Intrepid early adopters:

 

I'm about to evaluate FSX:SE, but before I do, I have a question about the install location. Steam likes to default all its applications into the "SteamApps" directory under the Steam program itself.

 

When installing FSX:SE, is there an option (during install or somewhere within Steam itself) to customize the install location and break FSX:SE out of the Steam directory tree?  (If so, does anyone recall when/where it might be so I don't skip past it?)

 

Thanks,

-Greg

When installing FSX:SE, is there an option (during install or somewhere within Steam itself) to customize the install location and break FSX:SE out of the Steam directory tree? (If so, does anyone recall when/where it might be so I don't skip past it?)

Hi, Greg,

 

FSX:SE is the only Steam program I have, but I was able to point the installer to where I wanted it, not in a program folder. I believe it was during the installation process, after the download completed. But it is in a subfolder of Steam. Not sure if this addresses your concern.

 

Mike

Mike,

That should answer my question. Thanks! It looks like the (pre-download) installer will let you point to an existing or new Steam library, but it hasn't yet provided an option to truly customize the install location. I guess we'll see what happens after the download.

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Bonus Question:

Can I tell Steam to cache the installer files for future needs? While not essential, saving the installer files in permanent storage to prevent re-downloading it might be advantageous...

 

Thanks again!

-Greg

Can I tell Steam to cache the installer files for future needs? While not essential, saving the installer files in permanent storage to prevent re-downloading it might be advantageou

Hi, Greg, glad to be of help!

 

I haven't tried to back up FSX:SE yet There is a way to do it but I've seen complaints that the backup ends prematurely, somewhere in recent discussions of FSX:SE.

 

There might be something about this in Steam's support forum.

 

Mike

You can't truly customize it because it has to reside in the SteamApps folder... but you can now select where that goes.... in my case I put it on the same physical drive as FSX Gold....

 

For example, mine went here when I installed it via steam:

B:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FSX

 

FSX Gold resides in:

B:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X

 

The config files still go in the Users folder where the OS is...  but the configs are named slightly different, like FSXSE.cfg

 

BTW Both sims still run fine together...

I had to install FSX:SE as a subfolder of Steam as well, but was able to do so on a different drive from FSX:MS - and not in a Prgrams folder.

 

Mike

Indeed, my download has completed and the installer did not allow me to truly customize where the installation would reside.

 

My "Steam" folder is on the same SSD as my sims usually reside, so it's on the correct drive, but for simplicity of installing future addons and such, I'd have greatly preferred to be able to place the game in a directory of my choosing.

 

Alas, we'll see what happens next!

 

As for backup - I'm copying the freshly downloaded and untouched FSX directory out of the steamapps\common\FSX folder now to a separate location. Theoretically, should I need to blow up my computer and reload, I can just copy this back into the steamapps folder after reinstalling and it will check out OK.  Theoretically, anyway.

 

Thanks,

-Greg

 

 

As for backup - I'm copying the freshly downloaded and untouched FSX directory out of the steamapps\common\FSX folder now to a separate location. Theoretically, should I need to blow up my computer and reload, I can just copy this back into the steamapps folder after reinstalling and it will check out OK. Theoretically, anyway.

 

It wont load without the .acf file. Best save it also.

It wont load without the .acf file. Best save it also.

This +1. without the acf file your 16G backup is useless. For people who have been using steam for a long time this is important. Simply copying your game folders over is not enough anymore.

 

There is more info on backing up in this thread. I have since tested and I can confirm it works.

The simulator won't run unless you fire it up via the Steam Application. If you locate the fsx.exe executable, you cannot launch the simulator directly. So the program will install to wherever the Steam App is installed. That's the best custom installation you can get...

 

 

It wont load without the .acf file. Best save it also.

 

Thanks for the reminder!

 

I normally grab the entire Steam directory, which would include the ACFs, but since I want a virgin copy of FSX:SE backed up, I need to keep the backup separate from the rest of my Steam apps. I've stashed away the appropriate ACF file along with the virgin files.

 

 

 

The simulator won't run unless you fire it up via the Steam Application. If you locate the fsx.exe executable, you cannot launch the simulator directly.

 

Indeed. I knew about launching through Steam (as is the case for all my other Steam programs),  but I was hoping it could break out of the normal Steam directory paths simply for my own organizational purposes. (Shrug). Oh well. I'll just create a shortcut or symlink to get to the simulation's install directory quick and easy.

 

Cheers, and thanks all...

-Greg

Well does all this mean I cannot install FSX SE onto my WD Velociraptor HD which I use exclusively for FSX and nothing else unless I also have Steam on this drive? Kind of a huge roadblock for me and if so I would very rapidly loose any interest in FSX SE.

 

Bruceb

Well does all this mean I cannot install FSX SE onto my WD Velociraptor HD which I use exclusively for FSX and nothing else unless I also have Steam on this drive? Kind of a huge roadblock for me and if so I would very rapidly loose any interest in FSX SE.

 

Bruceb

 

You can install a steam product to a specific volume. Simply create a steam library folder from the steam settings on the volume you wish to install to and direct to that library when installing the product. This is also how I redirect certain products like FSX SE to my flight sim SSD.

Yes - as bakayoyo says, you can install FSX:SE to any hard drive on your system. When you install it, Steam will ask if you would like to install it to the default Steam library folder, or if you would like to create a new Steam library folder on any one of your drives.

 

Although you cannot specify exactly what directory name you may want to use (like "D:\Flight Simulator X"), you can tell it to install to a Steam folder (new or existing) on any given drive.

 

-Greg

Yes - as bakayoyo says, you can install FSX:SE to any hard drive on your system. When you install it, Steam will ask if you would like to install it to the default Steam library folder, or if you would like to create a new Steam library folder on any one of your drives.

 

Although you cannot specify exactly what directory name you may want to use (like "D:\Flight Simulator X"), you can tell it to install to a Steam folder (new or existing) on any given drive.

 

-Greg

 

Thanks

 

Bruceb