Reinstalling my computer and Steam client

I have to reinstall my computer and Steam due to malware. When I reinstall Steam, will I be able to re-download the games that I bought? I still have the "Thank you for your purchase" emails, so will those be of any use?

steam

Best Answer

Assuming Windows 7, your best bet is going to be to do this:

Make sure Steam is exited; completely closed and the icon is not next to your clock
Copy+Paste the entire Steam folder from your Program Files to an external HDD; assuming the malware is not hiding in here then you are safe
Reinstall your computer from scratch
Copy the Steam folder back onto your main computer into the Program Files folder. This might be (x86) if you are using 64-bit Windows
Download and install the Steam client, it will pick up on all of your games.

This should save you hours of re-download time.

My Steam library is 600GB so this is definitely not something I would like to re-download if I can avoid it.

Don't forget to also backup all of your saved games from My Documents!!

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Quick Answer about "Reinstalling my computer and Steam client"

Uninstall the Steam Client from your computer.

Visit the official website of Steam and download the latest version of Steam Client.

Running the installer file to install the Steam Client again.

Is there a way to repair Steam client?

You can also use Command Prompt to repair it. Follow the steps below: Step 1: In the start menu, please input cmd and choose Run as administrator. Step 2: Type the following command: \u201cC:\\Program Files (x86)\\Steam\\bin\\SteamService.exe\u201d /repair\u201d and then press Enter.

Can I uninstall and reinstall Steam without losing games?

If reinstalling Steam and Steam games in the near future, please move the steamapps folder (C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Steam\\steamapps) outside of the Steam directory to prevent your games from being deleted. Additionally, backups of all game content can be created for reinstallation.

How do I change where Steam client is installed?

Navigate to your Steam client 'Settings' menu. Select 'Steam Library Folders' from the 'Downloads' tab. From here, you can view your default installation path, as well as creating a new path by selecting '+' button. Once you have created the new path, all future installations can be installed there.

Where is my Steam client?

Steam Client Settings Display the Steam client window. On Windows, click the Steam \u2192 Settings menu item. On Mac, click the Steam \u2192 Preferences menu item. Select In-Game in the Settings/Preferences window's left sidebar.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, RF._.studio, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA