Download The Sims 4: How to Move Your Installation to a New Hard Drive Without the Downloading Nightmare!

Ah, the joys of computer gaming. The thrill of creating virtual lives, building dream houses, and causing mayhem in a simulated world. But what happens when your hard drive starts filling up faster than a Sim's bladder after a night of drinking too much juice? Fear not, dear player, for I am here to guide you through the treacherous waters of moving your Sims 4 installation without the need for a full-blown redownload.

Now, before we dive into the nitty-gritty details, let's make sure we're all on the same page. You've got your Sims 4 installed on a Windows computer, using the EA launcher. And you, my friend, are looking to transfer that installation to a different hard drive without the tedious task of downloading everything all over again. Well, you're in luck because there are a few ways to make this happen.

The first solution involves good old-fashioned copying and pasting. Here's what you need to do: locate the folder where your Sims 4 installation is currently residing. This is usually in the "Electronic Arts" folder within your Documents directory. Once you've found it, simply copy the entire folder and paste it onto your desired hard drive. Voila! Your installation has been successfully moved. Just make sure to update the file paths in your EA launcher to point to the new location.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can try using symbolic links to trick your computer into thinking the installation is still in its original location. This method requires a bit of command line wizardry, but fear not, I shall guide you through it. First, you'll need to open a command prompt with administrative privileges. Then, use the "mklink" command to create a symbolic link that points to the new location of your Sims 4 folder. This way, the game will think it's still in the same place, but in reality, it's happily residing on your shiny new hard drive.

If you happen to have your Sims 4 installation through Steam, there's a handy little tool called Steam Mover that can simplify the process for you. This nifty program allows you to easily move your Steam games to a different drive without any fuss. Simply select your Sims 4 installation folder, choose the destination drive, and let Steam Mover work its magic. It will automatically create the necessary symbolic links and update the file paths, so you don't have to worry about a thing.

So, my dear Sim enthusiast, whether you prefer the classic copy-paste method, the symbolic link shortcut, or the Steam Mover magic, rest assured that you can move your Sims 4 installation to a different hard drive without the headache of redownloading everything. Now go forth, build your virtual empires, and may your Sims live happily ever after, in their new and improved digital abode. Happy gaming!

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