Temporary download folder

[Gallonidas]

Can someone help me change the Steam TEMP download folder?
Every time there's a long download (10GB+) and there's massive files, the download completes quickly, but then Steam keeps "installing" it for longer than the download takes to complete.
Just a note: Ark and other large games ARE ALREADY installed in a fast SSD, but Steam keeps on using my slow HDD during installation, at 100% usage.

I want to change from:
D:\(...)\steamapps\downloading
to
E:\(...)\steamapps\downloading

How do I avoid it happening, changing the Temp download folder?

[zerassar]

Google windows 10 folder junctions.

[Gallonidas]

引用自 zerassar：

Google windows 10 folder junctions.

Don't want to do that. I want direct the download to E: ON STEAM not on Windows.

[[BRTD]Luewen]

引用自 Gallonidas：

引用自 zerassar：

Google windows 10 folder junctions.

Don't want to do that. I want direct the download to E: ON STEAM not on Windows.

First you will need to have free space at least the same what game needs when installed. That should be all it needs for steam to use same drive for temp files when updating.

If not you will need to have the game on steam library that is first in the library list. And that library being default.

Or like said above folder junctions.

[zerassar]

引用自 Gallonidas：

引用自 zerassar：

Google windows 10 folder junctions.

Don't want to do that. I want direct the download to E: ON STEAM not on Windows.

Did you even research it before making up your mind that you don't want to do it?

You can't directly configure the folders steam uses... Therefore junctions are your best option to achieve the outcome you want. I.e. pointing one folder to another.

[ELK]

you can make a seperate steamapps folder your would have to put ark and it's app manifest file there too. you can't move JUST the downloading temp. Don't know what folder junctions are but doesn't matter see below.

Plus moving just the download folder to your SSD would not fix it. Steam is patching files. Just because the data with the patch instructions would be on the SSD doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

[zerassar]

引用自 ELK：

Plus moving just the download folder to your SSD would not fix it. Steam is patching files. Just because the data with the patch instructions would be on the SSD doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

引用自 Gallonidas：

Just a note: Ark and other large games ARE ALREADY installed in a fast SSD, but Steam keeps on using my slow HDD during installation, at 100% usage.

Re junctions, like seconds later in a google search you'd know what they are ;-).
TLDR Symbolic links... Allows you to redirect one folder to another invisibly to applications.

Helpful in this situation where steam decides to use slower disk for caching. Merely point the slow folder to the fast folder and regardless as to which one steam tries to use... The data will arrive in the destination you decided upon.

[Gallonidas]

引用自 zerassar：

引用自 ELK：

Plus moving just the download folder to your SSD would not fix it. Steam is patching files. Just because the data with the patch instructions would be on the SSD doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

引用自 Gallonidas：

Just a note: Ark and other large games ARE ALREADY installed in a fast SSD, but Steam keeps on using my slow HDD during installation, at 100% usage.

Re junctions, like seconds later in a google search you'd know what they are ;-).
TLDR Symbolic links... Allows you to redirect one folder to another invisibly to applications.

Helpful in this situation where steam decides to use slower disk for caching. Merely point the slow folder to the fast folder and regardless as to which one steam tries to use... The data will arrive in the destination you decided upon.

I know what folder juctions are, I just don't want to do that.
I know how to do many things in life that I don't want to.

I will just delete the Steam library on the HDD...

[ELK]

引用自 zerassar：

引用自 ELK：

Plus moving just the download folder to your SSD would not fix it. Steam is patching files. Just because the data with the patch instructions would be on the SSD doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

引用自 Gallonidas：

Just a note: Ark and other large games ARE ALREADY installed in a fast SSD, but Steam keeps on using my slow HDD during installation, at 100% usage.

Re junctions, like seconds later in a google search you'd know what they are ;-).
TLDR Symbolic links... Allows you to redirect one folder to another invisibly to applications.

