moving game files to external drive

Question

i don´t have room on my local disk for the game updates anymore so i decided do move the game onto an external drive. i tried following the steps from&nbsp;https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html but im struggling creating the symbolic link. i don´t understand what i´m doing wrong because frankly i don´t understand much what i´m doing at all. i get different kind of responses on cmd, like syntax of the command is incorrect, path location cannot be found etc. please help, i really want to get back to my old gameplays.

puzzlezaddict · Answer

@a56cbd580cef3270&nbsp; Do you want to move the game's installed files, or the user folder (saves, mods, etc.), or both?&nbsp; The guide you've linked is for moving the user folder.&nbsp; To put the game itself on an external drive, uninstall it through the EA App and reinstall on the external.&nbsp; Create a folder on the external first, and install into that, rather than just installing directly onto the drive.&nbsp; As in, the install path should be something like D:\Games, rather than just D.

If you do want to move the user folder, please post a screenshot of the error you're getting in Command Prompt.&nbsp; Please also enter this command, again in Command Prompt:

reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal"

and post the results.&nbsp; This prints the location of Documents on your computer, and I can check that against the command you're using and adjust if necessary.

a56cbd580cef327 · Answer

the user folder i think? the one that´s under Electronic Arts. i tried the reg query prompt too, it said the system cannot find the path specified.

puzzlezaddict · Answer

@a56cbd580cef3270&nbsp; The problem with the command is that you're not linking the real Sims 4 folder to the symlink you're trying to make.&nbsp; If the command worked, it would create a link called "The Sims 4" to the "Games" folder on E.&nbsp; You need to link it to the "The Sims 4" folder on your external, whatever the file path to it is.&nbsp; For example, if the Sims 4 user folder is inside Games, this would be the correct command:

MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” “E:\Games\The Sims 4”

Please keep in mind that you need to link to the user folder, as in, the one that holds your saves, mods, etc.&nbsp; You're not linking to the game's program files.&nbsp; And if the program files and the user files are both within the same Sims 4 folder on your external, you need to sort that out first.&nbsp; The game reacts badly when these folders are combined, and it's a lot easier to fix now than later.

For the reg query, it absolutely should have worked.&nbsp; Make sure you're copying and pasting the entire command, with no extra characters.&nbsp; But in your particular case, the result is only necessary if the symlink doesn't work.

a56cbd580cef327 · Answer

im still having trouble understanding anything at all. i messed up the userprofiles part earlier too still no luck after fixing it. also is it okay if program files stay on local disk?

this is the latest status, i thought i was suposed to make folder in the external to link the original files to?

puzzlezaddict · Answer

@a56cbd580cef3270&nbsp; There are two approaches you can try here.&nbsp; The simple one is to create a new admin Windows account, a local one (so not linked to your Microsoft account), and work with that.&nbsp; The account will use default settings, including for the location of Documents, and the symlink command will work.&nbsp; You'll need to use that new account to play Sims 4, but you might just switch to using that account permanently, in which case I can show you how to transfer any files you want to keep to that account.

Your Sims 4 user data is already on the external, I take it, or at least it should be, so that part is fine.&nbsp; You'd launch the game once in the new account, delete the Sims 4 folder created in Documents &gt; Electronic Arts, then use the symlink command to point to the correct folder on the external drive.

The other approach is to try to fix your main account.&nbsp; The command the print the location of Documents is just that: a command that says "provide this information."&nbsp; You can access it manually instead.&nbsp; Hit Windows key-R and enter "regedit" without quotes.&nbsp; Then open this location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Look for the Personal entry, and post the value.&nbsp; It should look like a file path, e.g. C:\Users\etc., or say %USERPROFILE%\Documents.

The reason I need this information is that the symlink command can be tailored to whatever this value is, but I need to know what it is.&nbsp; Or if it's a location that will cause more problems, it should be changed first.&nbsp; If the value isn't there at all, please let me know; that brings up other possibilities that should also be addressed.