guarstompemoji wrote: »

It may have been possible to do the following! Writing this in case someone has a similar question.

1. Copy the large game files to a different directory.
2. Uninstall the game.
3. Copy the game files back over.
4. Reinstall. However, the installer will "find" the giant vats of files, and not attempt to redownload them. It will, however, reinstall the launcher.

This trick is used when having to install ESO on multiple computers.

I did something similar to what you described:
- Copied client (game) files to a different folder/directory
- Uninstalled the game using ESO "Uninstall" utility
- Deleted all game folders, but not "User" folders
- Went to my account page and initiated game installation
- Waited until Launcher loaded and started to download files, then selected "Pause" to stop Launcher's download
- Copied client (game) files from backup to ESO game folder/directory
- Restarted Launcher's installation . . . which completed immediately (because all game files were now loaded)
- Just for good measure . . . ran "Repair" to scan and verify game files present and up to date

I have never tried copying client/game files back to the ESO game folder prior to initiating re-installation (as you describe). I've always started installation, then paused it when files start to download, then copied the client files. Based on your experience I suppose both methods work.

FYI: The above method reduces the installation time from a couple of hours (of downloading over the Internet) to about 7 minutes.

tauriel01 wrote: »

Which folders are "user" folders? My game is effed up this morning too, and no repair option

The quick-installation method in short:
- Don't delete any of your "User" files (location described below)
- Copy (backup) all game files under "The Elder Scrolls Online" folder
- During reinstallation process, restore game files from backup, instead of downloading them

My installation is directly from ZOS. The folder and file locations may be different if you loaded the game from Steam. I don't know. Maybe the subfolder names are the same under Steam folders?

When I mentioned "User" files, I meant every folder under:
C:/User/[User Name]/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live
This folder contains the subfolders for Addons and SavedVariables (so I didn't need to reset addons and characters).

I believe the default location for the game files is:
C:/Program Files(x86)/Zenimax Online
I'm not sure, because I did not use the default installation; instead, I stored my game files on the D drive under a different folder name.

If you installed your game files at some other location (drive:/folder), just look for "The Elder Scrolls Online" subfolder. The "Launcher" subfolder should be in the same folder as "The Elder Scroll Online" folder. You want to backup the files under "The Elder Scrolls Online" folder. For English, my "The Elder Scrolls Online" folder [85.3 GB] contains subfolders:
/depot [74.7 GB]
/game [212 MB]
/vo_en [9.32 GB]
/vo_soundsets [1.11 GB]

Before a reload, I copy all of the files under "The Elder Scrolls Online" subfolder to a different folder or to an external drive.

If the game was previously installed and got messed-up, I use the ESO "Uninstall" routine (under the same folder as "Launcher" and "The Elder Scrolls Online" folders). I then go ahead and entirely delete the "Launcher' and "The Elder Scrolls Online" folders/directories. I then initiate a download of the game from my account page.

The download process: (1) verifies or writes the required folders; (2) loads the Launcher files; (3) initiates the Launcher; and (4) starts to download the game files. At that point, I "Pause" the download by selecting "Pause" on Launcher. I then copy files from backup to: /The Elder Scrolls Online subfolder (wherever you decided to place the folder). I then go back to Launcher and continue the Installation routine. However, now Launcher apparently sees the game files, and completes and terminates the Installation process. For a final check, I initiate the "Repair" routine, that verifies all the files are loaded and up to date.

Because I did not delete the User files, I still had all of my addons and character setups.

This method works well if you have two or more computers (as we do). One can install ESO on one computer, then use this process to install the game on the other computer.

Player guarstompemoji said he copies the game files from backup before initiating the reload. Since I delete all game folders before initiating the reload, I wait until the Installation routine as created all the proper folders/directors, loaded the Launcher, and initiated the download of game files. Then I pause the download and restore game files from backup to the newly created folders.

Reminder: This method is for a direct download from ZOS. I do not know how it should be done on Steam. Although, I have restored Steam games to a computer (from backup) in a similar (and much easier) fashion.