Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Windows 7 would be C:. Is it possible to install Steam in D:\Program Files\Steam where D: would be Windows Vista and then when booted to Vista install Steam in the same folder ( which would make it C:\Program Files\Steam) ?

I'm trying to make one big game repository that works out of the same folder on both OS'es in dual boot :)

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Why do you still boot Vista? :confused:

I don't know if it's possible. I think there are registry settings that Steam requires, and you'd have to install it in one OS, leaving the other without the keys.

You may be able to install Steam in both, then install the games you want in both, then delete the data in one and link it to the other directory using a symlink. But Vista and Win7 have permissions issues and you will have to reclaim ownership of the directory each time you use it (I believe).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_symbolic_link

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

I don't know for sure but would imagine the answer is no.

Reason being is anytime you install something the registry gets modified. Thus when you re-install it to the same location but under windows vista it'll re-write those registry files and so when you go to access it in 7 it'll probably be a broken installation.

If that makes any sense. :o

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Well my Windows 7 hard drive is only a 150 GB Intel SSD. It's fast (and expensive :headexplode:) but not a lot of capacity. My Vista partition already has a ton of games installed and it's on a 300 GB Velociraptor (sloooww lol).

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Ahh so you just want to avoid having to re-install it all.

To be honest, I would just format the 300GB drive and install Steam on that. Then let your games install again overnight(s). :o

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Not a bad idea actually, lol. I don't really use Vista it's just that I have two 300 GB Velociraptors. One with XP and the other with Vista. So I have all 3 versions of Windows for compatibility sake :)

Between XP and Win 7 though I should be good. Vista is going DOOWWNN! :thumbdwn: lmao

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

LOL yea that'd probably be the best option. There's practically nothing that works on just Vista and not Windows 7.

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

If you can somehow keep your steamapps folder on an external drive, you can just copy it back into Steam and you won't need to redownload anything.

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

You can try using symbolic links for the games in the Steam\steamapps\common folder so you can put games on a different hard drive from the Steam folder. Then you can have the Steam installation from both OS's have symbolic links that point to the same game folder so both Steam installs will be technically accessing the same game data.

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

I think that Steam would probably work without much issue on both OSes, but we'd just be helping him perpetuate a bigger issue - better he drop Vista and jut move on :)

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

:bleh:

Re: Steam install - Dual boot?
 

Ha, that's what happens when you don't read the thread and just respond to the first post. I didn't know about the permissions issue though, but symbolic links are what I use right now to link my Steam install which is on my SSD to games on my RAID array.