um as long as you have your stardock login and password you can use it to redownload the game and install it. No need to burn a copy since they have the cd key on record for you. Note that you can have stardock archive the installation so that you can return it to is original state at any time.

????
This created a .sdc file in the backup folder not like an installable .exe or .zip file. What do I do with this file?
(and seemingly I need to do this separately for movies / multimedia etc. ?! )

I will simply never purchase online again if this is meant to be this opaque to the end user. If I had known I would have waited for a few days for shipped copy to arrive.

(Good game though, I had been enjoying it over the past hour, nice polish improved over GC1. Bloody bad install, but good game.)

Use the archive method described by ShenLeung, and burn a copy of the .sdc file plus the Stardock Central installer to CD/DVD (probably DVD).

From there, you can use the DVD to install SDC, run SDC, and under the File menu there's an "Import" or "Restore" item that you can use to turn the .sdc archive back into the installed game. This method worked just fine for me putting it on my laptop. No need to enter account information or serial number, so long as it's authenticated on the machine you're creating the archive from.

Use the archive method described by ShenLeung, and burn a copy of the .sdc file plus the Stardock Central installer to CD/DVD (probably DVD). From there, you can use the DVD to install SDC, run SDC, and under the File menu there's an "Import" or "Restore" item that you can use to turn the .sdc archive back into the installed game. This method worked just fine for me putting it on my laptop. No need to enter account information or serial number, so long as it's authenticated on the machine you're creating the archive from.

Unfortunately this doesn't work. I burned the 4 archived files from the backup folder plus the SDC installer onto two CDs. I then disconnected from the internet and did a complete uninstall/reinstall of everything. The catch is that the SDC program won't allow you to reinstall unless it is allowed access to the internet. I don't see how it is possible to have a stand alone copy of the game for those of us who downloaded the program only. I am regretful now that I have done this, and will probably never download a game again. Basically I have no guarantee that the SDC installer program will be able to reinstall the game I bought if the info it needs to verify online becomes unavailable. This in my opinion makes downloading the game a terrible choice if you want a hard copy of the game. I have no doubts that I can get it up and running indefinitely except that it is entirely dependant on the access to information online which I have no control over. Had I purchased it normally at retail I would be able to install/uninstall at will without any worries at all, and this has kind of bummed me out. Honestly I love this game alot and will probably end up buying a second boxed copy or something, but it was not made very clear from the beginning that those who download from them directly will not have a standalone hardcopy of the game like those who bought it at retail. If there is some feature of the Stardock program that will let me restore the game without access to the internet I am all ears and anxious to hear it. Oh, and this is my first post here. Hi everyone

Okay well I will try to find where to contact them again. If this thread doesn't get buried too quickly I will post back here if I can get it to work. If I can get away from the game that is, haha.

EDIT:
support@stardock.com
www.stardock.com/support

if anyone is interested...

I think its the same as the hard copy. Needs to be activated like most software these days.

For the record: I want my games to be playable 10 years from now (I still play MOM or MOO or MOO2 on occasion). I do not wish to rely on the existence of SD or SD Central then.

It will reinstall, you need to aquire a special key or something of some sort from support, however

Now you just need to hope that Stardock won't be out of the business in 10 years.

From there, you can use the DVD to install SDC, run SDC, and under the File menu there's an "Import" or "Restore" item that you can use to turn the .sdc archive back into the installed game. This method worked just fine for me putting it on my laptop. No need to enter account information or serial number, so long as it's authenticated on the machine you're creating the archive from.

That didn't work for me: I had no internet connection and sdc kept asking for my totalgaming serail number and an internet connection to check it. The restore oprtion for the archives was greyed out.

I to discovered that you cannot reinstall the backup wherever you want. You need to have your serail numbers with and an internet connection available. I don't remember having that kind of problem with galciv1, which is why I bought through download only. I've emailed tehs ales department as we are instructed to do in the help files in sdc, now it is wait and see.
I'd add that I give stardock the benefit of doubt since until now I had absolutelly no reason so complain about anything, much to the contrary.

I am concerned too about reinstalling it if Stardock has any sort of problem, so I guess I'll be upgrading for the CE box, but that's 20$ plus s/h: in the end that'll be an expensive game...

sdc kept asking for my totalgaming serail number

Well, aren't you supposed to have a GC2 serial number too?

That settles it.

Would a SD rep please advise on how I "return" my downloaded GC2 and exchange it with a hard copy. I'll pay the S&H as needed.

Thanks.

sales@stardock.com or upgrade: https://www.galciv2.com/upgrade.aspx Link They're pretty busy right now. Strength through patience.

Indeed.
Msener, email them. I usually get a reply pretty fast (though I'm waiting now too)

Okay got an automated email which eventually linked me to:

https://www.stardock.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=view&parentcategoryid=146&pcid=52&nav=0,52

I am having trouble with Step 5 of the archiving process and still waiting on an email on how to switch my downloaded version so that I can pay S+H for the boxed copy as well. I will post back here when I figure out exactly how I do/did it if I figure it out.

EDIT: The forum autolinked the first part of that, you will have to cut and paste the second half of the address after the linked portion... If you don't know what this means you will probably have trouble following these steps anyways, heh. I am glad to see that both things I want to do are supported, but it was not as clear as I would have liked and it would save tech support some tickets if that info. was more prominently featured somewhere. I am pretty thorough about browsing forums/websites and reading manuals before I begin a new game. This game is good enough though these headaches are worth it, and in the end I should have a hard copy mailed to me and an archived version figured out.