Dota 2 is a popular multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA video game developed and published by Valve. In this game, two teams of five players try to defend their territory while destroying the opposing team’s Ancient. Although this is a solid performing game there are instances when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Dota 2 disk write error in windows 10 issue.
Fix disk write error when updating Dota 2
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer and router first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
Check your hard drive for errors
One of the most common factors that can cause this problem is a hard drive error which is why you should start troubleshooting this component first.
- Right-click the hard drive where you installed Dota 2 and select Properties.
- Go to Tools > click Check.
Once completed you should check if the disk write error issue still occurs.
Verify the game cache integrity
There’s a possibility that the problem is caused by a corrupted game cache which is why you will need to check and repair this.
- Open your Steam Client > go to Library.
- Right-click on Dota 2 and select Properties.
- Under Local Files > choose Verify integrity of game cache…
- Wait for the process to complete.
Try checking if you still experience the disk write error on Dota 2.
Try installing Dota 2 on a different hard drive
Sometimes a corrupted file in the current hard drive you are trying to run the game at will cause this problem. If you have a second hard drive installed in your computer then try installing the game in this drive.
- Navigate to your Steam client ‘Settings’ menu.
- Select ‘Steam Library Folders’ from the ‘Downloads’ tab
- From here, you can view your default installation path, as well as creating a new path by selecting ‘Add Library Folder’.
- Once you have created the new path, all future installations can be installed there.
- You can right-click on one of the paths to set it as a default.
If you want to move your existing Steam installation
- Exit the Steam client application.
- Browse to the Steam installation folder for the Steam installation you would like to move (C:\Program Files\Steam by default).
- Delete all of the files and folders except the SteamApps & Userdata folders and Steam.exe
- Cut and paste the whole Steam folder to the new location, for example: D:\Games\Steam\
- Launch Steam and Log into your account.
Check if you still experience issues when updating Dota 2.
Uninstall then reinstall Dota 2
There are instances when the problem can be caused by corrupted game files which is why you should try to uninstall the game then reinstall it again.
- Open the Steam client and Log in, if required.
- Click the “library” tab in the top navigation menu.
- Locate and right-click the game you want to uninstall in your library, which should open a drop-down menu. On that drop-down, click “uninstall.”
- Steam will confirm with you whether you want to completely delete the game. When you are ready, click the “delete” button.
- The game is now uninstalled.
To install the game again
- Open the Steam client
- Go to Library
- Search for Dota 2 and right click on it.
- Click on Install.
Check if you are still experiencing the same problem.
Perform a Winsock reset
A winsock reset can fix several networking issues and is also recommended to be performed in this particular case.
- Type “cmd” into the search bar.
- You’ll see the Command Prompt app as the best match at the top of the list. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator. Depending on your computer settings, you may be asked to provide an administrator password before you can continue.
- A black box with a flashing cursor will open; this is the Command Prompt. Type “netsh winsock reset” and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
- Restart your computer.
Check if the Dota 2 disk error still occurs.
Turn off the firewall
One of the causes of this problem is a firewall setting that’s blocking the connection. Try to disable the firewall to check if this is what’s causing the problem.
- Press Windows Key + I to open up Settings.
- Search for “Windows Defender Firewall” and then select “Windows Defender Firewall”.
- On the left-hand side, click on “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off”.
- Check the “Turn off Windows Defender Firewall” boxes under both the settings.
Check if the issue still occurs. If it doesn’t then turn on the firewall and add the game to its exception list.
- Type Firewall in the search bar then click on the Firewall app that appears.
- In the resulting Windows Firewall window, click Allow an App through Windows Firewall.
- In the Allowed Apps window that appears, click the Change Settings button, and then select the check box for apps on your computer that you want to allow to communicate over the Internet without being stopped by Firewall.
- Click the Private and Public check box to narrow down whether you want just networks that are secure to allow this communication, or also public and nonsecure networks to do so.
- Click OK and then click the Close button to close the Windows Firewall window.
Check if the problem still occurs.