Helpful in this situation where steam decides to use slower disk for caching. Merely point the slow folder to the fast folder and regardless as to which one steam tries to use... The data will arrive in the destination you decided upon.

doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

[zerassar]

引用自 ELK：

引用自 zerassar：

Re junctions, like seconds later in a google search you'd know what they are ;-).
TLDR Symbolic links... Allows you to redirect one folder to another invisibly to applications.

Helpful in this situation where steam decides to use slower disk for caching. Merely point the slow folder to the fast folder and regardless as to which one steam tries to use... The data will arrive in the destination you decided upon.

doesn't mean that there wouldn't be tons of patch work to the files on the HDD(where the game is located).

lol The OP has already said the game is on the SSD... Like I literally just quoted the OP saying that.

[ELK]

If the game is on the SSD then the download should be to the ssd also. steam > settings > downloads > steam library folders... should have both the on E and D drive.

Are you sure it's not trying to download another copy of ark to the HDD maybe because of an appmanifest that was not removed? the download would be huge though assuming there isn't a copy of ARK already on the hdd. I guess you could try clearing the download cache on the same downloads setting page.

[Samadhi]

引用自 ELK：

If the game is on the SSD then the download should be to the ssd also. steam > settings > downloads > steam library folders... should have both the on E and D drive.

Are you sure it's not trying to download another copy of ark to the HDD maybe because of an appmanifest that was not removed? the download would be huge though assuming there isn't a copy of ARK already on the hdd. I guess you could try clearing the download cache on the same downloads setting page.

My original steam location was on a hdd and Ark had a dedicated Nvme, but still Steam was caching to the HDD.

You basically have 2 options, reinstall like i did or do as Zerassar suggests.

[zerassar]

引用自 ELK：

If the game is on the SSD then the download should be to the ssd also. steam > settings > downloads > steam library folders... should have both the on E and D drive.

Yeh it is "meant to". Though for a whole heap of us it doesnt.
I've heard various explanations suggest that it should be the same cache as the library its installed... Others say its the default libraries cache... Others say its the one with the most free space.

However it is supposed to work... You'll find a bunch of people here on the forums after each big patch or DLC launch complaining of slow install speeds. When they subsequently use Resource Monitor to track the disk IO activity its noted that steam is pulling/writing patch info from/to the download cache on the HDD. So its an incredibly common issue.

Clearing of the DL cache just resets the download and it starts to download to the same cache again. No change.

Changing the steam default library also has inconsistent results. Some claim it worked for them... But in my experience it doesnt.

Its why I turned to the junctions as a solution as it then didnt matter what sillyness steam tried it'd still go to the same place. Has worked a treat for me since.

Though the OP for their reasons doesnt wish to do that. Each to their own.

[ELK]

I wonder if moving steam itself to the SSD would solve it. Couldn't find anything in the registry that is specifically downloads. At least y'all don't have 600kbit internet like me

[zerassar]

引用自 ELK：

I wonder if moving steam itself to the SSD would solve it. Couldn't find anything in the registry that is specifically downloads. At least y'all don't have 600kbit internet like me

For me, and many ive spoken to, steam already is/was on the SSD.

Pretty much just having a library on both an SSD AND a HDD was enough to start the inconsistent behaviour. Which for most games it wasnt noticed. But with how big ark is... and how painfully slow HDD's are with ark patches... Well it gets noticed.

[Gallonidas]

Hi guys!
Yes Steam is installed on C: (small SSD with no games, only Windows and Page File)
HDD is D: and had some games where loading wasn't a concern.
And E: is a large 1TB SSD.
All games, despite being installed on D: or E: (never C:) were using D: as the temporary download folder.
After downloading, Steam starts decompressing the downloaded files and installing them. This was ok for the games installed on D:, since they never get large patches.
But for the games installed on E: (like Ark), using D: as the \steamapps\downloading was causing the 360MB download to finish in about 2 minutes, then waiting 2 hours, while applying those 360MB inside a 45GB file inside Ark. This process includes decompressing 45GB from the SSD to the HDD, replacing new files, then re-compressing it back to the SSD.