Insurency Sandstorm: Why Files Are Duplicated In Drives

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a series of online tactical FPS games made by New World Interactive. The game takes up a lot of disk space, with some users reporting that it takes up almost 50 GB of space, compared to the original game's size of around 7 GB. This large file size may be due to the use of mods and custom maps, which can fill up small gaps on the disk and fragment the files, leading to poor performance when reading. To improve performance, users can try defragmenting their hard drives or checking for fragmented files, which can help with loading times. Additionally, users can try deleting unnecessary files, such as old zip files from mods, to free up space.

Insurgency: Sandstorm files may be saved in both drives due to defragmentation during installation

Defragmentation is a process that reorganises data on a hard disk drive (HDD) so that related pieces of data are stored together in contiguous blocks. This process can improve the performance of your computer by reducing the time it takes to access files. Over time, as you add, remove, and update files, the organisation of your hard drive can become chaotic, leading to fragmentation.

When you install a large game like Insurgency: Sandstorm, it may fill up small gaps on the disk and cause fragmentation by splitting game files across multiple locations. This can lead to poor performance when reading these files. Defragmentation can help with this issue by rearranging the data so that the game files are stored together in larger, contiguous chunks.

During the installation of Insurgency: Sandstorm, the game files may have been fragmented and spread across both of your drives. This could happen if your primary drive did not have enough contiguous free space to accommodate the large game files. As a result, the installation process may have filled small gaps on the primary drive and then continued to store the remaining files on the secondary drive.

To prevent this from happening in the future, it is recommended to regularly defragment your drives, especially if you frequently install and uninstall games or make other significant changes to the data on your drives. By doing so, you can ensure that your drives remain optimised for performance and that your games have the necessary contiguous space to install without fragmentation.

Additionally, if you are experiencing poor performance when playing Insurgency: Sandstorm, you can try defragmenting your drives. This can potentially improve loading times and lead to a smoother gaming experience, especially if the game frequently accesses the hard drive during gameplay. However, it is important to note that defragmentation typically does not impact frames per second (FPS) during gameplay, which is more dependent on your CPU and GPU performance.

Defragmentation can cause files to be copied in bigger chunks or less fragmented to the other drive

Defragmentation is a process that helps to optimise the performance of a hard drive. It does this by rearranging the data stored on the drive, so that it is stored in a more efficient and contiguous manner. This can help to speed up read/write speeds and improve overall performance.

When a file is fragmented, it is stored in non-contiguous sectors on a hard drive, which can cause slower read/write speeds and decreased performance. This can occur when a file is saved, deleted, and re-saved over time, or if there is insufficient free space on the hard drive. Larger files, such as video and audio files, are more prone to fragmentation because they take up more space on the hard drive.

Defragmentation tools work by rearranging the "chunks" of data that make up a file so that they are stored together in a contiguous block. This can help to reduce the time it takes for the hard drive to locate and access the data, improving performance.

In the context of Insurgency: Sandstorm, it is possible that during the installation process, the game files became fragmented, leading to poor performance. By defragmenting the drive or moving the files to another drive, users may be able to improve the performance of the game. This is because the files may be copied in bigger, contiguous chunks, reducing fragmentation and improving read/write speeds.

It is worth noting that defragmentation is not necessary on SSDs, as they function differently from traditional hard drives and do not suffer from file fragmentation. Additionally, removing a storage device during defragmentation can cause data loss and potentially damage the device. It is always important to properly eject or unmount storage devices before removing them.

SSDs and HDDs may be used for different installations, impacting file storage

SSDs (Solid State Drives) and HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) are similar in their physical specifications but differ in how they store data. SSDs are newer and use silicon's physical and chemical properties to offer more storage volume, speed, and efficiency. They are more durable, consume less energy, and run cooler than HDDs. SSDs are also smaller, allowing for more flexibility in PC design. They are ideal for frequently carried-around drives and laptops, as well as when speed is a priority. For gaming, SSDs are generally better than HDDs due to faster read and write speeds, resulting in quicker game load times and smoother performance.

HDDs, on the other hand, are a well-established technology with a long history of development and improvement. They are cost-effective, offering more storage capacity for a lower price per gigabyte. HDDs are ideal when large amounts of storage are required, such as for multimedia users, heavy downloaders, and gamers.

When it comes to file storage, the choice between SSDs and HDDs depends on the specific use case. For example, in a hybrid storage system, the SSD can be used for the operating system and frequently accessed applications, while the HDD can store larger files like videos, photos, and documents where speed is less critical. This combination provides fast performance and ample storage.

In the case of Insurgency: Sandstorm, a game that requires a significant amount of storage space, users may opt to install it on either an SSD or an HDD. Those with SSDs may find that the game consumes a considerable portion of their drive space, potentially impacting the storage of other files and applications. On the other hand, those with HDDs may experience longer load times and performance issues, but benefit from the larger storage capacity.

To optimise performance, it is recommended to defragment HDDs regularly, especially when there are frequent changes to the data on the drive. This helps improve loading times and overall performance.

Steam Cloud support may also store Insurgency: Sandstorm data in a separate directory

If you play Insurgency: Sandstorm on two separate Steam accounts, the game may mirror the same progress across both accounts. This means that if you change an option or setting on one account, the other account will also be impacted. This issue is related to the Steam Cloud Sync or Steam Cloud share feature. When you launch the game on a particular account, Steam may ask you to choose between using Local or Steam Cloud data. If you choose Local, it will overwrite the data of the other account.

To avoid this issue, you can choose the data saved on the Steam Cloud. This will ensure that your game data is automatically updated once you finish playing. Another option is to install the game in two different directories. This way, you can keep the game progress separate for each account.

It's worth noting that this issue may also occur if you are family sharing the same copy of Insurgency: Sandstorm. In this case, revoking family sharing may resolve the problem.

By understanding and utilizing these solutions, players can enjoy Insurgency: Sandstorm on multiple Steam accounts without encountering data synchronization issues.

Game updates may also influence performance and file storage across different drives

Game updates can have a significant impact on performance and file storage across different drives. Insurgency: Sandstorm, for example, is a large game that can take up a lot of space on a player's SSD, with some players reporting that it consumes 10% of their SSD. The original Insurgency game was significantly smaller, at around 7GB, whereas Sandstorm is around 150GB. This increase in file size can be attributed to updates and new content added to the game.

When a game update is installed, it often requires replacing large files, even if only a small part of the file has changed. Additionally, some games create a backup copy of the original game files before applying the update, which takes up additional space. This can result in updates taking up a considerable amount of disk space, especially if the player has both the original and updated versions of the game on their drive.

Moving files between drives can also impact performance. When installing Sandstorm, for example, the game may fill up small gaps on the disk and fragment the files, leading to poor performance when reading the files. Moving the game to an SSD and back to a mechanical drive can help copy the files in bigger chunks and reduce fragmentation, improving performance.

To optimise performance and file storage, players can consider using a balance of SSDs and HDDs. SSDs are much faster than HDDs, resulting in quicker game loading times. However, SSDs can be more expensive and may not always be necessary. Players can also regularly defragment their HDDs to improve performance and reduce loading times.

It is worth noting that the impact of game updates on performance and file storage can vary depending on the specific game, the platform, and the type of update. Some updates may focus on bug fixes, while others may include additional content, which can affect the size of the update and the space required on the player's drive. Keeping the game files well-organised and optimised can help ensure the best gaming experience.

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