Move Game Launcher Folders etc ???

[JimmyRecard00]

Hello

I have a new build, fresh install of Win 11 Pro and all brand new drives.
I have not installed any games yet.

I have installed all/most of my game launchers to my System Drive which is a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro.

However, I am going to install all my Games to my 2TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus drive.

My thinking is that it'd be better to leave the launchers on the fastest drive with all the other installed programs - and just direct them to place all game installations on the larger but slightly slower 2TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus drive. It might not be much difference but I do think it should be slightly faster?

I've chosen to put them on the slightly slower 2TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus drive as it's considerably cheaper for that size and I'm told there's not much need to go beyond PCIE 3.0 for Game Installations (even that may be faster than they can utilise fully)?

Unless there is a good reason - I would like to stick with this plan as I think it should work well.


I have installed the Launchers (not games yet) for:

Steam
Origin
Ubisoft Connect
GOG Galaxy 2.0
Epic Games
What else am I forgetting or don't know about?




PLEASE NOTE - I also plan to try some PC Game Subscription services and would appreciate if you can advise me which folders I'd need to move for those too?
Please see my other thread for info to save duplication here

(47) PC Game Subscription Services ??? | PC Gamer Forums



I was just going through the Steam Settings and realised I should move all the Music Folders too? I hadn't thought of that until I came across it.

Should I just literally 'move' them straight from my System drive and drop them on the Gaming drive with the same names/folder structure? Again - I haven't installed any games yet?


Remember - this is exactly as it appears for a fresh Steam Install. It has nothing to do with Windows folders like Docs, Music, Photos etc.

See a picture of the two Music Folders listed here....

https://imgur.com/6F9oTec

View: https://imgur.com/6F9oTec



It seems many didn't even know these music folders even existed? I wonder if the other launchers have them too - and other things I need to move that I'm not aware of yet?

I know a lot of todays much bigger games have huge folders of HD Textures saved to the the storage drives to speed up processing in game - Is that something I should be moving as well (and where are they)?

Are there any other folders for other things in Steam AND THE OTHERS ABOVE AND OTHERS NOT LISTED that I may have also overlooked - that I should also move?



Can I simply choose to install my Games on a different drive from the Launchers installation for all or most of these Launchers - or is it not possible for specific ones
(eg should I just install the launchers for those on the game Drive)?


Thanks for your help

 

[Colif]

How to move steam - https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4BD4-4528-6B2E-8327
Origin - https://answers.ea.com/t5/Origin-Cl...ient-Move-Locate-Installed-Games/td-p/5776562
Uplay - https://windowsreport.com/move-uplay-games-another-drive/
GOG - https://windowsreport.com/move-gog-games-another-drive/
Epic - https://www.epicgames.com/help/en-U...r-to-another-directory-on-your-computer-a7189
Battlenet - https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/151376

I may have missed some as I don't know them all.

Music? the top one is your music library, not sure about the steam one.. didn't know it had a folder. I doubt its very big.
If music library
create the folder you want to move it to before starting
(note: I use this site as its clear, not saying anything about you) - https://www.dummies.com/article/tec...location-of-user-folders-in-windows-10-140269 (its the same in 11, i think).
Make sure the folder isd the right one before confirming as it sucks if you accidentally make an entire hdd your music folder

probably leave steam one where it is.

 

[Brian Boru]

Steam Settings … Music Folders

Like Colif, I don't know what that's about—has Steam started selling music? I know they do some movies and software…

Do you still have the default standard Windows folders
Documents
Music
Video
Books
Games
…might be called My ABC or similar, who knows with MS in a new OS. Maybe your Music folder—or Library—got into the Steam folder by mistake.

What else am I forgetting or don't know about?

Playnite - video game library manager

Video game library manager with one simple goal: To provide a unified interface for all of your games.

playnite.link

…is a more detailed version of GOG Galaxy.

Vortex Mod Manager

www.nexusmods.com

…if you're going to be using mods from Nexus.

 

[Colif]

Do you still have the default standard Windows folders

• Documents
• Music
• Video
• Books
• Games

games and Books aren't there. I don't recall Books ever being there? Maybe you made that one? you can make custom ones.

library folders are

• Documents
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos

My dummies link should work for all library folders. I used to move them onto hdd but now they all in Onedrive folders, I don't bother. Its uploaded almost as soon as its created.

One I forgot though not really a game launcher.
If you use Onedrive, here is how to move its folder - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...e-folder-f386fb81-1461-40a7-be2c-712676b2c4ae

perhaps music folder for soundtracks?

Steam Support :: FAQS

help.steampowered.com

til steam has a music player built in

 

[JimmyRecard00]

@Colif
@Brian Boru



Thanks for the links and info so far - I'm definitely keen to hear more as it seems many didn't even know these music folders even existed? I wonder if the other launchers have them too - and other things I need to move?

