Can someone help me with a new HDD and a moved Steam library?

NegativeROG · March 20, 2019

Hello everyone. I have 2 libraries, one for most-played games on an SSD, and games I don't play that often on an HDD. I just installed a new drive (ST3000DM008) to be used as a Steam and Origin library drive. I had a slow 500 GB drive with Steam and Origin libraries, and copied them over to the new drive. I cannot figure out, for the life of me, how to download games I own onto the new drive, because when I try to get Steam to point to the existing library on the new drive, not the SSD), it says "The destination folder must be empty" or something like that. I know I can just download to my normal C:/program files (x86)... etc, etc, and then use Steam Mover, but that is just a dumb way to do it. You guys are much smarter than I am. How do I get Steam to DL to a new drive's old library? If I'm not explaining it properly, ask and I'll try to clarify. Thanks in advance.

PlayStation 2 · March 20, 2019

If you have a dedicated Steam games folder, set that up with a steamapps folder, and then in that folder, create, at the very least, a "common" and "downloading" folder, then move all of your games into the common folder. Then point Steam to the base folder, the one before the steamapps one. If any games give you issues from there, tell Steam to install that game on that drive. It should recognize that there's files there and it'll scan for them.

Origin's a bitch to do that with, though, least from what I've heard, so I can't speak on that.

Tsuki · March 20, 2019

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Calamity1911 · March 20, 2019

3 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

If you have a dedicated Steam games folder, set that up with a steamapps folder, and then in that folder, create, at the very least, a "common" and "downloading" folder, then move all of your games into the common folder. Then point Steam to the base folder, the one before the steamapps one. If any games give you issues from there, tell Steam to install that game on that drive. It should recognize that there's files there and it'll scan for them.

Origin's a bitch to do that with, though, least from what I've heard, so I can't speak on that.

For Origin, there's an option for some games that says "Locate Game" or something like that. I'll attach a screenshot or two.