Question how to move an installed program to an external hard drive?

[yyoussef101]

how can I do that?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Everybody wants their cake and eat it too

 

[Sohom]

Pls lock the thread... OP is deleting his posts which makes the question ambiguous... and moreover it feels like someone trolling... sry, thats how i feel

 

[InvalidError]

Pls lock the thread... OP is deleting his posts which makes the question ambiguous...

I'm not seeing any deleted posts in this thread, look more carefully.

 

[ClapTrapper]

OP didn't say what program, so why should we conclude that it won't work?

Because most won't. Don't listen to me,try it for yourself.

 

[ClapTrapper]

If the program in question is a Steam or other publisher launcher game, those will often have an in-launcher option to move software to other drives or at least have an option to re-scan for installed software and handle fixing whatever needs fixing.

For most normal software though, you'll need to do a re-install.

Steam and Epic (Gog and Origin too,I think) can be moved like you say,but each has a kludgy way of doing it. Almost like they don't want you to. You'll find yourself checking the internet for how (most likely asking here-I think I did at one time). It is not copy and paste and telling Epic/Steam go here to run the game. They try and download the game again (at 20Gig plus combined with Comcast and other ISPs metering,that can hurt).
It shouldn't be like this-it is 2021. People move data!

This really wasn't a reply directed at you,it was a shout out to people that simply want to move their game to a new drive/directory.

 

[InvalidError]

Steam and Epic (Gog and Origin too,I think) can be moved like you say,but each has a kludgy way of doing it. Almost like they don't want you to. You'll find yourself checking the internet for how (most likely asking here-I think I did at one time). It is not copy and paste and telling Epic/Steam go here to run the game. They try and download the game again (at 20Gig plus combined with Comcast and other ISPs metering,that can hurt).

I moved 500GB worth of games from my WD Black HDD to my 1TB 860 EVO last week. All I had to do was cut-and-paste my Stem folder on the other SSD then add the new Steam library to Steam's database. Once you tell Steam where the library moved to, it will RE-SCAN the whole thing during which you may see 20-200MB/s of storage activity but 0KB/s of network activity. Although the re-scan process shows up as downloads in the update/download tab, nothing actually gets downloaded unless Steam finds missing or damaged files.

 

[ClapTrapper]

I moved 500GB worth of games from my WD Black HDD to my 1TB 860 EVO last week. All I had to do was cut-and-paste my Stem folder on the other SSD then add the new Steam library to Steam's database. Once you tell Steam where the library moved to, it will RE-SCAN the whole thing during which you may see 20-200MB/s of storage activity but 0KB/s of network activity. Although the re-scan process shows up as downloads in the update/download tab, nothing actually gets downloaded unless Steam finds missing or damaged files.

Ok (not a big gamer),but I know with Epic I had a hard time. You would think you would find this easily on the Net. You'd be wrong.

You have to move the game on your system,tell Epic to uninstall it,then click on the Game in the Epic Library and install it again pointing it to your new file location,once it starts installing at around 2-3% you have to cancel the download/install then exit Epic launcher. Make sure it is not hiding in memory! Now launch Epic launcher again and install the game,but install to the directory where you just moved the game files. If it doesn't say "verifiying" you screwed up (YOU! not Epic, hehehe) and it is redownloading your 100Gig game. Or maybe you got lucky and it is just verifying. Bizarre.

I'm not much of a gamer. Maybe I'm missing something. But C'Mon Epic. Its 2021. Does it have to be like this?

I can't remember,but I thought Steam wasn't all that intuitive. I'm probably wrong.

 

[InvalidError]

I can't remember,but I thought Steam wasn't all that intuitive. I'm probably wrong.

The hardest part of the process on Steam (at least for me) is remembering that the Steam Library Folders thing is under the Download page in setup.

 

[ClapTrapper]

The hardest part of the process on Steam (at least for me) is remembering that the Steam Library Folders thing is under the Download page in setup.

I'll keep it in mind! Maybe I never moved a Steam game-like I said,not much of a gamer. For now.

 

[USAFRet]

Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

To move an already installed game
Games library
Right click the game
Properties
Local Files
Move Install Folder

 

[ClapTrapper]

Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

To move an already installed game
Games library
Right click the game
Properties
Local Files
Move Install Folder

Thank you!

 

[JeffreyP55]

When you install a program, the installer usually will ask you where to install, at this stage you can select the destination drive you want.

If the program is already installed, you can try to copy-paste it to the new location, most of programs will work, but some won't.

Important information is written to the registry. Moving portable apps should go smoothly. Apps that are installed you may strike out a lot. Best to uninstall then reinstall to the new destination drive.

 

[yyoussef101]

not sure if you all got what I'm asking for, I will try to explain again. for example if I uninstalled the Microsoft office, will I still have the setup file that will install the program again when clicking on it. ( setup file) is that the name of a program that hasn't been installed yet?

 

[lvt]

not sure if you all got what I'm asking for, I will try to explain again. for example if I uninstalled the Microsoft office, will I still have the setup file that will install the program again when clicking on it. ( setup file) is that the name of a program that hasn't been installed yet?

No, the installation files are usually on CDs/DVD or somewhere else.

 

[hotaru.hino]

not sure if you all got what I'm asking for, I will try to explain again. for example if I uninstalled the Microsoft office, will I still have the setup file that will install the program again when clicking on it. ( setup file) is that the name of a program that hasn't been installed yet?

How did you install it before? If it was from a DVD, then you just have to install it again from the DVD (or better yet, make an image of it and mount it). If it was from something you downloaded from Microsoft, then you can just grab it from them.

Important information is written to the registry. Moving portable apps should go smoothly. Apps that are installed you may strike out a lot. Best to uninstall then reinstall to the new destination drive.

That information is mostly just how to tell Windows how to uninstall it, which amounts to just having an entry in the "Uninstall a program" section of Control Panel and where the uninstaller is (if there is one). If you reinstall the program, that entry just gets overridden. Even if an app uses the registry for settings for some reason, again, it just gets overridden at worst if the app is reinstalled before being uninstalled. And heck, it may be those entries don't get removed in the event of a reinstall so the user can get back right where they were.

Either way, for app management, the registry isn't that important.

 

[yyoussef101]

no it wasn't from a DVD, My bad, i didn't use the right words to explain my question.
I will just download the program again which was the thing that I didn't want to do.
Thanks all.