Steam - loading game files from multiple locations?

[CurseTheSky]

My laptop has a 160GB SSD as its only internal drive. Needless to say, I can't fit my entire Steam library on the drive. Luckily the laptop has an eSATA port, and I carry around a 2.5", 500GB, 7200 RPM drive that has Steam and most of my library on it. However, I'd like to do away with the need to break out the hard drive and cabling every time I want to fire up a game.

Is there any way I can have Steam installed on the OS drive with SOME of my games on the drive as well, and the rest of the games on the external drive? Is there a way to dynamically link them or something to that fact? I wouldn't be splitting any single game in half, but I would have games 1, 2, and 3 installed on the SSD, and games 4-50 installed on the external HDD, for example.

If there isn't any way of achieving this, I suppose I can just use the external drive to keep a copy of the game files, and swap them in / out of the SSD depending on what I feel like playing.

Thanks.

 

[Snapster]

I was going to write about setting up a junction point to another drive (essentially linking a folder to another folder on different volumes). But someone already did it on Steam Forums

 

[pcslookout]

I was going to write about setting up a junction point to another drive (essentially linking a folder to another folder on different volumes). But someone already did it on Steam Forums

Yeah that is the way I do it with junctions! Though I use a even easier way to do it with a program that does it for me. Much easier. I love junctions! Could not live without them!

Wow was just reading the steam topic and someone actually made an application to automate the Junction process. Not sure if I trust it or not though. New to me. Yeah I use a program to automate the junction process but it is not dedicated just to steam and was not made by a steam user. The guy who started the topic got banned and the first guy who asked why he got banned has as well. So I won't ask in that topic hehe. Hopefully that new program works well for people but I just can't trust something like that until more people use it. That way I know for sure it has no viruses or key loggers.

 

[Snapster]

There are gui junction point managers out there if you don't like command line.

 

[pcslookout]

There are gui junction point managers out there if you don't like command line.

I know that is what I use. Just can't remember the name of the one I use off hand. At least it wasn't built by a steam user. Sorry it is difficult to trust people with programs they just built from a random forum. Not saying it is bad just saying it is good to be cautious. Looks pretty cool though from the images sense it is a junction program dedicated just to steam!