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Installing Games on Another Drive


Dark_Raven

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Yes. When you install a game, you'll get the option to choose where you want to install it. Just choose the E: drive instead of the C: drive and you're set. There's no difference. Well, except for an increase in performance, as Windows has a habit of disk swapping while the game is trying to load stuff. With two separate drives, the two processes won't have to fight over the available bandwidth from the one drive.

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Cool news. I always chose C because that is where it prompted me to install them. I thought there might have been a reason for it. But if it will play on the other drive fine, I'll start installing my games on that from now on.

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That's a really good idea, Gabs. That way when you upgrade your comp, you can always just swap over that hard drive as a slave to your new primary drive, and have all your games on it will be ready to go (I guess you might have to reconfigure the audio/video drivers but most games have setup utilities). And if it's 120 gigs then you probably won't even run out of space.

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umm.. won't the games need all kinds of regestry stuff thats only available on C:\

 

The computer won't recognize them as installed for the purposes of expansion pack installation or autoplay purposes, but the games will still work fine.

 

I found this out the hard way, wiped my C: drive during a reformat. Autoplay no work anymore.

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umm.. won't the games need all kinds of regestry stuff thats only available on C:\

 

The computer won't recognize them as installed for the purposes of expansion pack installation or autoplay purposes, but the games will still work fine.

 

I found this out the hard way, wiped my C: drive during a reformat. Autoplay no work anymore.

 

I've always had a seperate hard drive just for games, and it's nice that so many will run fine after the usual format and reinstall of Windows.

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I've always had a seperate hard drive just for games, and it's nice that so many will run fine after the usual format and reinstall of Windows.

 

I never had enough HD space to keep more than a couple games on my HD at a time so I could reformat/reinstall Windows and my games fairly quickly. Then I got a 160GB HD and found out just how long it takes to install a couple dozen games. :o"

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Yes. When you install a game, you'll get the option to choose where you want to install it. Just choose the E: drive instead of the C: drive and you're set. There's no difference. Well, except for an increase in performance, as Windows has a habit of disk swapping while the game is trying to load stuff. With two separate drives, the two processes won't have to fight over the available bandwidth from the one drive.

Of course EXTERNAL hardrives will incur a delay over the interface, but I think you are correct in assuming that Gabs is talking about a new internal drive.

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I have all my games installed on drive E:. All work fine.

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But with 99% of games, if you cleanwipe the OS and reinstall you will have to reinstall them again even if theyre installed on a separate drive. Software these days have the nasty habit of needing registry keys and putting crap in the mydocuments folder instead of keeping in their own damn folder.

 

 

*remembers DOS*

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

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But with 99% of games, if you cleanwipe the OS and reinstall you will have to reinstall them again even if theyre installed on a separate drive. Software these days have the nasty habit of needing registry keys and putting crap in the mydocuments folder instead of keeping in their own damn folder.

 

 

*remembers DOS*

 

Yes, but registry is not only "available on drive C", as it is system-wide, it is application specific registry keys that can contain absolute paths to game installation folder, etc.

 

And I think putting saves configuration settings in user's home directory makes a lot of sense, then it is easy to control permisions of non-administrator users (i.e. game's data directory doesn't have to be writeable by them).

 

It is Unix way after all :lol:

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Of course EXTERNAL hardrives will incur a delay over the interface...

Not necessarily. The eSATA interface allows the exact same amount of bandwidth as an internal SATA. I have one of those on my Abit AW9D-MAX motherboard. Best damn motherboard I've ever owned, by the way.

Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish!

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Of course EXTERNAL hardrives will incur a delay over the interface...

Not necessarily. The eSATA interface allows the exact same amount of bandwidth as an internal SATA. I have one of those on my Abit AW9D-MAX motherboard. Best damn motherboard I've ever owned, by the way.

Cool, what cable is required?

OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

ingsoc.gif

OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT

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But with 99% of games, if you cleanwipe the OS and reinstall you will have to reinstall them again even if theyre installed on a separate drive. Software these days have the nasty habit of needing registry keys and putting crap in the mydocuments folder instead of keeping in their own damn folder.

 

 

*remembers DOS*

 

Yes, but registry is not only "available on drive C", as it is system-wide, it is application specific registry keys that can contain absolute paths to game installation folder, etc.

 

And I think putting saves configuration settings in user's home directory makes a lot of sense, then it is easy to control permisions of non-administrator users (i.e. game's data directory doesn't have to be writeable by them).

 

It is Unix way after all :lol:

 

 

I still think the DOS way is superior. All you should need to do to install a program is to move it to a folder and it never leaves that folder in any way. Clean, modular and easy. And all youd do to uninstall is delete the folder

 

 

Now every piece of software you install is one step closer to crashing your OS since they just integrate themselves everywhere and spread files all over the place. Your average software is basicly like a cancer for your operating system

Edited by Kaftan Barlast

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

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I still think the DOS way is superior. All you should need to do to install a program is to move it to a folder and it never leaves that folder in any way. Clean, modular and easy. And all youd do to uninstall is delete the folder

 

 

Now every piece of software you install is one step closer to crashing your OS since they just integrate themselves everywhere and spread files all over the place. Your average software is basicly like a cancer for your operating system

Exactly what I used to think prior to thorough exposure to Unix :mellow:)

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