I just cut-pasted them outside of Steam folders until I know "installing" won't delete them. I can't do it another way, if Steam doesn't see the game is not installed.
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I'll show it here, doesn't matter if I bring these files back, Steam will show nothing. No possible verify or moving. Everything's blank
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On my HDD. I also have separate folder for stuff on my SSD, but only games are there.
Can't break what is already broken xD
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Will check that in a moment.
~Edit - some weird blank error pops-up, making me unable to do that.
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I love how you keep insisting that it needs to be somehow done with the client because it is absolutely not true. If you do it property you can do it with copy paste just fine. Source: moved GTA5 between 3 different drives with 0 problems.
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How about starting the download, pause it, copy the already installed data to the new install directory, (maybe restart Steam client), continue the download? Don't know if that works, never had such an issue.
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The problem is space, but I might try that. Gotta need around 210 GB's free for the trick though :P
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Just start the dl- it'll find the old installation (well, if you move it back) and done, no dl required.
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Thought about that first time it happened, but it deleted everything instead.
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Did you use install rather than verify files?
Because that's odd, each time I got this issue I just hit install, I waited a bit and done, all my data intact.
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Check screenshot, I don't have these options available.
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If you make a copy of the game folder, you can always paste it back if things don't work out.
I have had this a lot of times. Most of the time (although not always), Steam finds the existing files, and sorts itself out.
Good luck :)
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That happened last time after I clicked install - boom, everything gone, but at least Steam said it's there xD
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I've done it a while ago. Back the files up somewhere. Start a fresh install. Stop the install. Copy the files over to the freshly created install location. The next step I'm not sure if I tried to verify or continue the install.
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You need to move the appmanifest too when you move a game, and it must be a "library folder" recognized by Steam.
Can be found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps
appmanifest_268500
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Have you restarted the Steam client? It reads the manifest files only at startup (in fact it does not care about the actual game files when building the list of installed games, only the manifests).
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Restarted, it's checking for files now, but I doubt that's end of the troubles.
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That sounds like the side-effect of the download-magics floating around. This "copy files and manifest" method should start without half-installing the game.
My routine seems like this:
1) game is nowhere, uninstalled
2) exit Steam
3) copy game files and manifest
4) start Steam
Then the game just appears in the list, either ready for playing, or requiring some minimal update, 10-20 megabytes at most.
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For some unknown reason that manifest is one big pile of mess, NULL everywhere when I opened it with notepad++. Maybe that's the case?
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try this manifest: https://pastebin.com/snUFbkRL
it's from an older version of xcom 2 from when it was f2p for a weekend - should still work, or at least be enough for you to reconstruct your own manifest
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Manifest is fixed for now, but i'll save some copies. Thanks
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got to move appmanifest too, the data is in that small file, telling client the game is installed or not or giving overall statics etc.
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I remember when Skyrim had just come out and somebody bought me a physical copy for Christmas and I was really happy because I couldn't afford it for myself at the time and I installed it off the DVD and then it asked me to put the Steam code in and I did and Steam started installing it again from the start. Which took half a week on on my crappy internet. Happy days.
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maybe this could help:
Add previously existing alternate installation libraries/folders to Steam
If you had previously installed the games to an alternate location outside of your main Steam folder please try the following:
- Launch Steam and go to Steam > Settings > Downloads and click the Steam Library Folders button. This will open a window with all your current Steam Library folders.
- Click the "Add Library Folder" button and select the folder with your installed games.
Once you have added the new Library folder your installed games should appear in your Steam Library.
more info here:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8379-RYIP-2998
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Doesn't work, I've tried it before, unfortunetely.
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So I deleted shit-ton of games&films (big oof here), stared install on SSD, moved whole folder, and it still wants to download whole install, while it is inside. What do? Verify says it's 100% okay.
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You need to set the state of the game files within the manifest.
You can find a full list of states here: https://github.com/lutris/lutris/blob/master/docs/steam.rst
Did this with GTA 5 so I didn't have to download it seeing as I already had a non-steam copy.
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I wonder if this is manifest fault, cause it's full of NULL's. Is there any way to generate new without installing?
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That would be the problem. Try Daud's suggestion below.
This is how I did GTA V.
Start the game downloading and it will create the manifest., then kill steam, edit the manifest, set "StateFlags" to 4, change "BytesToDownload" to 0 and "BytesDownloaded" to whatever the value of "BytesToDownload" was.
Copy the files to the install location, then do a verify.
With GTA it needed to download a couple of gig, but was better than downloading the whole thing.
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There is already a FAQ about this problem.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8379-RYIP-2998
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Create backup of the game. Delete the game. Install from backup.
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This should help if i recall - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=379830692
Main thing with moving games is the app manifest, if you're saying it's null everywhere, then its faulty and you'll need to generate a new one.
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Guess I'm kinda saved for now, with backup, Steam finally found the install. There is another problem though, how to detect mods that are already downloaded from workshop, and stop from downloading them again :P?
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This happened to me before, and ended up in deleting existing install while trying to verify files location. Maybe You guys at SG will have any clue, or encountered similliar problem.
Now I'm in the same effing situation, pic related below.
Files are in place they belong, but I can't seem to play, because Steam says I have to install the game first. As I said, if I click install, I know it will delete my existing install, and I'm not too keen to download whole 75 GB's again, as it's pain in my ass and for my wallet (shitty expensive internet). For now I moved whole folder somewhere safe, so nothing bad will happen to it. My question, is there any safe way for Steam to recognize that game is already installed? Main problem is I also don't have that much space available to move everything freely between SSD and HDD.
In the end I'll probably download crack or something, if I won't find solution, because I want to play that darn game, not fight with this bugged platform :P
Oh, and thanks in advance for read and to all those willing to or already helped, it means much =)
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