Steam is not letting me choose where to install Half-Life 2?

[bad sniper]

So, I have Half-Life 2 installed on another drive and I recently reinstalled steam, as such Half-Life 2 shows up as uninstalled. I have library folders in other drives registered on steam however whenever I try install Half-Life 2 it doesn't ask me where I want to install, and instead just automatically installs on C drive. Strange thing is all other uninstalled games ask me whereas Half-Life 2 doesn't.

I have the game fully installed on another drive and I don't want to reinstall it, how do I get steam to recognize its installed when it doesn't ask me?

[rarestMeow]

hello,

it happens because Half-Life 2 data is used by other games and mods (like Episodes, Deathmatch, Lost Coast, HL: Source, Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat etc-etc-etc)

if you have any games that may utilize (reference) Half-Life 2 game data in any way, then Steam will not allow you to change Half-Life 2 install directory

the only way to bypass it, is to uninstall ALL games that may use Half-Life 2 data, then uninstall Half-Life 2 itself, then install Half-Life 2 in a location you want, then install all previously deleted games

afaik, Left 4 Dead 1/2 and Portal 1/2 do not use Half-life 2 data

it is a terrible solution, but it works; there is a guide that recommends the same, https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=208783207

...and there are random user posts who solved that issue in the same way, https://steamcommunity.com/app/220/discussions/0/485624149156044108/#c133262738416733989

yeah, quite complicated =/

[Sikobae]

1 Close steam
2 create new library folder under Settings/downloads/Library folders (i recommend "driveroot/steamgames"
3 move (cut paste) "Half Life 2" folder to new drive keeping the "steamapps/common/" format
4 open steam
5 run install, select the right drive, it will discover existing files

this is what mine looks like https://i.imgur.com/59b9mUU.png

Originally posted by rarestMeow:

the only way to bypass it, is to uninstall ALL games that may use Half-Life 2 data, then uninstall Half-Life 2 itself, then install Half-Life 2 in a location you want, then install all previously deleted games

You don't have to delete anything. steam discovers existing files similarly to validation.

[Ghidrah1]

I thought steam loaded the games to the drive you installed steam on. When 1st joined, had Steam on "C" and that's where the games went without my interference then new comp, reinstalled steam on "D" and all games went to "D" without my interference

[Pipatra Dash]

What I did was that I went into steam settings, drives, and I removed the drive that had hl2 and the rest of the games, since I use hl2 and CSS for gmod, I had gmod installed on a separate drive, so after I removed said drive, I could finally choose another location.

[76561198992675309]

Does Gmod prevent Half Life 2 episodes into its drive like my Disk Drive wont take HL2 Episodes and idk if i should move CSS to my main drive or if its gmod preventing HL2 from being added same story is for L4D2 and Portal 2, I cant download them into the D: Drive, for some reason it says unsupported files but i got TF2, GMod and CSS in there but cant get L4D in it

[Mr_Bruh6756]

Go into steam settings and go to storage. on the top of the page you can see the install drive directory. just click it and click the drive your trying to install the game on. Hope this helps!