How to move MO2 mods to an external hard drive?

[richieandjane]

I just got a new laptop and started reinstalling my games only to discover it had a paltry amount of storage space. I've moved my Steam games to a Seagate external hard drive, but Mod Organizer 2 has a mod directory in my base drive: can I move that to the EHD, and if so, how? (My MO2 installation is also on the EHD: I can provide more details tomorrow, if necessary)

[Ilja]

MO2 is likely the easiest part. I would just delete other folder than Profiles and Mods (and Downloads, if you use it) from original location. Then install MO2 to new location and Cut + Paste those lingering folders there.

Only downside is that you will have to set paths to Download and mods folder again. However, you can also do these per mod, when ever you update or reinstall them.

The game itself is the hardest part. Steam does not really care for external hard drives. You may encounter issues, where Steam keeps showing Fallout 4 as uninstalled. It is easy to fix, just be initializing installation again and letting Steam to figure out that files were actually there. However, that does get annoying and can mess around with your original INI files.

[richieandjane]

Well, I just moved the game's install directory the way Steam itself recommended. And I don't think I made myself clear: the MO2 *install* is right where I want it to be, I don't want to move that. I want to change where the mods I've installed through MO2 go: I seem to recall MO2 itself saying something like "if you don't want to store a lot of data there, you can configure..." something through the settings menu, I don't quite remember.

[Ilja]

Installed mods need to be there, but downloads do not need to. My own downloads are hat large HDD storage drive, while game, MO2 and installed mods are in my SSD-drive.

External drives are a known problem with Steam. It doesn't know that it is external, when you install the game there. The issue is that if it ever is detached from the system then Steam may loose the path to files in it. Connecting the drive back does not always solve this.

[richieandjane]

...oh. Oh. Right. That might be a problem. How do I get more bloody storage, then? Most of mine is taken up by the TWO games I have installed. I don't even know if I can get a second drive in this laptop. Rrgh, this is so bloody complicated. So: Tomorrow when I get home, I need to move the games back, and then I have barely any storage left. I am getting slightly worried that I might have spent more than 2500$ NZ on a dud. It's a model from this year, for crying out loud.

I'm on the verge of genuine panic at this point.

[Candesco]

Well, the easiest way would be to uninstall one of those games or maybe both. Dunno if you use those. Otherwise you have to stick to the external drive. External drive ain't the most stable solution around no, but it works. I have used an external drive on an other computer (mine was not working then) and i also used it with steam, that was with conan exiles and bless.
It's true that sometimes a game wouldn't be recognized that it's installed, especially if you gonna run a game then without the external attached. A little workaround is then to proceed to installing the game and then when you are gonna install it then just quit with installing. I wouldn't mess around with initiatilizing, cause that is not the problem. Files are there, but the link is simply missing then. By pretending you gonna install it you fix that.
So there you have it. It's either uninstall one of the two installed games or the external drive. Otherwise you have to use an other computer then or don't install fallout 4 at all. Those are the options you have.

[richieandjane]

So you're telling me my ludicrously expensive current-year computer can't have more than one game installed at once? Fine. When I get home I'm telling my parents that I'm getting a damn refund. I should have gotten a desktop and just run the risk of transporting it regularly along bumpy mountain roads in the first place.

I'm giving serious thought to just quitting gaming and finding a different, cheaper hobby.

[richieandjane]

Well, cancel that, all my bloody data is on this machine now! I just wasted $2500NZ, didn't I...

[hawkeye]

The paths settings tells MO2 where to find files. If the files are elsewhere, change the settings.

[richieandjane]

Okay, maybe moving the files will at least free up SOME space.