Way to transfer steam games without re-downloading them.

[TheGrim123321]

I'm gunna factory reset my pc and my internet is very very very very slow. It will take many months to download all my games. So is there a way to spare the steam files in a factory reset?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Copy to a external drive then copy it back. Install it to where the files already are and your good.

 

[NinJake]

My guess would be to transfer all of your games to an external hard drive and then set steam to load the games from there? Or you could try transferring them back off the external HDD after the factory reset.

[TheGrim123321]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Copy to a external drive then copy it back. Install it to where the files already are and your good.

 

Don't have one, is there any other way

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, TheGrim123321 said:

Don't have one, is there any other way

Get one? You have to format to reinstall windows.

[TheGrim123321]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Get one? You have to format to reinstall windows.

Can't afford one (I'm a student lol)

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, TheGrim123321 said:

Can't afford one (I'm a student lol)

Why you going to reset your pc?

 

[Julian5]

Just now, TheGrim123321 said:

Can't afford one (I'm a student lol)

there is  no way then. lol

[Lord_Karango17]

Shrink the partition on your drive, and make a 2nd one to store your games on, when you reinstall windows on the primary partition. Then copy the games back to the steam folder. Steam should auto detect them, and install stuff like direct x drivers when you start up the game.

Its quite convoluted, but its probs the only way if you dont have an external drive.

[TheGrim123321]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Why you going to reset your pc?

 

It's getting slow, and I have like 8gb free of the original 500gb, so instead of going through and deleting all the files I didn't know I had, I'm just gunna factory reset it.

[Lord_Karango17]

1 minute ago, TheGrim123321 said:

It's getting slow, and I have like 8gb free of the original 500gb, so instead of going through and deleting all the files I didn't know I had, I'm just gunna factory reset it.

Isnt there an option in windows 10 to reinstall windows without deleting your files? Should be somewhere in the same screen as the reset pc button if I'm not mistaken/

[TheGrim123321]

1 minute ago, Lord_Karango17 said:

Isnt there an option in windows 10 to reinstall windows without deleting your files? Should be somewhere in the same screen as the reset pc button if I'm not mistaken/

I want to delete all my files but steam.

[pwn_intended]

1 minute ago, TheGrim123321 said:

I want to delete all my files but steam.

Yea, if youre re-formatting you will need to back up all the things you want to keep on another drive. Using partitions is possible, but since you do not have any free space to speak of at the moment, that is not an option for you. Buy an external (they are very cheap, even here in Canada) or borrow one from a friend for a day or 2.

Steam has an amazing backup and restore games feature, but you need another drive to be able to use it properly.

[TheGrim123321]

1 minute ago, pwn_intended said:

Yea, if youre re-formatting you will need to back up all the things you want to keep on another drive. Using partitions is possible, but since you do not have any free space to speak of at the moment, that is not an option for you. Buy an external (they are very cheap, even here in Canada) or borrow one from a friend for a day or 2.

Steam has an amazing backup and restore games feature, but you need another drive to be able to use it properly.

I'll have to save up to get one then. Thanks for all your guys help

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 hours ago, TheGrim123321 said:

I'll have to save up to get one then. Thanks for all your guys help

Use a program like space sniffer to find where all your files are so you can delete the non needed ones