newer games that take up plenty of space. Plus SSD owners might like to install other stuff on the SSD - such as the OS and Photoshop - which will also cut into the available space.

Skoll · 11-09-2009, 02:53 PM

It's unlikely and rather unrealistic to expect that Valve would give us a UI where you could choose which game goes where. It has a very simple concept now where all games go in a single folder. At best they might let us change that location so that Steam is installed on C:, but games go on D:, but that still wouldn't solve your problem since it's the games that take up the space.

Since symbolic links (in Vista or beyond) solve this problem completely without any effort on Valve's part I don't think this request will get too far.

zachtos · 11-18-2009, 09:04 PM

I agree, STEAM should create an option for us to easily store games on separate drives (IE Left for Dead on the SSD while keeping all our HL2 episodes on the old HDD). We only want to speed up the load times of games we play daily. It will be a few more years until the SSD's are big enough to let us put all our purchased steam games on the drive. Symbolic links looks like a total drag to do by hand for 100's of files. Until then...

STEAM, make this a new feature!!! I know you can easily code this, I love your service, don't make me go to walmart to buy games on disc just to make this easy on myself!

*All games let you choose an installation directory... but not a steam game!!!

-zach

eastx · 11-19-2009, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skoll

Since symbolic links (in Vista or beyond) solve this problem completely without any effort on Valve's part I don't think this request will get too far.

Oh, you're right. It would be terribly hard of them to allow installation of games to two directories instead of one. I'm sure that would take them more than one day of work.

10-30-2009, 01:07 PM	#1
Dawoodoz Join Date: Jun 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 5	Moving game content between SSD and HDD The problem with using steam with SSD is that it's cheaper to have many small SSDs than one big SSD. I can't fit all my steam games on one small SSD but placing all games on one HDD would load too slow. There should be an option to move games that I rarely play to another drive.

11-07-2009, 01:48 AM	#3
Sturmeh Join Date: Jan 2008 Reputation: 18 Posts: 1,453	Use symbolic links. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_link Last edited by Sturmeh : 11-07-2009 at 01:56 AM.

11-08-2009, 09:12 AM	#9
Kailieann Join Date: Sep 2008 Reputation: 337 Posts: 2,907	Mine is north of 100 GB, and I haven't even started re-downloading most of my big games, yet. I've seen a few SSDs that could, perhaps, hold the full force of my Steam games, but said drives are all in excess of $900 Last edited by Kailieann : 11-08-2009 at 09:14 AM.

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11-07-2009, 01:39 AM	#2
eastx Join Date: Mar 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 4	I agree! I'd really like to be able to install Steam games to 2 separate directories or move them back and forth easily.

11-07-2009, 03:50 AM	#4
ReBoot Join Date: Feb 2004 Reputation: 112 Posts: 10,889	Or just move your whole Steam folder.

11-07-2009, 07:22 AM	#6
L.o.D. Join Date: Apr 2006 Reputation: 264 Posts: 17,312	What's the point of buying a SMALL SSD?

11-08-2009, 12:05 AM	#7
eastx Join Date: Mar 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 4	They're all small. If I installed every Steam game I own, it would exceed the largest existing SSD drive. Symbolic links is the current best solution to this problem, but they could also fix Steam to be much friendlier to multiple hard drive setups. How to setup symbolic links

11-08-2009, 06:52 AM	#8
L.o.D. Join Date: Apr 2006 Reputation: 264 Posts: 17,312	How big is your steam folder?

11-09-2009, 02:36 PM	#10
eastx Join Date: Mar 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 4	I don't have all my games installed, but there's 82 games. Of course many of them are smaller games like Doom and Quake, but there's still loads of newer games that take up plenty of space. Plus SSD owners might like to install other stuff on the SSD - such as the OS and Photoshop - which will also cut into the available space.

11-09-2009, 02:53 PM	#11
Skoll Join Date: Jun 2007 Reputation: 3 Posts: 663	It's unlikely and rather unrealistic to expect that Valve would give us a UI where you could choose which game goes where. It has a very simple concept now where all games go in a single folder. At best they might let us change that location so that Steam is installed on C:, but games go on D:, but that still wouldn't solve your problem since it's the games that take up the space. Since symbolic links (in Vista or beyond) solve this problem completely without any effort on Valve's part I don't think this request will get too far.

11-18-2009, 09:04 PM	#12
zachtos Join Date: Nov 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 1	I agree, STEAM should create an option for us to easily store games on separate drives (IE Left for Dead on the SSD while keeping all our HL2 episodes on the old HDD). We only want to speed up the load times of games we play daily. It will be a few more years until the SSD's are big enough to let us put all our purchased steam games on the drive. Symbolic links looks like a total drag to do by hand for 100's of files. Until then... STEAM, make this a new feature!!! I know you can easily code this, I love your service, don't make me go to walmart to buy games on disc just to make this easy on myself! *All games let you choose an installation directory... but not a steam game!!! -zach