Poll of the Day > ATTN: Dudes with multiple HDDs/SSDs

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hey, I installed a game onto my SSD, but I realized that it won't really matter if that particular game is on my SSD or HDD. It's not a problem yet, since I have about 300GBs left on my SSD, but it will be once I run out of room. So is there a way to move the game from my SSD to my HDD later on, or will I have to reinstall it? Also, if I do have to reinstall it, the game already being installed on my SSD won't matter, right? So I can install it to my HDD while it's still on SSD and then get rid of it once it's done?
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Is this for PC? PS4? X-Box? For PC it's a simple drag and drop. If it's one of the consoles let me know and I'll give you the directions, it's almost as simple but you need to know where to look.

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peanutt121 posted...

Is this for PC? PS4? X-Box? For PC it's a simple drag and drop. If it's one of the consoles let me know and I'll give you the directions, it's almost as simple but you need to know where to look.

PC. So all I have to do is look for the Genshin Impact folder on my SSD, and then just drag and drop it to my HDD? I have to do something with the shortcut on my desktop, so it'll look for the right path to open the game, right? What's the process for that?

Sorry, I haven't bought a new gaming PC since 2011, and I gamed on a gaming laptop for the last few years, so I never had to deal with anything like this.
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Right click on the folder you want to shortcut and it should show a choice for making a desktop shortcut

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if it's on steam you can change the install folder to a different drive (didn't used to be so easy)

if it's installed from like a disc or something you should uninstall and then reinstall it to the other drive.

"drag and drop" would only be for something that didn't install in the first place, like if you downloaded a file and ran that file and that runs the game with no install.

(as you mentioned if you move the installation files for something that is installed through Windows you will break various things, including the shortcut, as well as the uninstallation process, and possibly just won't work if there are registry values or dlls to register and that sort of thing.)

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ok I stand corrected, was unaware of that part of it as I drag and drop stuff without issue all the time on my 2 HDD on my pc. It makes sense though as when you move things between drives on a console you really aren't drag and dropping them.

Sorry lihlih, I would have thought by now the wizzes at microsoft would've fixed that by now.

Thanks for the correction Sahuagin.

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Sahuagin posted...

if it's on steam you can change the install folder to a different drive (didn't used to be so easy)

if it's installed from like a disc or something you should uninstall and then reinstall it to the other drive.

"drag and drop" would only be for something that didn't install in the first place, like if you downloaded a file and ran that file and that runs the game with no install.

(as you mentioned if you move the installation files for something that is installed through Windows you will break various things, including the shortcut, as well as the uninstallation process, and possibly just won't work if there are registry values or dlls to register and that sort of thing.)

In my experience, not a lot of games write to the registry anymore. I've done the drag and drop method hundreds of times and never had an issue other then desktop shortcuts being broken (which I never use).

I would say try it, if the game complains after, then move it back, copy your saves, then uninstall and re-install in the new location, finally, move your save files back into place.

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Dikitain posted...

In my experience, not a lot of games write to the registry anymore. I've done the drag and drop method hundreds of times and never had an issue other then desktop shortcuts being broken (which I never use).

yes it's modern practice to avoid the registry, but it still breaks things (can break things) unnecessarily. you will no longer be able to uninstall, your icons will be broken, other paths in other places can be broken, there's no end to the possible things that can break, and it would now be in both a not uninstallable yet broken state. (just because it runs doesn't mean you didn't break it either.)

generally your save files shouldn't need moving unless you change windows profiles. (generally uninstalling will not remove things like save files. back them up if you want to be sure, but they shouldn't have anything to do with installation/uninstallation. sometimes there can be an option for "remove settings files" which will clear those parts.)

rule of thumb should be: if you installed it, then uninstall it to move it. moving something that you installed breaks it for no good reason, polluting your system unnecessarily. it's just bad practice.

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Hence just some of the reasons I hate PC gaming, there just is never a consensus on what works or doesn't lol. I'll stick to my consoles tyvm.

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peanutt121 posted...

Hence just some of the reasons I hate PC gaming, there just is never a consensus on what works or doesn't lol. I'll stick to my consoles tyvm.

For me it has been the opposite. Consoles used to be just insert game and play. Now you have to deal with installs, updates, upgrading every few years to play the latest games, etc. They are essentially a second PC, so why not just get a PC?

Conversely, PCs are WAY easier to use then when I seriously started PC gaming back in 92. Most stuff is integrated on to the motherboard, and there are only two graphics card types to worry about (NVidia and AMD). Same with processors (Intel Vs. AMD). Not to mention store fronts have made installs, updates, and managing your library so easy that PCs are essentially becoming those consoles I loved in the 80's and 90's.

Weird take that almost no one agrees with? Sure, but that is how I feel.

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