Backing up and porting an install...

[jcomm 5,886]

Ok,

what's the best ( if it's even possible... ) way of porting an FSW install, on a PC with a good internet access, to one where the internet runs miserably ?

There's that Steam Game Backup option, and I did run it and it created a folder with 25 subfolders named "Disk_1..25" - the 25 install disks ?...

Can I simply start the install in the new machine, and then interrupt and restore that backup, without having to download the game twice ?

In the new machine, where the backup will be restored, does t"Flight SIm World" have to be installed into the exact same tree structure for it to work ?

Say I installed initially to Programs, and in the new machine I want to install it in the F: partition's root. Will the restore option work that way ?

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Step 1: Install Steam on the second PC which you intend to copy FSW to

Step 2: login to your Steam account

Step 3: begin the download for FSW

Step 4: wait long enough for a progress indicator to appear

Step 5: cancel the download

Step 6: close steam (exit from the system tray, don't just click the x to close)

Step 7) copy the *contents* of the following directory from the computer containing existing Steam library to second computer:
Step 8) (drive letter where you have Steam installed e.g. C:\)program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\FSW -> same directory on second computer
Step 9) wait until done copying
Step 10) reopen Steam
Step 11) launch game - Steam will go through quick first run process for the first time you launch FSW but that's it - FSW will now open!

[jcomm 5,886]

Thx for that Techyguy - looks simpler tyan IU thought it might be :-)

 

[TechguyMaxC 516]

For sure!  It's really just a copy and paste job with a couple extra steps.

[Jimm 437]

There is always this too: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-move-a-pc-game-to-another-hard-drive-without-re-1714706774

I've done this method before, when i recently got a new computer.  The process was much quicker than downloading and everything was where it needed to be.

[jcomm 5,886]

I thought it would miss the runtimes install that takes place at the end of the install process that way... 

Thx

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Just to be clear, the method I outlined works for moving from PC to PC, or from hard drive to hard drive.  The application Jimm linked appears to only move games from one drive to another on the same PC.  Something which Steam itself can take care of for you, anyway.  

[jcomm 5,886]

3 minutes ago, TechguyMaxC said:

Just to be clear, the method I outlined works for moving from PC to PC, or from hard drive to hard drive.  The application Jimm linked appears to only move games from one drive to another on the same PC.  Something which Steam itself can take care of for you, anyway.  

Yes, that's what I understood too after reading. In this case it'll have to be you method, because it's between computers.

[jcomm 5,886]

Well,

at least for me it didn't work. Came home with a copy of the FSW folder.

Started a fresh install of DTG's FSW, and when the progresso bar of the download was already some 2 minutes fom the start, i interrupted it, shot down Steam, and then copied the FSW folder I brought from teh other PC into the "common" folder of the home PC disk...

When I started DTG's FSW again, it simply started the full download :-/

 

 

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Something is missing...  I've used this procedure to copy games from one PC to another many times over the years.  When I said to quit Steam completely via the system tray, did you perform that step?  

[jcomm 5,886]

3 minutes ago, TechguyMaxC said:

Something is missing...  I've used this procedure to copy games from one PC to another many times over the years.  When I said to quit Steam completely via the system tray, did you perform that step?  

Yep, even rebooted my Win 10 Pro. Never mind, it is installed now, again :-)

I probably did something wrong...

Thx anyway!

[TechguyMaxC 516]

How long did the download last?  I've seen a download occur before but usually it's small and doesn't take long on a fast connection.  So fast in fact that most of the time I don't even see it.  With a slow connection I suppose that could take long enough to make it seem like it was going to download the whole thing...

[Griphos 138]

Yeah, you don't have to do it the way described, and it works best not to, actually.  There's no need to start and interrupt installs.  Just install Steam on the download computer with good internet access.  Once Steam is installed, install FSW, preferably onto an external or portable harddrive so you don't have to worry about the extra copying step.  You can tell Steam to create and install to a new library on your portable drive. 

Now, take that copy of FSW to your home computer where you want to install the game but the internet is too slow.  If you want to install to your regular Steam game folder, you don't have to create any new folders.  Just copy FSW from the portable drive into the /common/ folder of your Steam install.  THEN, and only then, open Steam on your home computer and tell it to install FSW.  It will ask where you want to install it (if you have multiple steam folders) and you tell it where you've copied FSW.  It will then look for files already installed, find all of them, and verify them.  This will take a little while.  Then you're golden.

If you don't already have Steam installed on your home computer, do that first.  If you want to put FSW on to a different drive than the regular Steam install, then you'll have to create that folder.  You can have as many as you like on as many drives as you like.  You just need to create a "SteamLibrary" folder, and in that a "steamapps" folder, and in that a "common" folder.  Put your FSW install into that.  Open Steam, tell it to install FSW and point it to that new Steamlibrary and it will do as above.  

I've done this many times, and did it with FSW actually last week, since my home internet is crapola as well.  

[TechguyMaxC 516]

44 minutes ago, Griphos said:

Yeah, you don't have to do it the way described, and it works best not to, actually.  There's no need to start and interrupt installs.  Just install Steam on the download computer with good internet access.  Once Steam is installed, install FSW, preferably onto an external or portable harddrive so you don't have to worry about the extra copying step.  You can tell Steam to create and install to a new library on your portable drive. 

Now, take that copy of FSW to your home computer where you want to install the game but the internet is too slow.  If you want to install to your regular Steam game folder, you don't have to create any new folders.  Just copy FSW from the portable drive into the /common/ folder of your Steam install.  THEN, and only then, open Steam on your home computer and tell it to install FSW.  It will ask where you want to install it (if you have multiple steam folders) and you tell it where you've copied FSW.  It will then look for files already installed, find all of them, and verify them.  This will take a little while.  Then you're golden.

If you don't already have Steam installed on your home computer, do that first.  If you want to put FSW on to a different drive than the regular Steam install, then you'll have to create that folder.  You can have as many as you like on as many drives as you like.  You just need to create a "SteamLibrary" folder, and in that a "steamapps" folder, and in that a "common" folder.  Put your FSW install into that.  Open Steam, tell it to install FSW and point it to that new Steamlibrary and it will do as above.  

I've done this many times, and did it with FSW actually last week, since my home internet is crapola as well.  

Copying the files to an intermediary storage mechanism in order to not have to download over a slow internet connection is precisely what we've both outlined.  Your method is functionally no different than the one I provided.  The "extra copying step" as you put it is a basic function of any Operating System which provides access to a file system.  You act as though this is some unfair burden, an unreasonable step to take.  

Besides, it's a moot point anyway as the process completed hours ago and he said as much.  Guess you couldn't be bothered to read that far.  Explains why you think copying from one directory to another is too much to ask 

[Griphos 138]

I read the thread.  I was offering a better method.  I guess you didn't read my post carefully.  I wasn't suggesting your method included an extra copying step.  Your method is less reliable because it involves starting an install and interrupting it.  There is no need for that.  That is the difference between our methods.  Not copying directories.  Of course that step is the same.  

The bit about "extra copying step" was about putting the install on a portable drive rather than the office computer HDD, which would then involve copying it to the cloud or a thumb drive to bring home.  

Again, just to be clear.  The difference between methods is that you should only ask Steam to install the sim/game onto the home computer AFTER you have already copied the sim/game onto that computer, NOT after asking Steam to start an install and interrupt it.  

It was worth mentioning this since your method didn't work for him initially and he thought he "did something wrong."  He didn't.  Steam just got confused because of the unnecessary step you suggested.