Solved (sort of): Steam Download Cache Location (Hard-Drive Problem)

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Blue 26 Feb, 2024 @ 4:26pm

Solved (sort of): Steam Download Cache Location (Hard-Drive Problem)

Hello,

i recently realized some interesting and annoying Problem with Steam-Patch-Downloads.

Basicly my PC is set up with 4 Hard-Drives:
1 - SSD - Main for OS, Steam-Client and specific Software
2 - SSD - Primary Game Hard-Drive
3 - HDD - Secondary Game Hard-Drive
4 - USB 3 - Just to store some Games that i then transfer to 2. if i want to play (to not have to wait for Download)

The Problem now is something like this:
A Game that is installed on the 2. Hard-Drive, got a Patch. Steam started to download the Cache-Files befor unpacking to the 4. Hard-Drive.
And because the 4. Hard-Drive is connected via USB 3 it slowed the entire Process down during Download and during unpacking it towards 2. Hard-Drive where the Files belong.

I actually do wonder why Steam decided to download the Cache Files to the 4. Hard-Drive instead of 1. Hard-Drive (where Steam-Client is installed) or the 2. Hard-Drive (where the Game was installed).

So the Question is;
Does anyone know how to set the Location for the Steam-Cache-File Download to a specific Hard-Drive so that it wont try to use the 4. (slow) Hard-Drive again?

_________________________

Edit:
Solved (sort of). Based on the *available Space* Thing of the Client i am now filling up the Space on my USB Drive to force the Steam-Client to have to pick another Drive for Cache-Downloads.
Not the optimal Solution, but at least it should keep Steam from trying to use the USB again for Patches of Games from other Drives.
Also i put up a Suggestion-Comment in the Forum in the hope that Valve-Team would read it and add an option for Users to choose the Cache-Folder-Location.

Thanks again to all the responses and Tips and Tricks i got here from you guys.

Last edited by Blue; 27 Feb, 2024 @ 6:00am

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Originally posted by xarvn:

Originally posted by Blue:
...I actually do wonder why Steam decided to download the Cache Files to the 4. Hard-Drive instead of 1. Hard-Drive (where Steam-Client is installed) or the 2. Hard-Drive (where the Game was installed)...

I suspect, but am not entirely sure, that Steam does this because the slow drive has enough free space whereas the others do not. Steam requires a lot of free space because files are encrypted and compressed. Unpacking and decoding data in one drive and then moving the files to another where it is to be applied, for example update files in drive 4 moved to drive 1 where the game is installed, is not ideal compared to unpacking, decoding, and updating files in-place in one drive. I would imagine Steam does this only if conditions require it.

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Showing 16-29 of 29 comments

RunForRest 8 Oct, 2024 @ 6:39am

I dont wanna find out the consequences when i deactivate that drive, might bring even more problems down the line. THis is a problem steam has to solve

#16

Blue 8 Oct, 2024 @ 6:40am

Originally posted by RunForRest:
I dont wanna find out the consequences when i deactivate that drive, might bring even more problems down the line. THis is a problem steam has to solve

Then like i said,.. fill it up. So Steam does not select it for cache location.
My USB has now only somewhat of 100 GB free Space, Steam never selected it again, so far.

#17

RunForRest 8 Oct, 2024 @ 6:49am

Need to fill up a free drive with junk so Steam install operate better - great times we living in ... nothign works properly anymore and yet we pay for this CRAP

Last edited by RunForRest; 8 Oct, 2024 @ 6:49am

#18

Blue 8 Oct, 2024 @ 7:12am

Originally posted by RunForRest:
Need to fill up a free drive with junk so Steam install operate better - great times we living in ... nothign works properly anymore and yet we pay for this CRAP

Äh.. actually you dont pay anything to be able to use Steam. Its the Publishers who want to sell their Games via. Steam-Store who do, but they will ask for the same Price in every Store, no matter how high or low the Price-Cut is. :P

Its just a little bit unfortunate that Steam was developed in a way where it seems that they did not had different active Hard-Drives in Mind.

But yea, its a little bit weird to have to "block" the Space of Hard-Drives to stop Steam from using it as download-cache location.

#19

RunForRest 8 Oct, 2024 @ 7:40am

Ofc we pay - personal data is the new gold

#20

Blue 8 Oct, 2024 @ 7:50am

Originally posted by RunForRest:
Ofc we pay - personal data is the new gold

if someone payed for that low amount of personal data that i have in my steam-account then they had made a bad deal. XD

(Someone who got my info towards my family): "Hey pssst, pssst, Blue plays a lot of Videogames.. did you know?"
(My family): "Yes!? Dont tell me that you just figured that out just now!?"
:P

#21

RunForRest 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:01am

U should inform urself about big data and meta data. U completely underestimate how much data u give away and how much the companies know about u that have that data.

#22

Blue 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:07am

Originally posted by RunForRest:
U should inform urself about big data and meta data. U completely underestimate how much data u give away and how much the companies know about u that have that data.

I dont need to inform myself, i know exactly what Data they have. The exact one that i have given them.
And that is not that much of .. Personal... in the sense that nobody would not know about it.
And real personal stuff is what they dont have, cause i have not shared it with them.

But again, they have nothing with which they would be able to do much with it, other then sending me advertisement for "this migh be interesting for you based on your previous purchases".

But anyway, we are slowly going kinda off topic here with that Data-Collecting-Stuff. XD

#23

CHEKA ❤♥ 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:08am

#24

RunForRest 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:16am

U have no fcking clue what meta data is

#25

Blue 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:18am

Originally posted by RunForRest:
U have no fcking clue what meta data is

interesting accusation and totally off-topic here!

Last edited by Blue; 8 Oct, 2024 @ 8:38am

#26

Clowee 15 Apr @ 8:37am

I had this issue myself and figured out a way to do it!

First, make sure the drive you're installing to has enough storage, I'd say, the installed files + the download, and then some change.

Then, go into steam settings -> storage. Here you get a list of all your drives, then count where in the list your desired drive is (starting from 0).

Close steam, go to your steamapps folder, here you'll get a bunch of files called appmanifest_[id].acf, figure out what ID your game has. An easy way to do it is to do this is to go on the steam store, and find it in the URL. Then open up the corresponding .acf file in notepad. (in my case (Baldur's Gate 3) that's: "F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\appmanifest_1086940.acf")

Scroll down to 'StagingFolder', and change the value to the number we found earlier. I want to have my cache on the 4th drive, so I enter 3.
Open Steam again and it'll restart the update, now using the correct drive. This made my Disk Usage go from ±50Mbps to ±2Gbps

#27

Pizza 20 May @ 5:57am

Originally posted by Clowee:
I had this issue myself and figured out a way to do it!

First, make sure the drive you're installing to has enough storage, I'd say, the installed files + the download, and then some change.

Then, go into steam settings -> storage. Here you get a list of all your drives, then count where in the list your desired drive is (starting from 0).

Close steam, go to your steamapps folder, here you'll get a bunch of files called appmanifest_[id].acf, figure out what ID your game has. An easy way to do it is to do this is to go on the steam store, and find it in the URL. Then open up the corresponding .acf file in notepad. (in my case (Baldur's Gate 3) that's: "F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\appmanifest_1086940.acf")

Scroll down to 'StagingFolder', and change the value to the number we found earlier. I want to have my cache on the 4th drive, so I enter 3.
Open Steam again and it'll restart the update, now using the correct drive. This made my Disk Usage go from ±50Mbps to ±2Gbps

You are an absolute King!

#28