Clean install of OS(operating system)

I'm doing a clean install of Windows 8.1 and wanted to know if it was possible to backup FFXIV so I don't have to download the game again. Has anyone done this and what do I need to backup/save and relaunch.

I think it depends on how you bought it. If it was digital download and anything like Tera's installer, it might have downloaded the entire installation file set to a folder with a file system like: Data001.dat, Data002.dat, etc., In which case you can simply copy the install files to an Ext HDD and use them on the new OS install for a MUCH faster install.

If not, then you'll simply have to run the downloader again and re-download all of the files. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt you'll be able to simply copy the program files as typically with large scale MMO's like this, and the many mini-patches the game has already released, there are typically ALOT of files that link to Registry Keys that need to be configured properly (This happens during the installation of the game), and if you simply copy the program files, the registry will still be new and therefor un-optimized or rather unconfigured for the game's requirements.

Some major MMO's like Blizzard's World of Warcraft and other titles have the ability to run from an external source and the source can be moved from OS to OS without any problem but Final Fantasy XIV, to my knowledge is NOT one of those types of game software.

Is it worth a shot? Yes. Is it going to work? My probability points towards No.

Yah this isn't a small undertaking. It works with FFXI but unless you want to manually register all the DLLs (and know how) you need to grab a command line script someone wrote to register the DLLs. As far as I know no one has written a script yet for FFXIV and I wouldn't know which DLLs would have to be registered. The other bit...backing up the Square Enix folder in Program Files and the folder of the same name in your My Documents folder and backing up the FFXIV registry keys...isn't a problem. DLL registration can be.

Backup the game folder and the one in documents, make a clean install and replace the folders with the backupped ones.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by combatFlexo

I'm doing a clean install of Windows 8.1 and wanted to know if it was possible to backup FFXIV so I don't have to download the game again. Has anyone done this and what do I need to backup/save and relaunch.

---

I done this the other day, backup game folder, re install with ffxiv installer. copy back your backup folder an replace the files then run ffxiv and done, it does not save your character options though e.g. hud layout etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Faeon

I done this the other day, backup game folder, re install with ffxiv installer. copy back your backup folder an replace the files then run ffxiv and done, it does not save your character options though e.g. hud layout etc.

---

Also adding that the above works, have done this myself. If you want to also want to keep your layout options, just copy the My Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn folder (and subdirectories) from old to new :)

Thanks for the replies. I will be able to do this in the next day or two, and detail the process.

I recently had my system drive go bonkers after a botched AntiVIrus upgrade and had to restore it from an image--one that didn't have XIV installed on it. Fortunately, I had the game running on my laptop also, so I was able to pull the character data over from the My Documents/My Games folder onto the PC, and all the hard game files were still intact on my Data drive.

So, basically all I had to do was run the installer--was the phase4 beta I still had in my archives folder on the Data drive. Directed it to install in the same folder where the hard files still were and it installed without a hitch. Told it I had an existing account and all, and just logged into the game, it downloaded about a 75MB patch, and I started playing.

So, basically all you need to do is save off the entire FFXIV install folder (Program Files (x86)\Square Enix) and your character data (My Documents\My Games... find the FFXIV top folder) to another drive. Grab the FFXIV installer too while you are at it if you still have it on your hard drive. After the restore, copy all those folders back to the original locations, run the installer and tell it to install back in that same folder like it was before, answer the prompts that you have an existing account and such. When you first log in, it will run the version check against the config files and only update if it detects an older version. Since you grabbed the top level folders, you are getting all the version ID files, all the patch files, and all your custom HUD/Character data restored, so when you log into your SE AM account and all, it should synch up like it normally does.

Just be prepared... it won't fit on a single DVD--not even a dual layer one. You will want at least a nearly empty 16GB thumbdrive, as the install directory is running a little over 9GB now.

Just the main client folder where you install the game is pretty much enough. I even copied it to my external HDD so I can play FFXIV at any place where there's a PC (usually internet cafes).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dj_Ash1983

Just the main client folder where you install the game is pretty much enough. I even copied it to my external HDD so I can play FFXIV at any place where there's a PC (usually internet cafes).

---

Yeah.. I just wanted to demonstrate how it works when you have the previous patched files already on your drive. This way you can avoid having to download all that crap again after you install. Some people are having issues staying connected through the long download process. With a little advanced preparation, you can bypass most of that downloading--but it will require a lot of space to backup all the data.

Successfully upgraded to Windows 8.1 and have FFXIV installed after backing up the game files.

I backed up the following folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn
C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\my games\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn
and FFXIVSETUP.exe

Once I had Windows 8.1 installed I ran the FFXIVSETUP.exe it recreated the C:\Program Files (x86)\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn folder and a shortcut on my desktop.
I copied over my backup folders to the original location and launched the game. I was able to play without any updates and my user settings were the same(HUD, keybinding, etc...).