Steam is a video game software powered by Valve, which provides the users with in-game voicing and chats options. Steam provides video streaming, Digital Rights Management, matchmaking servers, as well as Social Networking Services.
It offers cloud protection, as well as auto-updating and installation options. This also allows them to include games from third parties, which makes it the largest digital distribution forum for computer gaming.
Even though it is a very popular gaming software, Steam Disk Write Error in Windows 10 is not a rare phenomenon. Steam is compatible with all the Operating Systems including, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. While numerous other gaming services are available, Steam remains in a higher position.
It has, in fact, lured many to the gaming community and thereby become the reason for the development of the industry to a greater stretch. Even so, this software is not error-free. One of the recurring issues caused by Steam is the Steam Disk Write Error.
Disk Write Error mainly happens when users are trying to install or update a game during which Steam is not able to carry out the process. This causes the installation or update to stop abruptly.
Read Also:
As the users facing the same problem have different operating systems, it is hard to pin down the reason. The primary thing you have to do when such an issue arises is to restart the system.
Most of the problems where the system freezes or goes blank will clear-off once you restart it. After the restart, try to do the update of installation once again. Another option is to try and mend your library folder or to go to Steam settings and clear your Steam cache.
Contents
How to Fix Steam Disk Write Error in Windows 10
Many gamers have Steam as the primary option for downloading their favorite games. Steam Disk Write Error becomes a very annoying issue for all gaming enthusiasts, as there is no other reliable gaming platform better than this.
Despite the common errors such as this, many users still cling on to Steam software, because of the mass approval it has. Even though the error frequently appears in Windows 10, there are indeed numerous methods to solve the same.
This article provides a detailed list of 10 ways to solve Steam Disk Write Error quite easily. These methods are already tested and proved positive results. Hence, you can try these methods on your own device without any hesitation.
Method 1 – Change the Folder Security
Another probable reason for the Steam Disk Write Error can be the advanced security of the folder where the game is. You can modify the folder security by following these steps:
Step 1: Open the drive and then the folder in your system, where the Steam client is located.
Step 2: Now, alter the Security settings of this folder. Enable the complete Read or Write access permissions, which will allow you to have full control over its contents. This is likely to solve the problem if it happened because of folder security settings.
Method 2 – Check Antivirus Software
Faulty antivirus software can cause trouble to the disk, driver, or to the system as a whole. Any of these issues on your PC can lead to Steam Disk Write Error. Therefore, you have to check and verify if your antivirus software is restricting the Steam from working.
Some games are designed with copy protection technology while it can be detected as malware during virus scanning. Such faulty detection can create warnings in the form of Steam errors.
One way is to disable your antivirus software, only to check if it is causing the problem. However, it is not advisable to disable your anti-virus software for long, as it may lead to malware entering your system.
Another way is to alter the antivirus configurations and add exceptions. This may not be easy if you do not know the correct methods for configuration. Hence, it is advisable to get professional help to solve Steam Disk Write Error if you are not sure how to work this out.
Method 3 – Modify Steam Settings
The most advisable initial method is to change your Steam settings and see if this solves the Steam Disk Write Error. This is the most commonly attempted procedure when a Steam Disk Write Error appears.
In the settings, try to alter the download location of your games. The software has different locations where you can download and save games, while one of the regions is set as your default location.
The Steam Client does this by automatic detection of the location through your network. At times a particular download location becomes overloaded with a huge number of games and other files related to it.
This clustering of data on a single location can cause technical complications and lead to Steam Disk Write Error. Therefore, it is important to check if the download area is overloaded and change the region if it is.
To change the download location, follow these steps:
Step 1: Firstly, open the Steam Client and select Settings, which will open a menu.
Step 2: From the menu, click Downloads and navigate to the Download Region.
Step 3: Then, deselect the default download region and choose any other location.
Step 4: Finally, restart the Steam client. This would most probably solve the issue.
Method 4 – Reset Steam Configuration
With this method, the Steam configuration is reset to clear the Steam Disk Error. When you open the Steam after the reset is complete, your settings would be changed to default. To reset the Steam configuration, follow these steps:
Step 1: Firstly, click Windows + R to open the Run
Step 2: In the dialogue box that appears, type Steam://flushconfig and click OK.
Step 3: After this, a window asking permission to continue the process appears. Select Yes to proceed.
Step 4: This triggers the Steam to restart, which most likely solves the issue.
Method 5 – Check out the Missing and Corrupted Files
Corrupted and lost files can cause problems in Steam’s working and create Steam Disk Write Error. With this method, you can spot the file that is corrupted and download it once again in order to resolve the problem.
