How Do I Backup The Game

[Kraggy]

Obviously the way to backup the game is to copy the Skyrim tree (usually in steamapps\common) to somewhere else so you can re-copy it back if you need to, something simple like

 

backup: XCOPY Skyrim B:\Skyrim /s /c

restore: XCOPY B:\Skyrim Skyrim /s /c

 

will suffice, obviously a drag/drop using a GUI tool will also work.

 

With tools like NMM this is fine because NMM copies all mod files (archive and loose) to Data when mods are installed, so the backup contains the mod files and will restore as they were before the backup.

 

With Mod Organizer the Data tree isn't changed at all when mods are installed, this is because it creates an 'on-the-fly' virtual file system when it runs the game, so that the 'real' Data tree is not changed at all by MO so there's nothing that needs backing up outside of MO's own file trees.

 

With Vortex however as I see it we have a problem; this backup mechanism can't work.

 

The Data tree will NOT be recoverable as it was when copied because when it installs mods Vortex uses NTFS Hard Links inside the Data tree that point to its Mods tree for each mod file, and when you use something like XCOPY on the Data tree the hard links aren't copied, instead the actual file the link points to is copied; this means when you copy the backup tree back to Data it now contains FILES not HARD LINKS to files.

 

This is how Hard Links work, as far as I know and have ever read they can't be backed up as links, any file copy operation will copy the 'real' file not the link!

 

I've search in vain for any posts/docs/etc which explain how Vortex expects you to be able to backup the game and itself, at present the only tool I know of that can do this is a system imager such as Acronis and that is unusable for simply restoring a game.

 

What am I missing here?

[rewrisk]

2018 and no one was interested in the last 3 years?

Just had to reinstall windows after a bug made Steam VR unplayable.

Found it here.

Moving your Vortex Mod Setup to a new Computer - Nexus Mods Wiki

Worked for me though being more eager to see if I could get Skyrim working I hadn't restored the FO4 folder when I ran Vortex so now I have to re-enable everything and I can't use the restore modlist because Vortex claims I don't have a premium membership?

[HadToRegister]

2018 and no one was interested in the last 3 years?

Just had to reinstall windows after a bug made Steam VR unplayable.

Found it here.

Moving your Vortex Mod Setup to a new Computer - Nexus Mods Wiki

Worked for me though being more eager to see if I could get Skyrim working I hadn't restored the FO4 folder when I ran Vortex so now I have to re-enable everything and I can't use the restore modlist because Vortex claims I don't have a premium membership?

 

 

I already answered your question in your other thread, there was no need to necro a 3 year old thread to add your problem to it.