Steam games install on 2 drives?

[Tinker]

Fitted a new 120GB SSD, and have a second 500GD drive installed.

Wanting to get the most out of Crysis2, but not wanting to install Steam and all the rest of the Steam games on the SSD.

Can I install Steam onto my other 500GB drive, but have Steam install Crysis 2 to the SSD drive? Or will I need to purchase the game again from elsewhere?

Also, can I install Steam twice, on each drive?

Found this program but not sure about it:

SteamTool Library Manager 1.1

[belvucker]

I don't think it is possible to do that with Steam, other than have it on one single drive. The only thing I found about the topic on Steam support is this one https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7710-tdlc-0426

[Tinker]

Yeah not having much look googling. Saw that but that defeats the purpose of having the SSD. The link I posted seems to be like a game manager that simply moves the stored games from drive into the correct drive when you need them. Not really much use, I have my entire steammaps folder already backed up on an external drive, so is only the same principle really.

Guess I will just have to learn to go easy and only have a few select games installed at any time for now. May get a second SSD just for Steam.

[Pave Low]

Ahem.. *cough* *cough*

http://www.ghostrecon.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=57129&view=findpost&p=575768

You may be aware, but you can move "less played" Steam games to a separate drive (works best with those under "\steamapps\common") and Steam will still think it's installed together

So can have Steam and main games on the fastest drive and most other steam games on a different physical drive, particularly those that don't need a fast drive.

what you do is use MKLINK command to create (Hard Link) symbolic junction links to other locations and Steam will still think they are all located under it's install.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753194%28WS.10%29.aspx

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-symlinks-in-windows-vista/

[Tinker]

Going to need some stiff coffee to understand that. :rofl:

Must of subconsciously forgot you posted that after pretending I understood it.

Many thnx, will give it a go.

Ah, here is a nice YouTube video:

How To Move Steam Games (Symlinks)

[Pave Low]

Yeah,

very simply;

You install the game under Steam as normal,

Then move (cut+paste) the whole folder for a game to the root of a different drive,

Then create the "short-cut link" from where Steam thinks it's installed to where it really is.

*Think of the link like an invisible tunnel joining two places, Steam (or any application) thinks it's standing at the tunnel entrance but it's really at the tunnel Exit and isn't aware it's "gone" anywhere else

You can either have;

Steam and the key core games on the SSD with the other games moved to the mechanical drive

or

Steam and the other games on the mechanical drive and just the key core games moved to the SSD

Ah, here is a nice YouTube video:

How To Move Steam Games (Symlinks)

In the video he says "Steam only allows you to install your games on C:\ or whatever drive you have windows installed on" - this is wrong, can install Steam on any drive, it's just that steam games are always installed under wherever Steam is installed (not windows)

Edited July 7, 2011 by Pave Low

[Tinker]

You can either have;

Steam and the key core games on the SSD with the other games moved to the mechanical drive

or

Steam and the other games on the mechanical drive and just the key core games moved to the SSD

Out of curiosity, is there any gain or loss as to which drive Steam itself is installed on. Crysis2 is obviously going to be on the SSD drive, but does Steam really need to be there to get full benefit? Then just link the rest to the other, any preferences?

[Pave Low]

Not really, while steam will be running in the background whenever you launch a steam game, but probably doesn't benefit from launching a few seconds quicker (maybe just a little when finished playing and it writes some stuff back to the drive)

it mainly depends what games you have most of, do you want most of steam games on SSD if so move the other few off

or if only one or two to move, then install steam and everything elsewhere and only move the couple of key games to SSD

*There is one area that might make a difference, if you have several Source-engine Games (HL-2, CSS Etc) as there are lots of large Shared/Cache source files (EG .GCF .NCF) mixed under steam install so would probably get some benefit if Steam and the source files were on SSD.

[Tinker]

Copy, will go ahead and put Steam on the SSD. Much appreciated for the help as always.

Btw, these symlinks are really cool.

[twcrash]

I know this is an old thread but I think it needs updating. For those who need more space like i did (main drive is only 160 gb) I couldn't install games like i wanted to so I needed a second drive. I picked up a a 2 TB USB 3.0 travel drive off Amazon for dirt cheap and transfered my Steam folder to that drive. I then ran Steam and it setup using that drive as my main drive. All the games play fine and Steam doesn't seem to care. Also if I want to take my games with me to a friends house I just unplug the drive and go. This includes ArmA 3 running just fine under this setup.

At one point to test this out I actually had Steam on a Flash Drive. Though it started a little slow it did work to play games and that was a 2.0 drive.

Edited September 15, 2015 by twcrash

[techwarrior]

OK been a LONG time since I was here last and this maybe a mute point (and opening a dead thread possibly)  but this Steam install is STILL working on the same 2TB i did 2 years ago. So I would say that it is a viable way of running your games if your really that stuck on drive space. I run all my Steam games from this drive with no issues.  I also recently ran a Steam install on a 3.0 flash drive and it runs great there as well. So for longevity reference here ya go.