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Thread: Steam question

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    isn't trying to wind U up Shooty*'s Avatar
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    Steam question

    Guys,
    Just freed up a couple of hundred gig on my server, so thought I'd back up my steam games.

    1. My total Steam folder on the computer is 80 gig.
    2. The backups, of ALL games, total 70gig.
    3. In folder "steamapps", there are a load of .gcf and .ncf files totalling 10gig. These are called content, materials, maps, etc, of the various games.

    Now, I've not tried restoring steam games from back up for a long long time, but we're moving house, and I thought it was best to safeguard, rahter than have to download 80gig in the new house. I recall when I DID try and restore a back up, years ago, it had to download lots of stuff anyway, and I remember thinking "well, what was the point of that?"

    So... does anyone have any recent experience of steam back up?
    Do games have to download more content, over and above updates since the backup was carried out?
    should I copy the contents of the folder "steam apps", as I'm hazarding a guess that as they are not in the actual games folders, and as they just HAPPEN to equal the difference between the size of my steam folder and the total size of my backups, they have not been backed up?
    My HTPC: Linky

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    Re: Steam question

    This is how I backup/transfer steam between windows installs:

    1. rename/move/backup steam folder
    2. install fresh copy of steam and exit
    3. delete new steam folder
    4. rename/move/copy backup of steam to the folder you just deleted
    5. restart steam

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    DILLIGAF GoNz0's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    if you dont use the backup tool it wont restore and may redownload everthing to spite you, and the extra content will be custom skins etc from servers you have been on.

    may as well leave it backing up overnight tbh.

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    Senior Member kasavien's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    I generally use the same method as sadbuttrue mentioned, although I tend to just copy the whole folder to another drive instead of renaming anything, hasn't given me any problems. All that you might have to do is copy save games from your my documents or wherever else they're kept. I wish games companies would just decide on a consistent save location!

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    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    steam.exe is the only part of Steam you need for a backup - run steam.exe in an empty folder and it'll redownload every other needed file.

    .gcf files are complete source-based game caches. You can copy a gcf file from one pc to another to migrate your game.

    .ncf are no-content gcf files. They contain only lists of files and their error-checking info - an .ncf game has an equivalent REAL install in common/gamename, e.g. aaaaa content.ncf has common/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!. You ought to be able to copy the ncf/folder pair from one machine to another to migrate it.

    SAVE files and config is another matter - the location of these varies wildly from one game to another. It might be in common/gamename or username/gamename for source-based games, but might also be somewhere like c:\users\documents\my games or somesuch - there's no pattern to it.

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    isn't trying to wind U up Shooty*'s Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    But... but... but... I haven't BEEN in many servers. I don't have any skins, certainly not enough to warrant 10 gig!

    Kasavien: I, like, TOTALLY agree. And I wish these people would stop cluttering up my My Documents folder.

    I think I'll adopt a halfway position: I'll rely on my backups, AND copy the extra files.

    Then, perhaps, I'll test a restore on a small game, like Darwinia or Audiosurf. That's probably the best way to do it, I suppose...
    My HTPC: Linky

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    0iD
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    Re: Steam question

    Quote Originally Posted by directhex View Post
    SAVE files and config is another matter - the location of these varies wildly from one game to another. It might be in common/gamename or username/gamename for source-based games, but might also be somewhere like c:\users\documents\my games or somesuch - there's no pattern to it.
    Which is something I've always found insanely annoying about Steam games tbh.
    [
    Quote Originally Posted by Blitzen
    When I say go, both walk in the opposite direction for 10 paces, draw handbags, then bitch-slap each other!

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    Senior Member Blastuk's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    I just keep the folder as it is, when I format my system drive, I don't have to reinstall steam.. I just run it where it is and it configures itself and all the stuff is still there.

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    sugar n spikes floppybootstomp's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    I'll just say that I originally thought Steam was a good thing.

    But if your ISP caps your monthly bandwidth, it may not be.

    Purchasing games online means that if you have a crash for whatever reason and you do a fresh install of your OS, loading up your Steam folder will eat a significant amount of bandwidth.

    Can't beat a game on a disk with no activation, imo

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    Pork & Beans Powerup Phage's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    The key folder is the Steam Apps. Copy this to a safe place, then re-instrall Steam to the new drive and copy/replace with the old Steam Apps folder.
    Works for me.
    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

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    sugar n spikes floppybootstomp's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    Quote Originally Posted by Phage View Post
    The key folder is the Steam Apps. Copy this to a safe place, then re-instrall Steam to the new drive and copy/replace with the old Steam Apps folder.
    Works for me.
    Thanks for that, I will do that thing

    Had a failed BIOS flash just before Christmas which meant reinstalling, amongst other things, Win 7 & Steam.

    You live and learn eh?

  13. #12
    Pork & Beans Powerup Phage's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    Heh. Like Clint told me - I know my limitations. I wouldn't flash a BIOS unless I really, really had to. Even then I may sacrifice a white chicken beforehand.
    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

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    jim
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    Re: Steam question

    A couple of games I played recently required you to dig around in local settings and so on to get the game saves, ridiculous.

    Steam implemented this brilliant idea of transferable gamesaves that transfers your savegames across the steam network and keeps them consistent between machines.

    That would be brilliant, except when I looked about a month ago it was on a total of 8 games perhaps? And it was introduced over a year ago... so I don't think that'll be happening in a hurry.

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    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    The Steam backup tool just backs up the game cache files i.e. what was downloaded when you bought the game - any maps/saves (although I think some games store saves online - I think snootyjim is referring to Steam Cloud or something which is a great idea, pity it doesn't include many game at all - just a few I think L4D and Hl2 are included)/custom files/mods/etc will not be backed up. After restoring it it will be like you've just installed Steam and downloaded the games. I think the Steam backup is compressed and possibly encrypted but I'm not certain.
    Backing up/restoring the steamapps folder is about the best way and remember to go hunting for any game saves you care about!

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    jim
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    Re: Steam question

    That's the one, Steam Cloud. Nice idea, but clearly not popular with devs. I don't know whether that's due to the extra effort involved or the bandwidth though.

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    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
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    Re: Steam question

    Can't see bandwidth being a problem, game saves aren't very big, they're probably just having trouble getting other publishers to get involved. It would be great if they got it working though. I don't see what's so hard about all publishers agreeing on a place to save all games, I mean there's even a folder for it in Vista/7!

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