To check the missing or faulty file, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to the Steam directory and navigate to the custom location for the installation of games.
Step 2: Then, open the folder logs and click to open the .txt file.
Step 3: Navigate to the bottom of the file and search for errors that usually appear as File command failed, Update cancelled or failed to move the file.
Step 4: Go to the root folder that has different file sizes because the root folders change according to the different games downloaded.
Step 5: Now, restart Steam and navigate to the Downloads folder. Finally, you have to update the Steam for the game.
Method 6 – Directory Permissions
The Steam install Directory can change into a read-only mode when it encounters a faulty installation or update of a game. Corrupt files can make the Directory settings to Read-only, which in turn causes the Steam Disk Write Error.
With this method, you can alter the settings of Directory Permissions to make sure that it is not stuck in the read-only mode. Follow these steps for changing the Directory Permissions:
Step 1: Primarily, you have to exit from the Steam client. For this, open the Task Manager and exit the Steam client. This is an essential step to change settings in Directory Permissions.
Step 2: Next, open the drive in which you have installed Steam and then select Program Files.
Step 3: After this, go to the Properties section and click on General. Under Attributes, deselect the option that says “Read Only“.
Step 4: Finally, right-click on the Steam launcher and select the option that says Run as Administrator.
Method 7 – Check Your Hard Drive
Another probable reason for Steam Disk Write Error frequently appearing on your Windows 10 system can be the damage on your hard drive. If there are any corrupted files, programs, or installations on your system, it can adversely affect the hard drive.
In cases where the hard drive is outdated or cluttered with files, it gets more prone to malware attacks. If the hard drive is seriously affected, it is advisable to get professional aid to solve the issue. Follow the steps given below to check your hard drive for problems:
Step 1: Firstly, select the local disk and click on properties.
Step 2: Then, click on the tools option and select the Check option to check for errors on your drive.
Step 3: After the process, see if there are any errors found. If there are errors, remove them and then finally reset the hard drive.
Method 8 – Check Firewall Settings
At times, the Windows Firewall can create problems in Steam’s working. Hence, you have to disable it for some time in order to check whether it has led to the Steam Disk Write Error.
This is necessary because the Firewall can disable the Steam to write or read anything on to the hard disk. To check Firewall settings, you have to search for a Firewall in the search bar. Then, review your Firewall settings and check the advanced settings option as well.
After disabling the Firewall, restart the Steam client and check if the problem has resolved or not. If the error is not present after this process, you can update the Steam client and make it work again.
However, the Firewall may need specific settings and have to add exceptions for the Steam. For this, it is better to take help from an IT professional.
Method 9 – Exclude Steam From Data Execution Prevention
You can try this method when there are some blocked files in your Windows 10 computer. If the Steam displays Steam Disk Write Error, you can prevent your Steam from data execution. Follow these steps to prevent the Disk Write error:
Step 1: Open the start menu and then select Control Panel. From the Control Panel, open the System and Security
Step 2: Under the Settings section, choose Advanced System Settings, and then click on Advanced Performance Settings.
Step 3: Now, select Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and enter the location where you have placed Steam on your system.
Step 4: Finally, click on OK and restart your computer after which you can see the changes.
Method 10 – Verify the Game Cache Files
If there are any corrupt game cache files, it can cause harm to your Steam software.
The Steam Disk Write Error may occur due to this. Therefore, you have to check if there are any faulty files of game caches in your system, in order to verify the problem and continue running your Steam software without any hassles.
Make sure that you install the latest Steam software on your system. To check your game cache, follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Initially, Reboot your PC and install the latest Steam software.
Step 2: Then, go to the game library and right-click on the game that sends disk errors. After this, click on the properties.
Step 3: Choose local files and click on Verify Integrity of Game Cache to check your game cache that is available on Steam.
Step 4: Steam will start to verify the game files, which would take a while. Check if your Steam components are of the latest version and if not, update it to fix the Steam Disk Write Error.
Read More:
Conclusion
Steam Disk Write Error is a common issue in Windows 10 systems. This happens when you are trying to install or update a game software. Once Steam displays this error, it means there is some fault somewhere in the system that creates a problem for the software from running.
It is indeed irritating when the issue frequently arises, affecting the smooth working of the system. However, this issue has different types of solutions. With this article, I have listed ten efficient methods to solve Steam Disk Write Error in Windows 10 systems.
We have tried and verified all these methods previously, which makes them reliable options to try out on your own device. Hope this has been helpful for you.
