- Joined
- Oct 10, 2008
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System Name | Acer Aspire V3-771G-53218G75Maii |
---|---|
Processor | Core i5 3210M (2,5-3,1Ghz) |
Memory | 8GB DDR3 SODIMM |
Video Card(s) | Geforce GT650M |
Storage | Samsung 830 256GB - 750GB Toshiba drive |
Software | Windows 7 x64 Home Premium (non-acer-bloatware) |
So, yesterday I was fed up with my SSD being filled to the brink and I went searching. I found this page about symbolic links that looked just too easy to be true, but I gave it a go anyway, and it works!
My goal was to move non-frequently used games to another HDD, while keeping frequently used games on my SSD for fast loading times.
Basically, this is my way of moving Steam games as done under [Windows 7]:
- Go to your steamapps/common folder and cut the game folder(s) you would like to move.
- Paste the folder(s) where you would like to have them. (ie: E:\games\)
- Make a symbolic link as follows: Click here for more info
Run cmd.exe as Administrator. Click here to see how.
On the command prompt, type:
Where <foldername> is the name of the folder you moved.
You should adjust the source and target directories to those used on your system.
The "/D" parameter is used to make a directory link, instead of the default file link.
Use double quotes around the directory names. This eliminates any problems with spaces and such.
Then launch your Steam game as normal!
Possible problems:
Haven't tried, but you may run into problems installing new games, when Steam calculates the required space and your disk is so full the game won't fit on it.
Also, I haven't moved the .ncf files in the "steamapps" folder. You should be able to do that too, and make a symbolic file link without using the "/D" parameter. Feedback is welcome!
Last, I still want to try the following to try if we can install a game almost directly to the alternate partition:
- Start Steam and select "Install game" for a game, then immediately pause the download.
- Move the folder and make the link like described above.
- Resume download
Again, feedback is welcome!
According to Microsoft Technet, the MKLINK command also works on Windows Vista and Server 2008. I have not tried this, so once again, feedback is welcome!
Tested this and it's working under win 7 (and even simpler!):
My goal was to move non-frequently used games to another HDD, while keeping frequently used games on my SSD for fast loading times.
Basically, this is my way of moving Steam games as done under [Windows 7]:
- Go to your steamapps/common folder and cut the game folder(s) you would like to move.
- Paste the folder(s) where you would like to have them. (ie: E:\games\)
- Make a symbolic link as follows: Click here for more info
Run cmd.exe as Administrator. Click here to see how.
On the command prompt, type:
PHP:
MKLINK /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\<foldername>" "E:\games\<foldername>"
Where <foldername> is the name of the folder you moved.
You should adjust the source and target directories to those used on your system.
The "/D" parameter is used to make a directory link, instead of the default file link.
Use double quotes around the directory names. This eliminates any problems with spaces and such.
Then launch your Steam game as normal!
Possible problems:
Haven't tried, but you may run into problems installing new games, when Steam calculates the required space and your disk is so full the game won't fit on it.
Also, I haven't moved the .ncf files in the "steamapps" folder. You should be able to do that too, and make a symbolic file link without using the "/D" parameter. Feedback is welcome!
Last, I still want to try the following to try if we can install a game almost directly to the alternate partition:
- Start Steam and select "Install game" for a game, then immediately pause the download.
- Move the folder and make the link like described above.
- Resume download
Again, feedback is welcome!
According to Microsoft Technet, the MKLINK command also works on Windows Vista and Server 2008. I have not tried this, so once again, feedback is welcome!
Tested this and it's working under win 7 (and even simpler!):
Im using this little nice app: http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover, for moving games to/from drives, does what ur doing just the really easy way.
Last edited: