[Guide] How to make DCS download updates on a separate drive

To who ever has issues with space on their SSD when updating DCS

What you will have to do is create a symbolic junction, which in simple terms means, creating an image folder on your DCS drive which points to a different drive. This way the game will see the files where they should be, but their physical location will be on another drive. This is perfect for downloads as they are temporary files which is only used while updating. If you try to split your DCS like this you will only degrade your performance.

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Here is a nice guide explaining stuff in simple terms.

1. Copy your "_downloads" folder (from the main DCS directory) and paste it on a drive you wish

2. Go back to your DCS directory and delete your "_downloads" folder. (You can combine steps 1 and 2 with the "cut" function)

3. Open the Start Menu and type "cmd" in the search bar, right click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as an Administrator"

4. type: mklink /J "C:*path to your dcs "_downloads" folder" "D:*path to where you want the "_downloads" folder's content to be stored"

If successful you should see a message say "Junction created for..."

Here is an example how it was setup for me

mklink /J "C:\Games\DCS World OpenBeta\_downloads" "D:\Games\DCS\_downloads" (My game is installed on the C drive in this case and I am creating a virtual hard link folder named "_downloads", which when I open will direct to my downloads folder, located on my D drive)

Refresh your DCS directory and you should see the folder back there with a small icon in its bottom left corner.

Don't worry if you mess up something, nothing happens, you can just delete that folder and you destroy the link.

Cheers !

Thanks a lot, very useful ... I will try it out with tomorrow's update :)

Cheers,

Tell me how it goes, your folder should end up looking like this, with the small icon on the bottom left

Tell me how it goes ...

Its working fine .. hadnt realized that it was already wendsday :) ... its downloading into the relocated folder.

I knew already how to create junctions, and currently use them for Liveries and Mission files ... just never thought about using one for the temporary downloads :)

Best regards

Using this technique I expect several folders like doc can also move like that I would like to know what folders besides the unused mods can some one list which folder are not normally used during gameplay like the mission editor etc? What are these folders that can be moved off the ssd and will not effect game play.

I may look into building a mod that copies the mods that you are not using to another drive it will allow you to manually select the folders. On you ssd drive make a copy to another drive do the link and and you do this prior to entering dcs this will minimize your dcs footprint on the ssd and if you decide to fly a different aircraftjust just move the folder back to the ssd and move the other aircraft to the storage drive. Eventually I hope to build a system sIMilar to SkateZilla ‘s dcs updater. It could work like ovgme for folder removals where ovgme enable mods either temporary or permanently.

Sorry, can't help you with that. I don't have such information as to what is used when.

Will try this out on the next Wednesday. Thanks.

I guess this can get your update in trouble if you use the same folder for different installations of DCS if you have. Only one installation should be fine, just to be aware.

I'm going to try this out myself, I have a 256gb 960m.2 drive I have DCS and just Windows and associated other productivity type stuff on installed on right now(swapped some drives around), and I've found recently that I ran out of space during an update with my DCS install - I have every module except the Russian transport helo, and every map/WW2/whatever, and my folder size is 130gb.

Anyhow, going to try this out, very interested in being able to pawn off installs on my regular SSD or even my Black WD spinner drives. Thanks for posting this, later today I'll try it out on my primary DCS system.

Tell me how it goes

 

Don't worry if you mess up something, nothing happens, you can just delete that folder and you destroy the link.

 

Cheers !

Sounds like a collapse of the wave function of quantum entanglement :D

Great guide S!

mklink /j "D:\DCS World OpenBeta 2.5" "G:\DCS World 2.5\_downloads"

Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

In todays launcher update:

Version 2.8.3:

- Ability to select a different download folder if there's not enough disk space.

The selection is saved in the 'autoupdate_settings.cfg' file.

- Ask for retry if there's not enough space in the install folder.

Well, guess this is no longer of help.

