Moving DCS to another SSD

[*Rage*]

Hi,

 

Can DCS be uninstalled and re-installed to another drive without re-assigning controls? Would save me alot of time!

Edited July 11, 2014 by ///Rage

[cichlidfan]

Yes. It will use your existing Saved Games folder.

[GGTharos]

Yep, just move it from one drive to another (no need for reinstalling and uninstalling).

 

You'll just have to re-target your shortcuts after that to point to the correct drive.

 

Hi,

 

Can DCS be uninstalled and re-installed to another drive without re-assigning controls? Would save me alot of time!

[cichlidfan]

Yep, just move it from one drive to another (no need for reinstalling and uninstalling).

 

You'll just have to re-target your shortcuts after that to point to the correct drive.

 

Considering that you have to update the Start Menu shortcuts as well as the desktop ones, and the speed at which DCS will install on an SSD, I would just re-install. Especially, since the human intervention part is just a dozen mouse clicks (assuming you have all modules), or so.

 

EDIT: It would be even less mouse clicks if ED/Belsimtek would change the default setting for the 'Run DCS World' check box in the final installation window.

Edited July 11, 2014 by cichlidfan

[Falcon_S]

Correct me if I'm wrong - I do not have SSD yet.

 

If you have DCS on SSD but OS on HDD you will not get better performance because HDD will to suppress SSD?

 

So logicaly, i think best way i to have installed OS and DCS on SSD and enjoy in FULLSPEED.

 

Am I right?

 

EDIT: Sry for offtopic but just one question

Edited July 11, 2014 by Falcon_S

[GGTharos]

Nope, I have OS on HDD and DCS on SSD .... stutters ELIMINATED.

[cichlidfan]

If you have DCS on SSD but OS on HDD you will not get better performance because HDD will to suppress SSD?

 

While I wouldn't bother with an SSD without putting the OS on it, putting DCS on an SSD without the OS will still provide performance improvements.

[Falcon_S]

Thank you cichlidfan and GG. I believe you but I still do not understand how, where is missing the difference in the speed of data writing/reading?

[GGTharos]

Because DCS likes to load large texture files etc, at least from what I was able to figure out.

 

It will do so as you're flying, so it can pre-load textures. The SSD loads them so fast that it gets rid of stutters associated with this.

 

Thank you. I believe you but I still do not understand how, where is missing the difference in the speed of data writing/reading?

[txmtb]

The copy from one drive to another and updating the shortcuts works really well. I keep both the regular and beta version installed but only keep the one I'm currently using on my SSD. The other version stays on my raid HD. When a new beta is released I swap them around to fly the beta. Do the same thing with games on Steam I'm not currently playing or have finished but still have them around for the future.

[SkateZilla]

Texture Spooling from SSD -> RAM is Alot Quicker than Traditional HDD -> RAM

(usually up to 4-5x Faster).

 

The Faster Read Operations get done, the less the Process has to wait.

 

I'd Like to Get 32 GB of Ram and Just load DCS's Folder into the RAMDisk :) But I think I'll wait for DDR4 before I Spend another $400 on Ram.

 

I know users that have 3 or 4 128GB SSDs (as they are cheap),

one for OS, One for PageFile/Scratch Disk and One for Games. Everything else is mapped to 7200 RPM Drive.

Edited July 11, 2014 by SkateZilla

[*Rage*]

Thanks all. Done.

[Falcon_S]

...I believe you but I still do not understand how, where is missing the difference in the speed of data writing/reading?

Because DCS likes to load large texture files etc, at least from what I was able to figure out.

 

It will do so as you're flying, so it can pre-load textures. The SSD loads them so fast that it gets rid of stutters associated with this.

Thats known to me but maybe i`m not said good. I mean where is missing the difference in the speed of data writing/reading between these TWO types disks? Or the OS from HDD smart exploiting the disk performance where the DCS, in this case SSD?

 

...

If you have DCS on SSD but OS on HDD you will not get better performance because HDD will to suppress SSD?

I will rephrase a little:

If you have DCS on SSD but OS on HDD you will not get / or get a significantly better but not full SSD performance because HDD will to suppress SSD?

 

If we know OS is important for DCS performance and HDD/SSD too - Is not it better to have both the SSD for full performance?

 

Texture Spooling from SSD -> RAM is Alot Quicker than Traditional HDD -> RAM

(usually up to 4-5x Faster).

 

The Faster Read Operations get done, the less the Process has to wait. ...

 

I forgot the RAM :doh: . Thanks SZ

[LostOblivion]

You don't have to uninstall. Just move the DCS folder and make a symbolic link to it.

 

Copy the folder to where you want, then hit the Windows start menu, type "cmd", hit enter, then type the following.

