Civ for dummies

I think I'm a computer illiterate.
I've bought myself a new lightweight laptop which doesn't have a CD or DVD drive. It runs Windows 8.1.
I love Civ and have been playing it for years, but I don't like Civ 5 as much as the older versions.
Can someone tell me if I can download (preferably legally) a version of Civ 4 to play on my new laptop?

 

I've heard Civ IV is available on Steam

 

I does not have DVD drive ... :O ... that's unusual .... check it again ! Perhaps there is a slot You didn't noticed at first I think You're not computer illiteral, just unexperienced - happens to the best If You by any chance discover there is an actual DVD drive there You should probably buy Civ 4 via the Empik store (they can send it to You) - is what I did Than download 3.19 patch via the in game menu And by all the gods of the multiverse if there's no DVD drive You should install one ! ( How can You reinstall windows if something goes bad ? :O ). (There's a number of DVD drives available on the market You can plug in by the USB in any case)

 

Lulu - It appears that your our not yet familiar with Direct Download. All PC games are now available in completely direct download version available from Steam and other online vendors. In fact, I expect in the not to distant future that PC games will not be issued on disk anymore.

If your purchase is not urgent you can always keep an eye out for sales to find Civ4 and expansions or Civ IV Complete on sale for significantly lower price.

I recommend searching these online vendors for purchase, although if you live outside US their may be some country or region specific vendors:

Direct2Drive
Gamersgate
Green Man Gaming
Amazon
Steam
Humble Bundle
(there are others too)

Also, I recommend Good Old Games (GOG) if you are ever looking for some classic games. Great site, but does not have Civ.

(and yes, we do not discuss illegal downloads here)

 

If you already have the CIV discs and have other CD, DVD, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM discs that you also would like to access, then you may want to purchase an external USB drive. I just got one for my desktop computer at Best Buy. They had a nice one by LG that is USB powered (and not much larger than a disc) for $40.

OTOH, if you don't really have any other use for a drive, you can purchase a download from one of the sites that Lymond listed for much less.

 

How do you do backups if you don't have a CD/DVD drive? Or am I the only one who still backs up the hard drive?

 

I do my backups to external hard drives. I have three and keep one offsite. I do the backup to two of them in duplicate. I rotate which one is offsite each time that I do a backup.

 

Do back up copies work for steam usage and multiplayer?

 

It depends on what kind of backups you are doing. I clone my working hard drive to my backup hard drives, so they are identical. Anything that works on the main drive works on the others, including booting up the computer from off.