Possible to clean up my Steam install?

[DrR0Ck]

I've been running Steam for 10+ years and have over 10k games in my account. Steam is slow to start up and I'd like to see whether there might be an easy way or some guide on how to perform a clean install of Steam, but retain all of my categories, custom artworks, installed games, etc. I.e. to clean everything up to a near fresh experience without losing years worth of customization. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Iceira]

Ask steam support or suggestion & idea's, because there is no way in hell, we can cover 10k games, and its save game and all the custom build yuo want to keep, now maybe steam will start pay attention with steam user that has many games,

Dont forget if you want brute hornest reply, then any old pc user with skill can tell yuo that your job to have backup of your data. ( but i understand why you ask, only steam know every data setings per game or where each things is. )

Steam have change or update on the fly to handle big library's, problem is handle of data per disk partions and other things down this road might effect performance, you need other steam user that match near you, not sure they will see your post.

To be rude ask ppl with atleast 5k games and hope some have a clue on its performance, or ask steam for better info maybe, ( im not so sure a big 10Tb disk or more is good or bad. ( it still need to verify big disk then startup of steam. ) and maybe this is not a problem anymore as it once was.

gl with it, and i hope you get other big steam lib user with better performance experience then even i can provide, and maybe you already have Raid or other fast disk performance so many off topic things here we cant see.

[Iceira]

And dont forget steam flush cmd
and clear dl cache and delete web browser user data, ( they are seen as part of the problem )
in how steam actual do the performance.

Do have account and pw rdy then you do it.

and maybe its this problem you have and not a many games issue.

[DrR0Ck]

Thanks for your responses! I'll look into the flush cmd, dl cache and web browser cache clearing. I just feel like a bunch of cruft has built up over the years and maybe being able to identify and clean it up might make for better performance.

One thing that occurs to me is to simply back up my install folder, delete everything and just run a clean install and see if the performance improves. From there, I can just copy my backup back to the clean install to get my settings, installs, etc. back, as if I had migrated to a new PC.

But I will say I had hoped there might just be a cleanup tutorial or step-by-step guide to clean installing and adding back in the categories, installs, artwork, etc. So I could do so without just dropping the entire steam folder back on top.

[Iceira]

Still think you should ask steam support for better backup tool app, there are so many steam userdata not mention, i bet if you had a choise from steam to copy it away before a wipe you will have done so. ( its here we other learn from the past user own problem to have backup of pc. )
next gen ppl have not learn this, and many dont do backup anymore its only games anyway, just wait to the learn the 100 of hours in a game then we dont laugh anymore then you lost save game.

and you seem to know all this then you migrate to new pc, ( even this is change thanks to steam lan transfer enable. )

""But I will say I had hoped there might just be a cleanup tutorial or step-by-step guide to clean installing and adding back in the categories, installs, artwork, etc. So I could do so without just dropping the entire steam folder back on top.""

and thats why you should ask steam support or suggestion, icons and artwork and alot of other data aient part of steam reinstall or aka reset steam.

to my knowledge no user have made a guide, sense steam change how things work

we have seen steam user get into trouble with collections library data.( to new pc )

and we are only steam user here, its complicate, untill steam says its not though app or external steam backup app. if thats the best way they can solve this.

[Muppet among Puppets]

If you keep steam exe, steamapps and userdata folder,
running steam exe will load the rest again.

Make sure these 3 things cover all you want to keep. This is from my memory, how to "reinstall" steam without losing everything.

[DrR0Ck]

Publicado originalmente por Muppet among Puppets:

If you keep steam exe, steamapps and userdata folder,
running steam exe will load the rest again.

Make sure these 3 things cover all you want to keep. This is from my memory, how to "reinstall" steam without losing everything.

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

[N3tRunn3r]

10 years? better you do a complete fresh & clean OS install. Your system will thank you, and so will run 1000x faster with 1000x better performance, as on its first day running..

[B-o-B]

Publicado originalmente por DrR0Ck:

Publicado originalmente por Muppet among Puppets:

If you keep steam exe, steamapps and userdata folder,
running steam exe will load the rest again.

Make sure these 3 things cover all you want to keep. This is from my memory, how to "reinstall" steam without losing everything.

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

They have it in the Support page under Moving. Same thing.

The following instructions are a simple way to move your Steam installation along with your games:

Exit the Steam client application.
Navigate to the Steam installation folder. The default installation location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
Delete all of the files and folders except the steamapps and userdata folders and steam.exe
Cut and paste the whole Steam folder to the new location, for example:
D:\Games\Steam\
Launch Steam and log into your account.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4BD4-4528-6B2E-8327#default
good luck

[DrR0Ck]

Publicado originalmente por N3tRunn3r:

10 years? better you do a complete fresh & clean OS install. Your system will thank you, and so will run 1000x faster with 1000x better performance, as on its first day running..

OS was reinstalled less than a year ago. But I've been copying my Steam folders back into the clean OS each time I've reinstalled in order to keep my settings, library, etc..

[DrR0Ck]

Publicado originalmente por B-o-B:

Publicado originalmente por DrR0Ck:

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

They have it in the Support page under Moving. Same thing.

The following instructions are a simple way to move your Steam installation along with your games:

Exit the Steam client application.
Navigate to the Steam installation folder. The default installation location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
Delete all of the files and folders except the steamapps and userdata folders and steam.exe
Cut and paste the whole Steam folder to the new location, for example:
D:\Games\Steam\
Launch Steam and log into your account.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4BD4-4528-6B2E-8327#default
good luck

I've always just moved the entire Steam folder. Hoping handling this way shaves off a few unneeded GB. Thanks!

[N3tRunn3r]

WIN+R

-> cleanmgr.exe
(run in regular mode, clean everything -- then run in admin mode, clean everything!)

-> dfrgui.exe
(defrag all of your disks and drives)

[DrR0Ck]

Thanks for all of the above suggestions. I ended up doing a clean install and move in the steamapps and userdata folders - this reduced the Steam folder by around 7 GB. Not sure it's starting up any quicker now, but I definitely see to have removed a bunch of stuff I don't need (hopefully!).

[Iceira]

Look we get you, according to you help, but look at the end 7gb , i cant even install a game with that, this is not about your effort in what you want , its simple and total time and effort to gain so little, most will not see this as worth it anymore with it, unless we talk about performance then its a diffrent matter. no one like a steam thats heavy or bulky.

this is why i ask said ask steam support, if you feel steam is so heavy, you are pastr most ppl here with 10k games , and that mean only ppl that can have so big and heavy steam might know better, you cant compare mine with under 1k games, and many not installed.

we other could say we dont have a problem, and thats will not help you at all.

other big steam user have caught steam in client issue with handle many things with game lib past 5000k games before, and they did update and change someting.