Question about Steam and storage capacity
Question about Steam and storage capacity
I have not run into this issue before, and not sure if there is a way to deal with it....
With Steam you can have a game in the common folder, copy it, move it to another PC in the same folder and thus transfer a game without having to download all of it. I have used this method time and time again, however I have run into a novel situation with a configuration I am trying something with.
I have a PC with a limited amount of drive space. There is enough to download and play a specific game or two that people are asking about performance numbers. Doing the method above there has always been enough space on disk to "install twice" as it were. What I mean by that is this: When you move the game over manually the downloader is still going to want to do it's thing, reserve space and THEN it realizes the files are there and just confirms everything is in place and uses that data instead of over-writing it. I am running into a situation where I do not have the room to install the game twice. I manually move the file to the proper place and when it is confirming the files and reserving space is giving the insufficient space error.
I have tried various ways of starting the download, pausing, adding the files to the spot where the Steam console does but it simply will not work. Is there a way around this, or that it will need to have a supplemental drive installed in order to get this done?
Thx
You can set up a folder on another drive and choose it as the default installation spot.
You don't need to install there first and then transfer.
Steam client settings: Steam → Settings → Downloads → Steam Library Folders → Add library folder (image details may vary).
Additionally, for relocating a game...
To relocate an existing game
Games library
Click right-click the game
Properties
Installed Files
Relocate Installation Directory
Steam settings - Storage
https://imgur.com/yZmFomP
See image: https://i.imgur.com/yZmFomP.png
Adding a drive is an option, and Steam will handle the rest. I tried to create a folder myself but thought it wasn't feasible.
You can transfer the game from the same menu—just pick a game and click Move.
I believed I was explaining things clearly enough. There isn't another drive connected for transferring it. I was trying to move it onto a USB instead of downloading it this time. Based on the replies, it seems the safest option is to install an extra drive temporarily so we can use the previous method.
Yeah, after re-reading your original request, it seems the answer needs an extra drive. But I'm not entirely sure since Steam will have two spots for the library—one on the full disk and another on the temporary drive. You should copy the game onto the temporary drive, place it in the right spot, let Steam try to download it there, make sure enough space is available, start the download, verify the files are present, and then free up any unused space. Once done, the game will be installed in the library without needing a direct download.
I don’t have much experience with this, but as long as Steam doesn’t complain about using a USB drive for storage, it should work fine.
Steam doesn't offer this as a valid choice for a USB enclosure anymore. It won't appear in the available locations. I expected it to be there, as I use a 1TB drive and rely on Steam for moving files and restoring data. I'm planning to take that out of the enclosure and connect it directly. It should work...maybe.