 

mklink /D "OldPath" "NewPath"

 

(Swap with the old path and the new path, and keep the double quotes around it...)

 

Now Windows, DCS updater, and everything else will think your DCS install is in the same place as it used to, but it's really on the SSD.

[GGTharos]

Thats known to me but maybe i`m not said good. I mean where is missing the difference in the speed of data writing/reading between these TWO types disks? Or the OS from HDD smart exploiting the disk performance where the DCS, in this case SSD?

 

I don't know if this answers your question, I'm actually trying to understand your question, so here it goes:

 

For the most part, it doesn't matter where your OS lives. The read/write operations relevant to DCS are directed to the SSD that DCS lives on. Unless you have another program completely hogging the disk interface, you're not going to see a real difference between the OS also being on SSD or not.

 

My game is setup such that it runs from the SSD, but it writes tracks and tacview to the HDD, so there are even fewer operations done on the SSD.

 

Incidentally, since getting the SSD, my tracks don't mess up as much :)

[Abburo]

You don't have to uninstall. Just move the DCS folder and make a symbolic link to it.

 

Copy the folder to where you want, then hit the Windows start menu, type "cmd", hit enter, then type the following.

 

mklink /D "OldPath" "NewPath"

 

(Swap with the old path and the new path, and keep the double quotes around it...)

 

Now Windows, DCS updater, and everything else will think your DCS install is in the same place as it used to, but it's really on the SSD.

 

I just reinforce this as the best option. By this way all files are logically addresed with original path while they are physycally in another location . This is just an excellent mechanism existent in windows but not very known or used.

[Falcon_S]

Now I understand the connection between OS - DCS - SSD. TY GG. :thumbup:

[GGTharos]

No problem. If do you get an SSD, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Just the loading of the game feels 10x faster :)

[outlawal2]

GG you mentioned using 32 GIGS as a RAM disk... I am waiting for the PC standard itself to be updated and hopefully we can do away with the current architecture requiring separate memory and a hard disk / swap file etc... Hopefully soon they will just do away with that archaic system and simply run directly from RAM... So we just load our apps to a RAM disk and run from there with no swapping back and forth...

 

ZERO Load times as there won't be any!

 

And for those of you that are getting ready to tell me it isn't possible, it IS possible as many workstation class machines are setup that way already.. That is how Silicon Graphics machines work now... No Hard drive required for the OS and running programs because everything runs directly from the memory.. You only need a separate HD if you want to archive data...

 

Only reason they break things out now between HD and memory is that fast memory is extremely expensive vs. HD space costs so the current architecture was adopted.. Moving forward as fast memory gets cheaper, changing the architecture now becomes a viable possibility.. (We are starting to see this change already in the form of SSD's which are simply memory chips designed to interface with existing HD communication standards.. )

 

Change the standards and use SSD technology in a plug-in board that connects directly to the main bus and remove the need for Hard drives... You will speed the system up hugely while simplifying at the same time. (and if you absolutely NEED a separate HD for whatever reason, USB 3.0 will do anything you might need..)

 

Here's hoping!

[SkateZilla]

I don't know if this answers your question, I'm actually trying to understand your question, so here it goes:

 

For the most part, it doesn't matter where your OS lives. The read/write operations relevant to DCS are directed to the SSD that DCS lives on. Unless you have another program completely hogging the disk interface, you're not going to see a real difference between the OS also being on SSD or not.

 

My game is setup such that it runs from the SSD, but it writes tracks and tacview to the HDD, so there are even fewer operations done on the SSD.

 

Incidentally, since getting the SSD, my tracks don't mess up as much :)

 

Didnt someone stubble across DCS vs PageFile on some setups causing problems

[GGTharos]

@outlawal: I wasn't the one who mentioned the RAM.

 

@Skate: I believe this is an issue if you don't have enough RAM to run the game + whatever else. I avoid the whole thing by having my pagefile either completely off, or running on a disk where DCS does not live.

[outlawal2]

@outlawal: I wasn't the one who mentioned the RAM.

 

:doh: Well CRAP. Sorry about that.. Looking back it was SKATEZILLA that had mentioned the 32 GIG RAM and a RAM disk.

Sorry guys..

[uboats]

Yep, just move it from one drive to another (no need for reinstalling and uninstalling).

 

You'll just have to re-target your shortcuts after that to point to the correct drive.

 

If moving from HDD to SDD, don't you need to modify the register entries accordingly as well? If I remember correctly, the activation info as well as installation path are stored in the register entries.

[GGTharos]

No registry entries are involved.

[SkateZilla]

Just Copy, Paste, Right Click the Shortcut and Change the Path...