We know why you’re here, you were installing or updating your favorite game on your Steam account and something unexpected popped up. The Steam disk write error has troubled many users around the globe and we know the agony behind this annoying error. We have listed different methods you can execute to fix the Steam disk write error and you don’t need to try them all, just follow the methods in the order until your issue gets fixed.
Steam disk write error solutions
Steam gained an extensive reputation in recent years by making gaming a social platform thing. The steam platform allows users to buy and play games and communicate through the same. This idea profoundly changed the way the online gaming world evolved till then. The Steam disk write error usually occurs when we try to download a new game or update an existing one. We have dug deep into the Steam platform settings to understand the cause for this error and the results are curated here with quick solutions. Without further ado let’s check the methods we can use to fix the Steam disk write error.
Method 1: Reboot System and Steam
Before attempting any complicated troubleshooting steps, you should always reboot the system and launch the steam platform again. In most cases, the Steam disk write error happens due to minor network issues and a normal reboot will fix it. If this basic method doesn’t fix the error, we can move on to the further steps.
Method 2: Clear the Steam download cache
A cluttered cache memory will cause the Steam disk write error and it is always recommended to clear the download cache at infrequent intervals.
Follow the below steps to clear the steam download cache memory.
Step 1: Open the Steam desktop app and click on the steam option on the top left corner.
Step 2: Click on settings
Step 3: In the settings menu, scroll down to find the Clear Download Cache option and click on it.
Step 4: Click Ok in the warning window and login into your steam account again.
Method 3: Repair the Steam library folder
All your installed games and programs are kept in the steam library folder. By default, this folder should have write permissions for all the users to ensure seamless downloads and updates. We can use steam’s in-built repair tool to fix any conflicts in this library folder settings. Here are the steps you need to follow.
Step 1: Open the Steam app settings menu and click on the downloads option.
Step 2: From the download settings select the Steam Library Folders option.
Step 3: This will open the Steam library folder. Right-click on the folder and select the Repair Library Folder option.
Step 4: Click Ok in the warning window and wait. Once the repair is complete, relaunch the Steam app.
Method 4: Run the Steam app as administrator
The steam app needs admin rights to download game files to your system memory. You can grant the administrator access to the Steam app by following the below steps and fix the Steam disk write error.
Step 1: Right-click on the Steam desktop icon and select the Properties option.
Step 2: From the Properties menu, navigate to the Compatibility tab and select the Run this program as an administrator check box.
Step 3: Relaunch the app after applying the changes.
Method 5: Remove disk write protection using command prompt.
The download process will fail if the disk partition is write-protected and the system will return the Steam disk write error. We can use the command prompt to change the disk attributes by following the below steps.
Step 1: Open the command prompt as an administrator from the start menu.
Step 2: Type diskpart in the command prompt.
Step 3: Type list disk to see the list of hard drive disks in your system.
Step 4: Type Select disk #. Where # is the hard drive number where we’re downloading the file and facing the disk write error.
Step 5: Now that you’ve selected the affected disk, type attributes disk clear readonly to change the disk write permissions.
Close the command prompt window and start the download/update process again and check if the Steam disk write error is fixed or not.
Method 6: Remove corrupted files from the Steam content log
Corrupted files in the Steam content log may conflict with the download process and it will result in the Steam disk write error. You can delete the unnecessary log files by following the below steps.
Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing the Windows+R keys together. Type %ProgramFiles(x86)% to open the program files.
Step 2: Open the Steam folder and click on the Logs folder.
Step 3: Click on the content_log.txt file and open it.
Step 4: Check the log file thoroughly and if you find any failed to write error, follow the file path and delete that corrupted file.
After deleting the corrupted log files relaunch the Steam app and check the disk write error is fixed or not.
Method 7: Add Exception to the antivirus and firewall programs.
The files handled by the steam app are big and, in some cases, the antivirus or firewall may identify those files as a threat. This will result in the Steam disk write error when you try to download or update a game file. To avoid this either disable the antivirus and firewall programs temporarily or add an exception for the Steam app. You can follow the user manual of your antivirus program to execute this step. If you face any problems implementing this method, let us know in the comments with the details of your system and we will get back to you shortly.
Method 8: Contact the Steam support team
If none of the above methods work, you can contact the steam technical support team for a quick solution. Share the details of your error and the support team will contact you. Find the Help option on the top left side of the Steam app window.
We believe the above steps will fix the Steam disk write error and you can enjoy your gaming sessions now. Let us know in the comments which method worked for you.
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