As the best social gaming website, Steam is widely used by gamers to play, purchase, and discuss games. There are numerous features which are specially developed for the gamers in this software. Steam helps a lot to customize game settings and play online games effectively. However, if you are seeing disk write error stream, it becomes crucial to fix it before you start to play any of your desired games.
This issue can stop your Steam software from running any game inside it. Besides, you can see the software misbehaving in numerous ways. So, if you ever see this issue in your Steam platform, it would be crucial to fix this before you use it again for any gaming purpose.
However, with proper knowledge, you can’t do anything about it. So, if you are looking to know how to fix the steam disk write error, this article would definitely help you with that. We have tried to cover all the aspects and things you should try in order to solve this issue.
This issue mostly happens on Windows computers because of some specific reasons. So, in this article, we will discuss the things you can do in a Windows PC. However, you can try to do some of those steps on Mac too.
So, even if have restarted your Steam software and if it coming up with the same error, you should try to do something different.
Below are those things which you can try to do and enable your Steam software to run effectively without any error or issue.
So, without any further discussion, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Why Disk Write error may appear On Gaming PC?
There could be numerous reasons for this issue. But, it mostly appears only when you try to install games like PUBG, GTA-5, DOTA 2, Fallout 4, etc. You may see this error as “An error occurred while installing/updating the game”. You can see this error either while updating or installing your game in Steam. The main issue can’t be highlighted directly.
But, as per its name, you can see that it is something related to the disk or storage of your computer. So, when there is any serious issue with your storage drive, memory, or disk, you will definitely see this error.
The issue may also lie in the settings or in other software that you have installed on your PC. Whatever the reason is, we are here going to discuss the tested and tried methods to solve this issue.
So, without any delay, let’s jump right into the matter.
8 Reliable Methods to Fix disk write error in steam Easily
So, below are those methods you can perform on your computer to get rid of this error in Steam. You have to perform all of them one by one systematically. If one doesn’t work for you, proceed to the next one.
Any of these methods will surely be able to fix your problem because lots of people have done this already.
Restart Steam and then your computer
You might have restarted your Steam software for sure. If not, do it. But, along with that, you also have to restart your computer. If there is any temporary file or setting causing the problem, it should be fixed with the help of a simple restart.
You might find this method worthless but believe us, it is one of the best methods to solve this problem in an effective manner. We believe you know how to restart Steam or any other software along with your computer.
So, try to do it once. But, if you are still facing this issue, just proceed to the next step.
Clear Steam’s Download Cache
This is another simple but highly popular and effective way to solve this error. Because, the error is related to the game download or update, the store download cache in the software could also cause this hassle for you.
This process enables the steam software to effectively flush all the stored cache related to the earlier game downloads and updates. Because there is no need to keep these cache files in your computer and Steam, you should keep clearing it often.
To clear Steam download cache, follow the process given below.
- Open Steam and find the Settings menu
- Now, click on Download section and then hit “Clear Download Cache”.
Now, restart your Steam or the whole computer if you can. After that, try to download or update any of your desired games. It should work fine now. But, if it isn’t, just proceed to the next step.
Move Game Folder to Another Drive Location
If it is an issue with the storage drive where the Steam data is stored, you can test its working by moving it to a new location. It is one of the most working methods to fix steam disk write error. In order to do that, you can try using any third-party software or manual method.
In order to move Steam games to another drive, the process is given below.
- Open Steam Settings
- Now, go to the Downloads option
- Click on Steam Library Folders
- Click on Add New Library Folder and everything will be moved to that new folder.
This method should fix the problem. But, if you are still seeing the problem, you can go to the next method.
Run Steam as Administrator
If there is an issue with the Admin permission, you can try to run Steam software as an Admin. Well, this is one of the most tried and tested methods you can do in simple steps.
When you run Steam as Admin, it works with some additional permission to make certain tweaks to the required settings. So, if some write permission setting is causing this error, it should get fixed using this method.
In order to run Steam as Administrator, follow the process given below.
- Check Steam Setup from here
- Now, right-click on the setup file and click on the Properties option
- Now, go to the Compatibility tab and mark the option “Run this program as an Administrator”.
- Click on Apply and run Steam again and see if error is solved.
These settings are not going to impact the performance of your software or system in any way. But, you should definitely give it a try if you want to solve this problem seriously. If you are not able to get things done, just go to the next method.
Delete the 0KB File
You may not find this method in most of the other websites on the internet, but a user on Reddit found this thing working when he was trying to install the Fallout game.
Of course, this folder will be located in the main folder of the game on the computer. However, if you are not able to do it, below is the process given for it.
Note: Make sure to delete the folder with the game name. Also, the folder should have a file size of 0KB. If you intentionally or unintentionally delete any other folder of the file there, you can see various other types of issues. The method is pretty simple and anyone can do it easily.
- Open File Explorer and go to Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common.
- Find the file with the game name. I.e. if the issue is with GTA-5 installation, find the folder for that and then delete it.
After doing this process, make sure to restart your Steam app and then check if the error gets resolved. It should be corrected with method. If it is still there, go to the next step.
Remove Write Protection
When your disk is protected for writing purposes, you will surely face issues with new installations as well as game updates. So, if the steam directory is set for read-only, this error will most likely to come up over and over again.
But, it is pretty simple to remove this restriction just by using the command prompt. Anyone without any technical knowledge about the computers can do it.
Also, below is the detailed process to do the same.
- Right-click on Steam software and click on Run as Administrator.
- Now, Run Windows Command Prompt as Administrator
- Now, enter these commands one by one by pressing Enter after each entry.
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk # (Number of the hard drive where Steam data is stored and the issue is occurring.)
- Attributes disk clear readonly
After entering and running all these commands, you can close Command Prompt. Now, reopen your steam software and try to do what you were doing earlier.
You should not see this error again. If you are seeing it, go to the next step.
Delete Corrupted Files in Log
Problematic log files sometimes cause this error. Not only with steam, but you may also see various other software not doing great when there is a huge number of log files stored inside its folders. So, you can try to remove them in the case of Steam too. Go to Steam>>logs>>content_log and open this menu.
Go to the bottom of log file and the search failed to write error section. Delete all the corrupted files and then try to repeat the download or upgrade again. This should solve the error.
But, if not, go to the next step.
Reinstall Steam
If any of these fixes are not working for you, you should try to reinstall Steam software again. This will enable it and your PC to remove all its related files and then install them again. Doing this is pretty easy and we hope you do not need any guide for that.
If you do not have to set up file, just go to the official site and get it downloaded. Once you reinstall your software, try to install your game and it would definitely work fine.
You can use your Steam ID again after the reinstall to get your settings and preferences back. However, the game data may be lost and you have to download them again.
So, keep that thing too in mind.
Final Verdict
If you are still not able to fix this issue, there must be an issue with your hard drive or the operating system. In that case, you should go to a computer professional who can help you to fix the issue properly from its roots. Also, you can try to visit Steam’s Forum and ask questions related to any query.
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