Steam is one of the leading video game digital distribution services. The software came up with some very advanced features and now many PC gamers believe Steam is something they can call an entire platform. we will discuss How To Fix Steam Disk Write Error?
You must have noticed that almost all PC games are sold on its storefront. And of course, this because the Steam client handles most of the boring stuff like new updates and installations.
Although, Steam is said to be a solid piece of software and often gamers don’t face issues with it. But, sometimes it can go wrong and get stuck to “Steam Disk Write Error.”
This Steam disk writes error mostly occurs in two major cases, the first one is when you are downloading a game bought on your Steam platform, and the second one while updating or launching a previously installed game.
No Worries! Whatever may be the reason, with our listed solutions it will hardly take a few minutes to get fixed.
Why Disk Write Error Steam Occurs?
To be honest a gamer never likes any error throughout his gameplay and as a point case, this “disk write error” in Steam can undoubtedly wrench your gaming time.
With the name, you can easily figure out that Steam throws this “disk write error” when it’s unable to write your game data to your system hard drive. Also, when your steam corrupts disk this will eventually result in making your Steam software unable to process any request to it.
Quite straightforward, right? It’s like what we expect from the message because the real problem is that you won’t be given a single clue to figure out why your Steam isn’t able to write on the system disk.
Well, TBH the cause may vary from data download to data file access. So, let’s make it more clear and discuss these causes in detail along with-
10 Best Fixes: Steam Disk Write Error:-
1.Disk Scan:
This should be the very first step before you look at your Steam for this error. Where you have to make sure that the issue is with Steam and not with your system hard drive where you’re installing this game.
Well, to check this you need to simply run your Windows disk error checker. This will make things clear where there is an issue with your drive or it’s the Steam corrupt content files causing this error. The Checker can easily find and fix any unexpected problem in the drive.
Although, there might occur a situation where the only thing left is drive replacement. Where will you be finding this tool? This tool can be found under the Tools tab of your drive’s properties section.
2.Restart Your Computer:
We think you better know sometimes just restarting your computer fixes many issues. So, before you go crazy finding and applying any solution, relax and simply restart your computer by closing all open tabs.
Don’t think that restarting your Steam application will work. This is because even if you close your Steam application some processes keep on running in the background.
So, better reboot your computer to quickly kill this error and close all such running background processes
3. Running Steam software as Admin:
It’s been observed that sometimes Steam can’t write to the disk and this is because of only one particular reason that your software doesn’t have all the necessary permission levels. But, running your Steam as an administrator will allow such necessary permissions access.
Well, it should only be granted when there’s a Steam disk write error and not to be taken as a permanent solution. This is because the Steam application never always requires admin privileges to work on your computer.
It’s simply a way to get this error fixed and let your write operation done. To make things more simple for you, here’s the default team executable path- Program Files(x86) > Steam.
4.Download Region Need To Be Changed:
There’s a high probability that the disk write error you are facing is a result of Steam’s inability, where the Steam software is unable to pull data from the server.
Some users on the gaming community forums gave a green flag to change your default download region as an effective method to fix this error. This option is available within Steam’s settings.
From a large number of available servers, by default, your Steam will select that particular server that offers you the best speeds. But things might go wrong between your Steam and the server location.
So, to fix this error you can simply change the default server to the next best server. In some cases, the next selected server is unable to fix this Steam disk write error and in that situation, you should try changing your server one more time.
5.Verify Your Game Files:
After deeply investigating on different support forums we found many users saying- when their Steam application won’t be able to write to a game’s folder probably because of any incomplete or corrupted file this error suddenly pops up.
To fix this issue the very first thing you need to do is to verify your game installation and files.
Steam itself provides a built-in function in the client designed to check all the necessary game files on your computer. Thus check is to find any error checksum for the game files on the server connected.
When there’s a mismatch the Steam software will simply assume that the file on your drive is corrupt. Steam will suggest you replace this mismatched file with the one on the server end.
But, before replacing, keep in mind that the complete process will remove any mods you have applied to your game folder. To make it simple and quick you can easily go with this verification process by running the integrity check from the Local Files section.
Note- You can find this option on your game’s properties page.
6.Reinstall Steam Application:
If all the above-listed methods fail and are unable to fix your Steam disk write error then for sure you should try reinstalling your Steam application.
Although it’s a lengthy process, the best part is that you won’t be losing any of your game data except your mods. After uninstalling the current version from your computer you can easily download the latest Steam installer.
However, make sure that along with the Steam installer you should also reinstall the whole client.
Note- Sit back and relax, your all current file will be checked by the download Steam installer.
7.Check Whether Your Steam Folder Isn’t Read-only:
Sometimes, there might occur a situation where your Steam folder attributes make some changes themselves without even giving a single hint. Well, after some investigation regarding these changes we found that this happens when you manually back up your Steam folder and then further copy it over a fresh installation.
It was found that when your Steam folder has been marked “read-only”, that means the software will be unable to make any changes to it unless it gets removed.
