Swap External drive between 2 Computers

[baddog2010]

How do I use, install, download a game on an external drive and then take to another computer to play.
Situaion is .... Download/install game on external drive computer A and take external drive to computer B to install/play without having to download the entire game on computer B. Both computers have Steam installed using same account. Does Steam need to be installed on external drive to be 'shared' between two computers. Reason, computer A has land line unlimited data, computer B is satellite limited data connection.

[Vaemer-Riit]

Off the top of my head the easiest way would be to have a hot swap bay in each pc.

Then make a library folder on the drive on one pc, shutdown and remove the drive and take it to the 2nd pc and delete the original folder and recreate it on the 2nd pc.

Now both computers know where the library folder is when the drive is plugged in.

To install a game: shutdown both pcs, remove drive and install in pc 2.

Install game.

Shutdown pc 2 and remove drive and install in pc 1.

Turn on pc 1 and steam should see the library folder and list the game as installed.

[Silicon Vampire]

CompB will still need an Internet connection

[Vaemer-Riit]

Originally posted by Silicon Vampire:

CompB will still need an Internet connection

Yah but in his original post 1 comp has a unlimited connection and the other has a metered connection so he should be good

[baddog2010]

Originally posted by Vaemer-Riit:

Off the top of my head the easiest way would be to have a hot swap bay in each pc.

Then make a library folder on the drive on one pc, shutdown and remove the drive and take it to the 2nd pc and delete the original folder and recreate it on the 2nd pc.

Now both computers know where the library folder is when the drive is plugged in.

To install a game: shutdown both pcs, remove drive and install in pc 2.

Install game.

Shutdown pc 2 and remove drive and install in pc 1.

Turn on pc 1 and steam should see the library folder and list the game as installed.

Thanks, Computer B does have metered satellite inet connection.
Kinda where I was thinking but only have external usb drive. Figured might be to slow for actual install/play on external drive.
Computer B is a laptop. Dont like to haul back n forth, plus computer B has slow network card.
Computer A has 1gb card.
PC A 12gb download/install about 15-20 minutes at unlimited location.
PC B 12gb download/install about 3 hour at unlimited location.
will look into hot swap drive configuration between the two PC's.

[Vaemer-Riit]

The principal is the same with usb drives, same setup but you have to be careful that the drive letter does not change if you have more than one storage device (usb hard drive, thumb drive, sd card ect) inserted when booting the pc up.

[ReBoot]

Use Steam's backup function. It'll take care of all necessary bookkeeping.

[baddog2010]

down load-install-backup on pc A ext drive then restore pc B worked. it 'unpacked' files showing as down load function of 12gb files , made me panic, would'nt 'pause', noticed time bar really moving fast, but apparently not 12gb down load from steam, local unpack of files. yes same drive letter, same default pathis on both pc's. Now that I can download much faster I'll probably be 'uploading' more $$$ faster. hahaha.

[baddog2010]

thanks for the assist...

[revmb51]

I have a similar question but a little more pointed. I have a 5Tb external SSD on one PC that is Purely storage for my "local PC 1" Steam library. If I create a dedicated Downloads folder on the SSD for the 2nd PC (I use one PC for flight sims, and one for VR), is there any issues with simply unplugging it like a Monster Thumb Drive and allocating the 2nd PC to only work off of the Newly Created Folder within the SSD? My hope is to use 2.5 TB for PC 1, and 2.5 TB for PC 2. The OS on both in on an Internal drive totally separate.