Cheers

mklink /j "D:\DCS World OpenBeta 2.5" "G:\DCS World 2.5\_downloads"

Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

Did you delete the _downloads folder from your install directory ?

The J also has to be capital.

If you still want to do it after the last updater update, link some screenshots to your directories and their paths.

I wonder what method have ED gone with ? Just my luck to have such an update after all I had to do :lol:

Well, guess this is no longer of help.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

Did you delete the _downloads folder from your install directory ?

 

The J also has to be capital.

 

If you still want to do it after the last updater update, link some screenshots to your directories and their paths.

 

I wonder what method have ED gone with ? Just my luck to have such an update after all I had to do :lol:

With the new updater I think I won't need symlink. Thanks anyway.

mklink /j "D:\DCS World OpenBeta 2.5" "G:\DCS World 2.5\_downloads"

Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Yes the command prompt method, that, or this lesser known but must-have Windows utility:

Link Shell Extension: http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html (scroll to the bottom for download)

Well, guess this is no longer of help.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

Did you delete the _downloads folder from your install directory ?

 

The J also has to be capital.

 

If you still want to do it after the last updater update, link some screenshots to your directories and their paths.

 

I wonder what method have ED gone with ? Just my luck to have such an update after all I had to do :lol:

Man, this is not working...I either get "Cannot create file when one already exists" or I get syntax error... I made a folder on D: drive called "DCS Download Junction"...then CUT & PASTED _downloads folder from C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta to the D:\DCS Download Junction folder that I created...now here is my command mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta" "D:\DCS Download Junction\_downloads" ok, what did I do wrong

Maybe you guys getting it mixed up.

mklink /J "C:\LinkToFolder" "G:\Users\Name\OriginalFolder"

Assume your game is on C: drive and you have backup G:drive

Cut and paste the _download folder to the G: drive

Now that G:drive is the original folder and the command will create a link folder on to the C: drive where _download folder used to be, pointing to the location in the G:drive.

I'll send an actual command when I get to my PC later

Man, this is not working...I either get "Cannot create file when one already exists" or I get syntax error... I made a folder on D: drive called "DCS Download Junction"...then CUT & PASTED _downloads folder from C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta to the D:\DCS Download Junction folder that I created...now here is my command mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta" "D:\DCS Download Junction\_downloads" ok, what did I do wrong

Make sure there is no _download folder on C:drive. That's what the command is going to make.

Maybe you guys getting it mixed up.

mklink /J "C:\LinkToFolder" "G:\Users\Name\OriginalFolder"

Assume your game is on C: drive and you have backup G:drive

Cut and paste the _download folder to the G: drive

Now that G:drive is the original folder and the command will create a link folder on to the C: drive where _download folder used to be, pointing to the location in the G:drive.

 

I'll send an actual command when I get to my PC later

Yeah, that is directly the opposite of the OP's first post...so which is which? Now wait, that IS what I did. Follow it alphabetically....I'm going from Drive C: (Original install drive) to Drive D: the junction and new home of the downloads...which I did...so why do you have G as the originalfolder location? Also, we need to be careful of the syntax and where spaces are and where quotes are...since we're working in a DOS environment, we need to use double quotes for directories named with spaces...why can't they make an app that does all this syntax stuff for you...it's like we're panning for gold

Make sure there is no _download folder on C:drive. That's what the command is going to make.

There wasn't...I said I CUT & PASTE...cutting moves the folder thereby creating a void where the folder once was...believe me, I followed the OP's instructions to a TEE....don't know what is wrong, but it seems to me that there could be an simple executable made that does all this for you...

mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta" "D:\DCS Download Junction\_downloads"

I figured it out.

mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\_downloads" "D:\DCS Download Junction\_downloads"

That will create _download link from C: to D:

The D: could have been named anything else but the C: which is the link must only be named _download for it to fool DCS updater.

And don't forget to right click command promt and run as Admin.

This doesn't work anymore. The installer specifically looks for CoreMods fole under your manin game

folder.