Since by default all your Steam games get stored within the Steam folder that means it can be the source of this Steam disk read error.
To fix this issue simply move into your Steam folder properties and then uncheck the “Read Only” attribute with a tap. After this, check back if this error is fixed or not.
8.Unblocking The Steam software on the Firewall:
So far after analyzing different community forums with these error-related issues where we found that sometimes a Steam disk writes error is more or less similar to serve read error or we say ust Steam load error.
It’s because of one major reason, where your Steam might not be getting the required data from the server, as being blocked by firewall protection.
Usually, after installing Steam an error occurred while updating and running the Steam application for the very first time, you’ll be asked to allow or cancel the internet access request by the software.
If by mistake or for any security reason you choose the Cancel option then it needs to be changed.
To change this internet access permission you first have to step into your “firewall settings” on your computer and then allow the Steam software to access the internet.
In case you found that your Windows firewall isn’t the main issue here or after allowing it wasn’t fixed then probably it’s the router’s firewall. If that is so then make these access changes in your router this time and go through the user manual to unblock the ports that Steam requires.
9.Disable Your VPN:
If changing the firewall settings didn’t work then it might not be a firewall this time making this error to your Steam. A possible reason can be your VPN settings.
Although, there’s no confirmation regarding this reason as an actual cause of Steam disk write error. But, some users say and even give a green signal to disable the VPNs temporarily as it can fix this disk write error in Steam.
Well, let us make you aware of the fact, using a VPN with Steam will violate its terms and conditions and can even lead to a permanent ban. So we advise you not to use VPNs and go without a VPN and also avoid using split tunneling with Steam.
10.Removing Download Cache:
Steam comes with a special holding area specifically reserved for caches data storage. The holding area stores cache data for all those games which are currently downloading.
This cache data is somewhat required by Steam, but sometimes it becomes corrupted and stops the data flow. It’s a very known issue with Steam and you will find a number of users blaming this as a cause for Steam disk write error.
No Worries! There’s a convenient and quick way to flush this cache.
Here’s what you need to do-
1.First, move into your Steam settings and then choose the Downloads option.
2.Now, look for the download cache button under the Downloads section.
3.Press it and then restart your Steam application to check whether the issue is fixed or not. If not, then here’s the last thing you can do –
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ADD ON- Change Steam Library
Well, this is the last option left and also only for those having multiple drives in their system. If you are with two running drives on your computer then you can simply create a second Steam Library folder on your other drive.
Here’s how to do this-
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First, move into the Steam settings.
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Now, check for the Downloads option.
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In the Downloads section select the Steam Library Folders.
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You will see at the top “Add Library Folder” tap it.
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After this, you will be asked to choose the location for your new library.
Done! Your new library is ready.
Note- In case you already have created multiple other library folders then an error occurred while updating Steam will be simply fixed by downloading your game to an alternative library.
That’s all about the 10 different and effective fixes for your Steam disk write error. Now, let’s have a look at some common-
FaQs
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What Is An Disk Read-Write Error?
As you can predict from the error name itself that the origination is from the device disk or sd card. The possible cause for this might be some virus intrusion or malicious software present in your system.
After a deep investigation, it was also found that some bad sectors on your device’s SD card or disk can also be the reason behind this error message.
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How Do I Fix Disk Write Error On Steam?
There are some effective and quick methods to Fix the Steam Disk Write Error. These are-
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Run as Administrator
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Delete all 0KB File From Steam Folder
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Disable Write Protection
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Remove all Corrupted and Inaccessible Files in Log
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Check your Hard Drive for any type of Errors
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Restart your Steam Software and Computer
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Clear Cache Memory
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Reinstall the Steam software
We have already discussed these points above in detail.
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Why is my Steam not working on Windows?
Well, the problem may be many for this, but a quick solution to this is clearing the Steam app cache. Yes, you might have done this on your Android device, but now you can also do the same on your Windows. Just step into the Steam file location on your system and delete the Cache Folder.
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Why am I unable to connect to Steam?
Usually while trying to log in to your Steam account you must be facing this error message “Could not connect to Steam network.” Probably it’s because of some connection issues, software crashes, driver issues. And the most simple way to fix this is restarting your network settings to default one.
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How to download a missing game from your Steam application?
Well, simple than you think, just go with these steps-
First, you have to remove the Local Content and then Reinstall Lost Steam Games.
1.Move to Steam Library, then Right-click on it.
2.A menu will pop up, choose “Delete Local Content” from the list.
3.Now, search for greyed-out games in Steam LIBRARY. Right-click on a particular game you want to download and click on the “Install” option.
Final Words-
Apart from being the best and leading video game digital distribution service, Steam sometimes throws a “Seam disk write error” while launching or updating any game in the app. But after going through our complete guide.
We hope you can now kick off this disk write error, which Steam throws on your screen anytime. Don’t forget to drop the method that helped you out fixing this error and your queries, if you have.
