Moving Steam games between computers
Posted by tech master | at 11:48 PM
I recently got a new computer for myself, and i wanted to try out my Steam games on it.
Unfortunately, it seemed that i'd have to re-download my entire library of games
Now, i get 15GB at 1 mbps under FUP, but thats not enough to cover my needs, and i do need to browse the net too.
So, i searched high and low for a definite solution to my problem, and uncovered a lot of "tips and tricks"
i list them here :
1. copy the whole Steam folder to the new computer
2. install steam in new comp, then paste the "steamapps" folder only
3. same as 2, except, delete everything except steam.exe and steamapps folder, and then run steam, so that it downloads just the steam files
after any of these, i was supposed to go to steam, and click each game and "check integrity of files", so that steam could know that the files were there, and didnt need to be re-downloaded.
unfortunately, in most cases, steam refused to start, though i hit potluck with the 2nd method, and managed to copy over one game(zombie shooter 2) with it.
now, i present to you THE foolproof method to transfer steam games between 2 computers.
i do believe that its possible to transfer the games between 2 different computers with different accounts, though i havent tried it yet.(this means that you'd be able to take steam games from your computer and give them to a friend, provided he has purchased the game, and not yet installed it)
Here goes :
1. Install Steam in both computers
2. Run Steam in the source computer
3. Click "Steam" in the menubar of the Steam client
4. Select "Backup and restore games" option
5. Select which games you wish to backup
6. Get the backup folder to the destination computer
7. Repeat steps 2-4
8. Select which games you wish to restore
9. Voila!!! You now have your games back!!!
10. ????
11. Profit!
If you happen to have a external HDD, you are in luck, as Steam backups are amazingly huge (almost the size of the actual games, themselves)
If not, then divide the backup folder into multiple RAR volumes, and use a large capacity pen drive, or even connect the two computers together, if you happen to be on Windows 7, using the homegroup. Else, you can use a FTP client like Filezilla or Everything's inbuilt HTTP/FTP capablity to transfer the files.
Unfortunately, it seemed that i'd have to re-download my entire library of games
Now, i get 15GB at 1 mbps under FUP, but thats not enough to cover my needs, and i do need to browse the net too.
So, i searched high and low for a definite solution to my problem, and uncovered a lot of "tips and tricks"
i list them here :
1. copy the whole Steam folder to the new computer
2. install steam in new comp, then paste the "steamapps" folder only
3. same as 2, except, delete everything except steam.exe and steamapps folder, and then run steam, so that it downloads just the steam files
after any of these, i was supposed to go to steam, and click each game and "check integrity of files", so that steam could know that the files were there, and didnt need to be re-downloaded.
unfortunately, in most cases, steam refused to start, though i hit potluck with the 2nd method, and managed to copy over one game(zombie shooter 2) with it.
now, i present to you THE foolproof method to transfer steam games between 2 computers.
i do believe that its possible to transfer the games between 2 different computers with different accounts, though i havent tried it yet.(this means that you'd be able to take steam games from your computer and give them to a friend, provided he has purchased the game, and not yet installed it)
Here goes :
1. Install Steam in both computers
2. Run Steam in the source computer
3. Click "Steam" in the menubar of the Steam client
4. Select "Backup and restore games" option
5. Select which games you wish to backup
6. Get the backup folder to the destination computer
7. Repeat steps 2-4
8. Select which games you wish to restore
9. Voila!!! You now have your games back!!!
10. ????
11. Profit!
If you happen to have a external HDD, you are in luck, as Steam backups are amazingly huge (almost the size of the actual games, themselves)
If not, then divide the backup folder into multiple RAR volumes, and use a large capacity pen drive, or even connect the two computers together, if you happen to be on Windows 7, using the homegroup. Else, you can use a FTP client like Filezilla or Everything's inbuilt HTTP/FTP capablity to transfer the files.
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