Making a backup, files failed to validate, Steam now downloading whole game again.

[FlareFluffsune]

Okay, today I decided to start backing up my steam games as I'm going to be upgrading my 32bit windows 7 to 64bit and I'm doing this because 1: Its easier and 2: My internet is slow to the point it takes an hour to download 700MB (I live in a rural area in England, no cable out here.)

So imagine my surprise when after I run PS2 and make sure its updated fully then start making a backup Steam tells me files failed to validate and after running a file check apparently 223 files failed to validate and its downloading a 5.2GB ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ update!!

ARE YOU EVEN KEEPING PLANETSIDE 2 UP-TO-DATE ON YOUR DAMN SERVERS?

[Haliaetus]

Sounds like this is a problem with Steam and not the game itself. Though I'm not too sure why making a back-up would cause Steam to delete some of your PS2 files.

http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/steam-users-please-avoid-the-steam-validate-files-feature.51921/

[aPhilRa]

I can only warn you to not use the "Steam Backup"...."feature". It's nothing but unstable for me (sometimes reinstalling doesn't start or fails half way through) and if the Steam servers are under heavy load (lots of players online) you can't initiate a backup aswell, because most of the time you get the "under heavy load, please try again later" message.
If you want to back up all your games just copy your "steamapps" folder. After reinstalling Steam on your new setup, just start the installation for the games you want and let Steam create the game files. After that and before any downloading starts, close Steam and replace the newly created game files with your backup from before. Then just start Steam and do a validate for all the games, just in case some files need to be downloaded. After that you should be good to go.

[FlareFluffsune]

Okay thanks, Steam backup works perfectly for every other game its just PlanetSide 2 that was giving me greif. I'll have to try that once its finished 'updating' Planetside again.

[Zolk Ironblood]

why are you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ backing up an mmo...

[FlareFluffsune]

Why the ♥♥♥♥ can you not read what people have posted? :P

[OJ191]

If you payed any attention you would realise it updates through the launcher not through steam. This means that what steam has is AN OLD VERSION. While there is probably a way around it, it hasn't been done. Therefore validating game cache, backups, etc will cause steam to go "oh uh files are different from what they should be, redownload".

[FlareFluffsune]

Yes thank you for validating what the first 2 posters have already told me and telling me what I already know maybe if you had read what I actually posted that might have prevented yourself from actually posting something useless.

Oh for convenience I'll post the bit where I checked to make sure PS2 was up to date and then went to make a Steam Backup because apparently nobody knows Steam has a Backup feature.

Originally posted by Crymson The Eevee:

So imagine my surprise when after I run PS2 and make sure its updated fully then start making a backup Steam tells me files failed to validate