I know a lot of todays much bigger games have huge folders of HD Textures saved to the the storage drives to speed up processing in game - Is that something I should be moving as well (and where are they)?

Music? the top one is your music library, not sure about the steam one.. didn't know it had a folder. I doubt its very big.
If music library
create the folder you want to move it to before starting
(note: I use this site as its clear, not saying anything about you) - https://www.dummies.com/article/tec...location-of-user-folders-in-windows-10-140269 (its the same in 11, i think).
Make sure the folder isd the right one before confirming as it sucks if you accidentally make an entire hdd your music folder

probably leave steam one where it is.

Thanks for the list of links

Yeah regarding the Music Folders shown in the screenshot - I assume they are part official soundtrack and maybe more importantly where they store all the game sounds? I don't know?

I just did a fresh install of Steam so maybe it's a newer revision that you haven't got?
Have you looked at yours?

And yeah I know how to change folders etc and I know about the windows Docs, Music, Photos etc... that's not what I'm talking about. The photo is what I am talking about.

My point is - I don't know if it's ok to just move the same folder names/structures to another drive or if it absolutely has to stay on that drive in those locations for your games to work etc?

Like Colif, I don't know what that's about—has Steam started selling music? I know they do some movies and software…

Do you still have the default standard Windows folders
Documents
Music
Video
Books
Games
…might be called My ABC or similar, who knows with MS in a new OS. Maybe your Music folder—or Library—got into the Steam folder by mistake.

Playnite - video game library manager

Video game library manager with one simple goal: To provide a unified interface for all of your games.

playnite.link

…is a more detailed version of GOG Galaxy.

Vortex Mod Manager

www.nexusmods.com

…if you're going to be using mods from Nexus.

games and Books aren't there. I don't recall Books ever being there? Maybe you made that one? you can make custom ones.

library folders are

• Documents
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos

My dummies link should work for all library folders. I used to move them onto hdd but now they all in Onedrive folders, I don't bother. Its uploaded almost as soon as its created.

One I forgot though not really a game launcher.
If you use Onedrive, here is how to move its folder - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...e-folder-f386fb81-1461-40a7-be2c-712676b2c4ae

perhaps music folder for soundtracks?

Steam Support :: FAQS

help.steampowered.com

til steam has a music player built in

Firstly - see my reply to Colif above... and

Steam does sell a lot of content creation and royalty free music, or music creation software these days... but I still have a feeling it's soundtracks and game sounds as I mentioned the above reply.

And no - those two music folders are exactly as is as it's a fresh install and I haven't moved any windows folders like you mentioned.

Re Dummies links - I'd prefer to avoid 'macgyver/semi safe' options unless absolutely necessary - but good idea to mention it.

Re Nexus - is that the main mod software these days or are there others or is that a proprietary Steam Workshops thing?

So does it only work with Steam or Games with other launchers too?


Thanks for the info and the links




Cheers

 

[Brian Boru]

Re Nexus - is that the main mod software these days or are there others or is that a proprietary Steam Workshops thing?

See here:

Mods—Nexus, ModDB, Steam Workshop, other?

I haven't got into the habit of checking Steam Workshop yet—I guess it doesn't include non-Steam games?—and I didn't know Epic had started… altho the game which twigged me to that, Total War Troy, isn't listed in that search result?? Links to Nexus and ModDB and ModDB offshoot IndieDB. Anyway...

forums.pcgamer.com

Another useful thread about mods.

 

[Colif]

I know a lot of todays much bigger games have huge folders of HD Textures saved to the the storage drives to speed up processing in game - Is that something I should be moving as well (and where are they)?

these should be in the games directories so moving the game, also moves them.

Re Dummies links - I'd prefer to avoid 'macgyver/semi safe' options unless absolutely necessary - but good idea to mention it.

The way I showed you, to move library folders, is the official method you get from Microsoft. See here for an example
The Dummies link just spells it out simply. I have used it for the last few versions of windows. My create the folder before you do it, step, is something I do. I have found it helps to make sure it goes to right place. Having to reverse it if you pick wrong destination folder is annoying, and best done using system restore to roll system back to the state it was in before you moved the folders.

I would do this before moving folders

• type "restore" then open "create a restore point"
• create a new Restore Point now for C-drive

As then, if you have use the restore point to fix a mistake, you won't lose any other changes made to PC since the last restore point was created
Windows creates a restore point every time it gets a windows update or a new driver.

You should be fine, its just I help people fix problems and have seen the results of people picking the wrong folder as destination, such as making music folder your documents, or making an entire drive into a library. So I try to ensure they don't fall into any traps

I have both of those steam libraries, I just hadn't looked.
it only scans C drive, it doesn't see my music folder in my Onedrive folder since its not on C. So I have 7 albums total in the steam app. I won't bother adding the rest, it wants to download them all. Sounds like a waste of space.