Restore Origin games like Steam?

cabanatuan

Ex Member
Joined
May 6, 2008
Messages
24,545
Reaction score
2,736
Points
3,570
Hi, i have reformated my hdd(cheers mrs mendoza for browsing dody sites with a load of spyware,adeware that brought my pc to its knees) and i have my origin games installed on a different hdd.

After i reformated and installed windows 7 again. i tried to click on one of my games and it said i need to download origin.

ok so download orgin, logged in and set the correct path for origin to find my games.

did it work? nope! origin fails to find the games and when i try to manually launch say for example fifa 12 it says this

Error Launching Game, the game does not appear to be insalled(it is installed u ****ing idiot) Please install it or try relaunching a game(**** re downloading all my origin games again)

i thought Origin was similar to steam where once u download your games, you dont have to re download or re install them if u reformat or move your whole collection on a new pc or hdd?

Something so basic missing from origin? or am i doing it wrong?
 
Apparently there is a way you can do it... but it didn't work for me either. It insisted it was going to download the games all again.

Rubbish.
 
I had to redownload too, a couple of game's needed downloading twice.

Origin is so far behind the likes of Steam unfortunately.

tris
 
Replied this in the OCUK thread, only 2 games I have on Origin :smashin:

I have re installed Windows and managed to play BF3 and ME3 without re installing them.

I think it basically just entailed pointing the install folder to the appropriate one on 2nd HDD, running some exe in the games' folder (activation.exe or something) then restarting Origin.

After the restart Origin changed to install game instead of download and took about 30 seconds to complete for each game.
biggrin.gif
 
I've had the same problem before and usually I could just point to my Origin folder and it'd pick the games up. It'd ask me to install the game but only take 30 secs or so as the files were already there.

However I think something might have changed recently as I pointed Origin to the folder as usual and it still didn't acknowledge the games and I had to download them again even though the files were already there.
 
Replied this in the OCUK thread, only 2 games I have on Origin :smashin:

That only works if you keep the install executables. That's an option in Origin, but if you don't keep them you have to re-download the whole game again.
 
yea found out the hard way so now i have to re download everything. what a load of crap origin is
 
That only works if you keep the install executables. That's an option in Origin, but if you don't keep them you have to re-download the whole game again.

I didn't keep them.
 
Probably because it's not really installing it since all the files are there just missing some registry entries or something. I've done it twice now I think and I'm copying BF3 (just the game folder) to a USB HDD atm so I can see if it still works. Got a backup/media PC upstairs with the windows 8 preview on that I'll try it on. :)
 
I just copy the file folders to a backup drive. Piece of cake. Done this a few times and just copying the whole folder back sorts it.
 
Okay installed Origin on upstairs PC in default location. Naturally BF3 says 'Ready to download' Changed 'Download Games' location in Origin to 'D:\Games'

Exited Origin and copied 'Battlefield 3' folder to 'D:\Games'
Started Origin and BF3 says 'Ready to install' - click install and 30secs later says 'Ready to Play'.

Clicked Play and advised me of an update, ignored for the moment and opened Battlelog. Installed the web plugin and jumped into SP to test. Quit and went back to Origin and check game details. Showed BF3 CQ as ready to download. Clicked on download and it changed to preparing for a good minute or two before changing to installed. Tested okay.

Bit more of a hassle than the last time (before I had Premium) but definitely would rather that than downloading the whole damn thing again :)
 
I just copy the file folders to a backup drive. Piece of cake. Done this a few times and just copying the whole folder back sorts it.

That's exactly what I did... yet it insisted that it re-download every game when I tried to run them.

:confused::suicide:
 
That's exactly what I did... yet it insisted that it re-download every game when I tried to run them.

:confused::suicide:

It must have detected your ingrained hatred towards it and wanted to mess you about as much as possible. Whereas I bet Singh had no issues like that. :D
 
greg said:
i just copy the file folders to a backup drive. Piece of cake. Done this a few times and just copying the whole folder back sorts it.

+1
 
If you start the downloads for a few seconds so it can write the initial files first then exit Origin, copy the folders over, overwriting any duplicates then open Origin again. It will.check the files and a.few moments later will say ready to play. That's how I did it.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom