How To Install Oculus Rift To Another Drive

Why install Oculus Rift on another drive?

Installing Oculus Rift on another drive can provide a number of benefits for users. The default installation location for Oculus Rift is typically the system drive, which is usually the C: drive on most computers. However, this drive may not always have sufficient space to accommodate all your VR games and applications. By installing Oculus Rift on another drive, you can free up valuable space on your system drive and improve overall performance. Here are some specific reasons why you may want to consider installing Oculus Rift on another drive:

• More storage space: The system drive is often limited in terms of storage capacity. By installing Oculus Rift on a different drive, such as a larger secondary hard drive or an external drive, you can have more room to store your VR games and apps without worrying about running out of space.
• Better system performance: Oculus Rift games and applications require substantial resources, including processing power and storage access. By offloading them to a separate drive, you can alleviate the strain on your system drive, resulting in improved performance and faster loading times.
• Flexibility to choose drive type: You may have different types of drives available, such as solid state drives (SSD) or traditional hard disk drives (HDD). SSDs are faster and more responsive, making them an ideal choice for running VR applications. Installing Oculus Rift on an SSD can significantly reduce loading times and provide a smoother VR experience.
• Easier drive management: Having Oculus Rift installed on a separate drive can make organizing and managing your VR content more convenient. You can easily back up, transfer, or reinstall the software without affecting your system drive or other applications.

Overall, installing Oculus Rift on another drive can provide you with more storage space, improved system performance, and flexibility in terms of drive type. It can make your VR experience more enjoyable and hassle-free. Now let’s move on to the next section and learn how to prepare for the installation.

Preparing for the installation

Before you begin installing Oculus Rift on another drive, there are a few steps you should take to ensure a smooth and successful process. These preparations will help you avoid any potential issues and make the installation process much easier. Follow these steps:

1. Check system requirements: Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements for running Oculus Rift. This includes having a compatible operating system, sufficient RAM, a compatible graphics card, and available USB ports. Refer to the official Oculus Rift website for detailed system requirements.
2. Choose the secondary drive: Decide on the drive where you want to install Oculus Rift. This could be an external hard drive, a separate internal hard drive, or even a different partition on your existing drive. Ensure that the chosen drive has enough storage space to accommodate the Oculus Rift software, games, and applications.
3. Backup important data: It’s always a good idea to create a backup of important data on both your system drive and the drive where you plan to install Oculus Rift. Although the installation process shouldn’t affect your data, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
4. Update drivers and software: Make sure all your drivers, especially your graphics card drivers, are up to date. Outdated drivers can cause compatibility issues and affect the performance of Oculus Rift. Also, ensure that your operating system and any other relevant software are updated to the latest versions.
5. Disable antivirus software: Temporarily disable any antivirus or security software on your computer. Sometimes, these programs can interfere with the installation process and cause issues. Remember to re-enable the software once the installation is complete.

By following these preparation steps, you can ensure that your computer is ready for installing Oculus Rift on another drive. Taking these precautions will help minimize any potential issues and ensure a smooth installation process. Now, let’s move on to the next section and learn how to move the Oculus Rift software.

Moving Oculus Rift software

Once you have prepared your computer, the next step is to move the Oculus Rift software from its default location to the new drive. Follow these steps to successfully move the Oculus Rift software:

1. Exit Oculus Rift: Make sure the Oculus Rift application is closed before proceeding with the move. This ensures that the software is not actively running and prevents any potential conflicts.
2. Locate the Oculus Rift folder: The default installation location for Oculus Rift is usually in the “C:\Program Files\Oculus” directory. Open File Explorer and navigate to this folder.
3. Cut and paste the folder: Select the entire Oculus folder, right-click, and choose “Cut”. Navigate to your new drive and create a new folder specifically for Oculus Rift. Right-click inside the new folder and choose “Paste”. This will move the entire Oculus folder to the new drive.
4. Create a symbolic link: To let Windows know that the Oculus software is now located on a different drive, you need to create a symbolic link. Open a command prompt as an administrator. Type the following command: mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Oculus" "D:\NewDrive\Oculus" (replace “D:\NewDrive\Oculus” with the actual path to the Oculus folder on your new drive).
5. Verify the move: Open the Oculus application to ensure that it opens without any issues. You should be able to access your VR library and games as before.

By following these steps, you can successfully move the Oculus Rift software to another drive. It’s important to create a symbolic link so that Windows recognizes the new location of the software. Once you have completed this step, you can proceed to the next section and learn how to change your default Oculus Rift Library.

Changing your default Oculus Rift Library

By default, Oculus Rift stores your VR games and applications in a specific Library folder on the system drive. However, after moving the Oculus Rift software to another drive, you will need to change the default Library location to the new drive. Follow these steps to change your default Oculus Rift Library:

1. Open Oculus Rift application: Launch the Oculus application on your computer.
2. Go to Settings: Click on the gear icon located in the top right corner of the Oculus app. This will open the Settings menu.
3. Select the “General” tab: In the Settings menu, click on the “General” tab.
4. Click on “Library Locations”: Scroll down until you find the “Library Locations” section. Click on the small edit button next to it.
5. Add a new Library location: In the Library Locations window, click on the “+ Add Library” button.
6. Browse and select the new drive: Navigate to the location where you moved the Oculus Rift folder. Select the folder and click “Select Folder”. This will add the new location to your Oculus Rift Library.
7. Set the new drive as the default: Once the new Library location is added, click on the “Set as Default” button next to it. This will make the new drive the default location for installing future VR games and applications.
8. Verify the changes: Close the Settings menu and check that the Oculus Rift Library now shows the new drive as the default location.

By following these steps, you can successfully change the default Oculus Rift Library location to the new drive. This ensures that all your future VR games and applications will be installed on the new drive by default. Now, let’s move on to the next section and learn how to move your existing Oculus Rift games and apps to the new drive.

Creating a new Oculus Rift Library location

After changing the default Oculus Rift Library location, you may want to create a new dedicated folder on the new drive to organize your VR games and applications. Follow these steps to create a new Oculus Rift Library location:

1. Open the new drive: Open File Explorer and navigate to the new drive where you want to create the new Oculus Rift Library location.
2. Create a new folder: Right-click inside the new drive and select “New” followed by “Folder”. Give the folder a name, such as “Oculus Library” or any other name of your choice.
3. Open Oculus Rift application: Launch the Oculus application on your computer.
4. Go to Settings: Click on the gear icon located in the top right corner of the Oculus app. This will open the Settings menu.
5. Select the “General” tab: In the Settings menu, click on the “General” tab.
6. Click on “Library Locations”: Scroll down until you find the “Library Locations” section. Click on the small edit button next to it.
7. Add a new Library location: In the Library Locations window, click on the “+ Add Library” button.
8. Browse and select the new folder: Navigate to the newly created folder on the new drive. Select the folder and click “Select Folder”. This will add the new folder as a Library location in Oculus Rift.
9. Set the new folder as the default: Once the new Library location is added, click on the “Set as Default” button next to it. This will make the new folder the default location for installing future VR games and applications.
10. Verify the changes: Close the Settings menu and check that the Oculus Rift Library now shows the new folder as the default location.

By following these steps, you can create a new Oculus Rift Library location on the new drive. This allows you to have a dedicated folder for organizing and storing your VR games and applications separately from the Oculus Rift software files. Now, let’s move on to the next section and learn how to move your existing Oculus Rift games and apps to the new drive.

Moving Oculus Rift games and apps

After setting up the new Oculus Rift Library location, you can proceed to move your existing Oculus Rift games and applications from the old location to the new drive. Follow these steps to move your Oculus Rift games and apps:

1. Open Oculus Rift application: Launch the Oculus application on your computer.
2. Go to the Library: Click on “Library” in the left-hand menu of the Oculus app. This will display all your installed games and applications.
3. Locate the game or app: Find the game or application that you want to move to the new drive.
4. Click on “Settings”: Hover over the game or app and click on the gear icon that appears. This will open the settings menu for that particular game or app.
5. Click on “Move”: In the settings menu, click on the “Move” option.
6. Select the new drive location: A window will appear allowing you to choose the new location for the game or app. Browse to the new Oculus Rift Library folder on the new drive and select it.
7. Confirm the move: Once you have selected the new location, click “Move” to start the process. Oculus Rift will then begin moving the game or app to the new drive.
8. Repeat for other games and apps: Repeat the process for all the other games and apps you want to move to the new drive.
9. Verify the move: After the games and apps have finished moving, open them from the Oculus app to ensure they load correctly from the new drive.

By following these steps, you can successfully move your Oculus Rift games and applications to the new drive. This allows you to free up space on your system drive and keep your VR content organized in the new Oculus Rift Library location. Now that you have completed the move, you can proceed to the final section and learn how to verify the installation and run Oculus Rift.

Verifying the installation and running Oculus Rift

After completing the installation and moving Oculus Rift to another drive, it’s important to verify that everything is set up correctly and ensure that you can run Oculus Rift without any issues. Follow these steps to verify the installation and run Oculus Rift:

1. Launch Oculus Rift: Open the Oculus application on your computer.
2. Check Oculus Rift Library: Click on “Library” in the left-hand menu to access your game and application library. Ensure that all your previously installed games and apps are visible and accessible.
3. Check game and app functionality: Choose a game or app from your library and click on it to launch. Make sure it loads properly and that you can play or use it without any issues. Test multiple games and apps to ensure their functionality.
4. Test VR experience: Put on your VR headset and test the VR experience with different games and apps. Check for smooth performance, clear visuals, and accurate tracking.
5. Verify storage location: During gameplay or app usage, keep an eye on the storage location to ensure that new installations or updates are being saved to the new drive and not the system drive.
6. Run performance tests: If desired, you can run benchmarking or performance tests to verify that Oculus Rift is running smoothly on the new drive. This can help identify any potential performance issues that may need to be addressed.

By following these steps, you can verify that the installation of Oculus Rift on another drive was successful and that you can run games and applications without any issues. Regularly check for updates to both the Oculus Rift software and your games and apps to ensure optimal performance and access to new features. Now that you have completed the verification process, you can fully enjoy your Oculus Rift experience on the new drive.