Disable the antivirus
Another factor that can cause this problem is interference from the antivirus program. To check if this is the culprit you should deactivate your antivirus software.
If you are using Windows Security
- Select Start – Settings > Update & Security – Windows Security – Virus & threat protection > Manage settings
- Switch Real-time protection to OFF.
If you are using Avast
- Search for the Avast icon in your computer’s system tray and right-click on it.
- Click on Avast shields control.
- Locate the options to disable the program – the options are to disable it for 10 minutes, an hour, until the computer is restarted or permanently (until you yourself turn it back on). Select whatever option suits you best and use it to disable the program.
If you are using AVG
- Search for the AVG icon in your computer’s system tray and right-click on it.
- Click on Temporarily disable AVG protection.
- Choose how long you want AVG to be turned off and whether you want AVG to disable its Firewall too.
- Click on OK to disable the antivirus program.
If you are using McAfee
- Search for the McAfee Antivirus icon in your computer’s system tray and right-click on it.
- Click on Exit.
- You should see a dialog box warning you that McAfee‘s protection will be turned off. Click on Yes in this dialog box to disable the antivirus program
If the issue does not occur after turning off the antivirus then I suggest that you turn on the antivirus then add Dota 2 in its exception list.
Windows Defender
- Click the Windows button and in the search bar type “Windows defender”.
- Open the application named “Windows Defender Security Center”.
- Select the option “Virus and threat protection”.
- Go to Virus and Threat Protection Settings. Windows may prompt you to allow an administrator access to use this feature. If so, press Yes.
- Search the window which says “Add or remove exclusions”. Click it and you will be navigated to a menu where you can add exclusions.
- Click on the option which says “Exclude a folder” and navigate to your Dota 2 directory. Once you reach the location select the folder and save changes.
Bitdefender
- Open Bitdefender and go to the Protection Window by clicking the shield icon shown below in the picture.
- Click on the link which says View Modules.
- Click on the Settings icon which you can see on the upper right corner of the antivirus.
- Go to the Exclusions tab present in the window.
- Click on “List of files and folders excluded from scanning”.
- Click on the ADD button. Navigate to your Dota 2 directory and select the folder to exclude it from the scanning process. You should also select the Both option before you add an exception
- Click Add and save changes.
Avast Antivirus
- Open the Avast interface.
- Click on Settings found at the bottom left corner of the screen.
- From Settings, browse to General and scroll down the options until you find Exclusions.
- Expand the section and you will see a dialogue where you can add global exceptions. Navigate to your Chrome directory using the option of Browse.
- Once you have selected the Dota 2 folder, click on ADD found at the bottom left side of the screen. Press OK and it is now added to global exceptions of Avast antivirus.
McAfee Antivirus
- Open McAfee Antivirus by clicking on its icon present on the toolbar on the bottom right side of your Windows.
- Click on Manage Security.
- Select the option of Schedule and run scans option present in the box of Virus and Spyware Protection.
- Select the option of Schedules scans from the list of options that follow. A new window will open and from there you will see the Add button present under the tab of Excluded Files and Folders. Select the Dota 2 directory after clicking Add through the file explorer.
- Once you reach the location select the folder and save changes.
Kaspersky AV
- Open Kaspersky AV from the icon present in your taskbar at the bottom right of the screen.
- Navigate to the Settings menu.
- Select the tab of Additional and select the tab of Threats and Exclusions from the list of options given.
- Click on the Configure Exclusions present in the middle of the screen.
- Select the option of Add present in the bottom right of the screen.
- Now navigate to the Dota 2 directory using the Browse button. Once you reach the location select the folder and save changes.
Malwarebytes
- Open your Malwarebytes window by either clicking on the icon in the taskbar located at the bottom right side of the screen, or by clicking the program’s launch file.
- Once the program is opened, click on the Malware Exclusions tab located on the left side of the window.
- In this tab, you find an option which says “Add folder”. Click it and you will be navigated to File Explorer from where you can select your Dota 2 directory.
Check if the Dota 2 disk write error still occurs.