moving game files to external drive
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 https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows...
Forum Discussion
@a56cbd580cef3270 Do you want to move the game's installed files, or the user folder (saves, mods, etc.), or both? The guide you've linked is for moving the user folder. To put the game itself on an external drive, uninstall it through the EA App and reinstall on the external. Create a folder on the external first, and install into that, rather than just installing directly onto the drive. 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. 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. This prints the location of Documents on your computer, and I can check that against the command you're using and adjust if necessary.
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.
@a56cbd580cef3270 The problem with the command is that you're not linking the real Sims 4 folder to the symlink you're trying to make. If the command worked, it would create a link called "The Sims 4" to the "Games" folder on E. You need to link it to the "The Sims 4" folder on your external, whatever the file path to it is. 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. You're not linking to the game's program files. 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. 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. Make sure you're copying and pasting the entire command, with no extra characters. But in your particular case, the result is only necessary if the symlink doesn't work.
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?
@a56cbd580cef3270 There are two approaches you can try here. 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. The account will use default settings, including for the location of Documents, and the symlink command will work. 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. You'd launch the game once in the new account, delete the Sims 4 folder created in Documents > 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. The command the print the location of Documents is just that: a command that says "provide this information." You can access it manually instead. Hit Windows key-R and enter "regedit" without quotes. Then open this location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
Look for the Personal entry, and post the value. 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. Or if it's a location that will cause more problems, it should be changed first. If the value isn't there at all, please let me know; that brings up other possibilities that should also be addressed.
Community Highlights
- EA_Cade11 months ago
Community Manager
