installscript.vdf :: Help and Tips

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Massacher (Banned) 1 Oct, 2016 @ 7:58pm

installscript.vdf

When I have purchased a game on Steam, after it has finished installing/downloading the data I back it up to my external drive for later use. So when I want to play it again sometime in the future I can copy it back to the steamapps/common folder. When I do this I open up Steam press install on the game and let it download about 5MB or so. Then I exit Steam copy the folder from my external drive to the steamapps/common folder. Then start up Steam again and it usually only downloads the updates I don't have. Sometimes it wants to download the entire game again. When it attempts this I exit Steam and copy the folder from my external drive to the steamapps/common folder again. Then startup Steam again and its usually only a matter of minutes before it has all the data downloaded (if any at all)

Now my question is does this file (installscript.vdf) control the files required to be downloaded (if any at all)?

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Showing 1-10 of 10 comments

Si-Fi 2 Oct, 2016 @ 12:31am

installscript does not deal directly with the game but what the game requires in order to run which nowadays is very much a default script and will be downloaded and re-downloaded whether it is required or not.

So to get to the point, the script contains instructions or commands to automate the installation of distribution files which consists mostly of DirectX, Visual Basic Runtimes and NET. Framework, etc. Not only do games require these distributions, it is also done to keep your computer up to date so these distros are vital.

Last edited by Si-Fi; 2 Oct, 2016 @ 12:32am

Massacher (Banned) 2 Oct, 2016 @ 1:32am

Ahh thanks. That clears things up. So which file controls and determines if any files have to be downloaded?

Nef 2 Oct, 2016 @ 2:06am

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Si-Fi 2 Oct, 2016 @ 2:44am

Originally posted by Massacher:
Ahh thanks. That clears things up. So which file controls and determines if any files have to be downloaded?

The distribution files will apply the updates if necessary but in the case of your system being already up to date, the process of the distros will still run to check and dismiss itself afterwards very much like any installation does.

Last edited by Si-Fi; 2 Oct, 2016 @ 2:45am

Massacher (Banned) 2 Oct, 2016 @ 5:28am

Let me be more clear. When I copy games from my backup to the steamapps/common folder it sometimes goes to download the entire game from scratch. I don't want it to do that because I already have the data which I just copied to the steamapps/common folder. I am trying to find out what controls this for each game. I know its a script of some sort I just don't know where or what that file is called.

Last edited by Massacher; 2 Oct, 2016 @ 5:29am

Si-Fi 2 Oct, 2016 @ 6:08am

You are meant to be making a backup of the entire steamapps folder, not only steamapps/common, since Steam requires the manifest (*.acf) files and they are located in the steamapps folder otherwise the output will result in Steam not detecting anything installed in your library.

Last edited by Si-Fi; 2 Oct, 2016 @ 6:11am

Massacher (Banned) 3 Oct, 2016 @ 1:56am

Originally posted by ZPSi-Fi:
You are meant to be making a backup of the entire steamapps folder, not only steamapps/common, since Steam requires the manifest (*.acf) files and they are located in the steamapps folder otherwise the output will result in Steam not detecting anything installed in your library.

It does detect it though. I have done this dozens of times. I guess I will also back up the manifest files too from now on.