Steam install location

[Jeshbaal]

Right now, I'm in between internet providers, and have extremely limited (500mb cap mobile data) internet availability. I'm looking to see how I can get Skyrim installed via steam on my (new) computer without downloading it. I just made the legitimate $39.99 purchase for the Skyrim legendary edition via steam, so it is registered in my library. My friend has the same thing, so I was wondering if it's possible to copy his local content to my computer and register it in my steam without having to actually download it. I should mention again, I have already purchased Skyrim legendary edition IN steam, and have already been billed. I did not pirate this game.

So far, Steam wants to download the game, any ideas?

[Jeshbaal]

I think you can view my profile to see that I have indeed purchased the game, just in case there were any people who still wanted to debate if I was being legitimate or not.

[Jeshbaal]

I've had no luck with copying the game into the steam directory, either. Anyone have any ideas?

[Ilja]

Can't you take your HD to your friends house, sign in to Steam from there with your password and install your copy to your own HD from your account?

Edit: That is exactly how we did things in ancient times, when all of us did not have fast internet and didn't want to use 100000000000000 buggy disks or CDs for one game. I took my HD from my computer, went to my friends house and switched his HD to mine. Then I downloaded and installed stuff directly there.

[la_nague]

your friend has the steam version?


he can make a backup, then you copy the backup files (it will tell you where they are) and then you can tell your steam to load a game from backup.


i did it just yesterday for 11GB of darksouls 2 which i wanted to move from my normal disc to my fast disc.

[Ilja]

That idea worries me. Wouldn't that copy still be digitally signed to a friend and not Razzey?

You are dealing with your own account, but this scenario would involve 2 accounts from different persons. Steam might consider that as a unlegitime copy of a game.

[gnewna]

I agree with Ref, if at all possible it would be better to install onto your machine (well, its HDD) on his connection. If you have an external HDD large enough to install to, I guess it should be okay to take that to his house, log in to your account, install to the external HDD, then bring that home, I think?

[Zefram Cochrane]

Originalmente postado por Razzey:

. My friend has the same thing, so I was wondering if it's possible to copy his local content to my computer and register it in my steam without having to actually download i

Yes thats certainly possible just copy the contents of the Skyrim folder over from his folder onto yours, and then log into your account and enter your key.

Before Steam statrts downloading verify the game cache let it detect the files, and then you're good to go.

Only your account details are particular to you, the game file cache is the same for everyone.

Originalmente postado por Razzey:

I've had no luck with copying the game into the steam directory, either. Anyone have any ideas?

You put it in the right place? It should be in folder ...\Steam\SteamApps\Common\Skyrim\

[la_nague]

Originalmente postado por Ref:

That idea worries me. Wouldn't that copy still be digitally signed to a friend and not Razzey?

You are dealing with your own account, but this scenario would involve 2 accounts from different persons. Steam might consider that as a unlegitime copy of a game.

No?
Backup installs game data to the pc, the account has skyrim and can launch it.
It doesnt matter where the data comes from, you can even have hundreds of users share gamedata in a PcBang, it only matters which games are on your account.





Its the same as just copying the files, what he wanted to do anyways, only it makes steam 100% install them properly. It has problems when you just copy files into a directory of a game that never downloaded.

[DevilNinja]

get someone to backup the game to a usb flash drive then you restore the game from that i do it all the time

[Ilja]

Originalmente postado por la_nague:

No?
Backup installs game data to the pc, the account has skyrim and can launch it.
It doesnt matter where the data comes from, you can even have hundreds of users share gamedata in a PcBang, it only matters which games are on your account

It is not the same thing at all. PcBang is a LAN gaming center. They are sharing save data, but sharing copyrighted game EXE-files would be considered as piracy. (Free and released content are a different matter.)

It is not all the same where the data comes from. Game copies are digitally signed and this copy would be signed to Razzey's friend. Basically, they would try to share a same code with two accounts. I very unlikely that client would accept it.

Go ahead and try to activate a retail copy of a game with a serial number from another box. Digital distribution clients use a similar methdod, replacing visible serial number with a digital one.

[Jeshbaal]

Yeah, so far I've had no luck getting it to work still. I suppose I could try installing Steam on my 1T HDD that's usb 3.0, go to his house and download it onto it and just play from my HDD, but I also use that for my other computers, or if my wife wants to use it I'd have to stop playing. Can I migrate from the HDD to my C drive? I've Googled my way around it and it seems like it's a pain to switch Steam directory locations.

[Jeshbaal]

Actually, now that I think about it, Ref mentioned, would I be able to take my SDD (where my C drive is) and hook that up to a friend's computer and download that way? I've not done a lot of moving my SDD around, so I'm not entirely familiar with what would happen if I did that. I remember when I was building my wife's computer I installed windows and all of the necesarry things for her by plugging her SDD into my computer (I did that while I was building it so I wouldn't have to wait until after I put hers together to start installing all of the OS and stuff). That worked out really well and I had almost no issues putting the SDD into the new computer. I imagine it wouldn't be that different?

[Ilja]

If your computer is any kind of modern computer, where removing your drives can be done without ripping your computer in pieces, then this would be the easiest and most legal option.

If you have acces to antistatic bag - new drives come with it when bought - it would be wise to use that. If not, ask some of your friends if they have one around. Some drives come in their own protective cases instead, so using that is of course even wiser.

[DevilNinja]

get your friend to backup the game from steam onto a hdd then you can restore the game from the external hdd or any kind of storage device to your C/DRIVE, when you have the game on the hdd goto the top of the steam page on the left and click on steam then click on backup and restore
then click on restore a previous backup
then click on browse
then click on the drop down folder
and look were the external hdd is
then click on the folder were the game is it will show as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
then just restore it to your C/DRIVE,
you do not have to take out drives from your PC
i would recommend a memory stick or thumb drive with 16gb becouse when you backup a game it will compress the game...

last year i was always formatting my 2TB drive and downloading all the games again over 200 games im lucky i have unlimited broadband usage but it can take days to download them again
and when you restore any game it will take under 10mins

i backup all my games onto a samsung extenal HDD it only takes a few mins to backup and a few mins to restore
when your friend is backing up the game it will ask you something like backup to dvd or cd
pick DVD and make sure the game is getting backed up to the external drive of your choice
it might sound complicated but it is very easy

[gnewna]

Much easier to download the game using your Steam account onto your HDD/SDD (assuming you have an external drive or one that you can easily remove) using a friend's internet connection. Only reason not to do it that way is if your PC is difficult to disassemble and your friend is able to bring their own external drive to your house more easily, but I would advise against that as it could still be classed as pirating. If you download it with your account onto your drive (while it is attached to their computer) that is fine, as far as I can tell.

It's also going to be simplest as it will be properly installed within your own account.