Moving Software/Games To New PC

Hi there,

I apologise if this is the wrong forum for this, but I was wondering something and can't seem to find the answer anywhere on the internet.

Firstly, I have a few non-Steam games on my PC, and I'd like to move them to my new PC when I get it tomorrow. I know that a few games are linked to online accounts and so on, but I was wondering if it was possible to uninstall the games on the current PC, then reinstall them on the new PC. If you need examples of which games I'm talking about, please turn your eyemeats to the following:

Dragon Age 1 and 2
Mass Effect 2
Oblivion
Fallout 3

There are a few more but these are the ones it would really cost me to replace if I had to. I realise there's probably something in the EULAs of these games that forbids this, but can't for the life of me actually find it. There are a few vague things about the software being authenticated on any number of machines, but only with the same accounts - does this mean I can just reinstall using the same key as long as I log into the same account (i.e. EA accounts) once inside the game?

Secondly, and on an alarmingly similar note, I have a few songs/videos with DRM. Is it possible to move the licenses for these to a new computer? If so, how is it done?

I hope someone will be able to help me, and thank you for reading this far. No, really.

EULA usually specify one computer at a time, so you should be fine.

Oblivion and Fallout 3 basically don't have any DRM so there shouldn't be an issue, unless you bought DLC for Fallout 3 some versions of which might need you to sign into your Live account (but this is on a per account basis, not per machine).

Dragon Age 1 and Mass Effect 2 work on email/forum accounts so you just move save games over, log in and it should work. DA2 I assume is the same, but I don't have it.

It mite just be easier for you to do a reinstall of your games.

I use this software for doing it

Game save manager

Works really well, just click, it scans all your games, saves them for you and will also upload them to your dropbox if you want

Quote:

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Originally Posted by helpiveimploded

Firstly, I have a few non-Steam games on my PC, and I'd like to move them to my new PC when I get it tomorrow. I know that a few games are linked to online accounts and so on, but I was wondering if it was possible to uninstall the games on the current PC, then reinstall them on the new PC.

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Game publishers don't restrict your ability to install games on new PCs, none that I'm aware of anyway. There would be absolute uproar if they did.

Some of them have put in limits, starting with Spore - i.e. you may only have this game installed on 5 PCs, uninstalling will give you a license back.

Ultimately, just try to install them. If something goes wrong, and says you aren't allowed to, then contact the manufacturer's support line and tell them it's only installed on one PC. Should be fine.

As for music and videos, as far as I know the DRM is usually either built into the files or into software. If you're just talking about a few files on your hard disk, e.g. mp3 files that you can drag and drop, it should carry its DRM with it and be fine. You will probably have to reauthenticate or something with the new machine, but it shouldn't stop working.

Thanks a lot for the advice, guys, I appreciate it. I had a problem with WMVs with DRM when I moved to my current computer, which I never solved, but then again I didn't try. I'm sure I could just contact the distributor or something to sort that.

Man, it's difficult to catalogue everything you've got to do when you move computers, isn't it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by helpiveimploded

Thanks a lot for the advice, guys, I appreciate it. I had a problem with WMVs with DRM when I moved to my current computer, which I never solved, but then again I didn't try. I'm sure I could just contact the distributor or something to sort that.

Man, it's difficult to catalogue everything you've got to do when you move computers, isn't it?

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Very,

I try and only have one or two games installed at once with the rest's saved backed up. It really is a pain moving between machines

Some movie files supplied on USB sticks or on DVD as a digital copy are time limited ie. it's only possible to copy them to one of the permitted devices until a specified date. After that, it's not possible to copy them to another machine.

Could you not make an image of your system? I have 2 images of my win 7 system. Not sure what OS you have, but did vista pro etc have the same image facility as win 7? Or maybe there are some good free image software.

Another option might be to copy the game files etc to a external hard drive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AledJ

Could you not make an image of your system? I have 2 images of my win 7 system. Not sure what OS you have, but did vista pro etc have the same image facility as win 7? Or maybe there are some good free image software.

Another option might be to copy the game files etc to a external hard drive.

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Images aren't good when you move to a new hardware.

for games, see if yuo can find the profile folders in your current PC and copy them to a USB drive.

then when you reinstall the games on the new PC, set up a character, or whatever, then relocate the new profiles folder and drop the older backups in there too... see if they are usable.

In a lot of games there is a folder in the game but ALSO in Program Files somewhere.. and often ALSO in the user account folder for your PC.

For example, CoD W@W has a folder in

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME HERE\AppData\Local\Activision

The G4WL crapware adds another layer of complexity - backing up the saves isn't enough, you must back up all the G4WL profile data too. I discovered this the hard way but luckily I only have one such game, and I'm not likely to be getting any more. ;)

I spent hours a while back checking where all my games keep their saves and adding them to a backup list in some backup software then I just add new games when I get them. It is incredibly frustrating though, there should be some rules or at least guidelines for where game saves are kept i.e. all in a folder in Documents! There's simply no excuse now - all the exes manage to find their way in to Prog Files!