Steam is a popular platform where you can get a digital copy of your favorite PC game. Instead of going to a store to buy a physical copy of the game you can just download it to your computer which is quite convenient for most people. Although this is a solid platform there are instances when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Steam disk write error issue.
How To Fix Steam Disk Write Error
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from a setting issue to a permission problem. Listed below are the recommended troubleshooting steps you need to do to fix this problem.
Change your Steam download region
Steam has several servers located around the world. A user who wants to download a game will usually connect to the nearest server as this will be the fastest way to get the content. Sometimes a particular server will be having problems which will lead to this issue. To check if this is what’s causing the problem you should try to change your download location.
- Open Steam and click “Settings” on the drop down menu in the upper left corner of the window.
- Select “Downloads” and navigate to “Download Region”.
- Select other regions other than your own and restart Steam.
Check if the Steam disk write error issue still occurs.
Try to disable the Firewall
There’s a possibility that your Firewall is preventing Steam from writing content to the hard drive. To check if this is what’s causing the problem you should try to disable the Firewall.
- Go to the Start Menu
- Type Command Prompt
- Right Click on it the select Run as Administrator
- On the Command prompt type netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off then press the Enter key.
Check if the Steam disk write error issue still occurs.
Check Directory Permissions
If the Steam directory is set to read only then this problem can occur.
- Exit steam and navigate to your Steam directory (C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam). If you have chosen a custom location for the installation, navigate there.
- Make sure that the directory is not “Read-only”.
- Right click on your Steam launcher and “Run as administrator”.
Check if the Steam disk write error issue still occurs.
Run flushconfig
Flushconfig is used to fix several issues that you could encounter with Steam.
- Press Windows + R key to bring up the run window.
- In the dialogue bar type steam://flushconfig.
- A dialogue will appear asking you to proceed with the command or cancel. Click Yes. This command resets the configuration of Steam and when you re-enter Steam, every setting will be set as default.
- After you press “OK”, Steam will restart.
Check if the Steam disk write error issue still occurs.
Reinstall Steam
In case the above steps fails to fix the problem then this could already be caused by a corrupt Steam client. You will need to reinstall Steam to fix this.
Backup your game
- Open your Steam PC client by double-clicking it on the Desktop.
- Click the Steam button at the top right part of the window and choose Settings from the dropdown menu. Navigate to the Downloads tab in the Settings window and click on Steam Library Folders.
- Here you should see the full list of all libraries you currently use and the folders you should look for when backing up. Since the default folder is C >> Program Files (x86) >> Steam >> steamapps.
- Go to the location above by clicking to open any folder or the File Explorer and clicking This PC or My Computer at the right pane. After that, open the location above and find the “steamapps” folder.
- Right-click the folder and choose the Copy option from the context menu. Go to any location outside the Steam folder on your computer and paste the folder by right-clicking and choosing Paste. The best location would be your Desktop.
- Repeat the same process for all library folders. After uninstalling Steam, you will have to add the folders again as the Steam library folders as you did the first time.
Uninstall Steam
- Log in with an admin account on your computer.
- Click on the Start button then on the gear icon in order to open settings if you are using windows 10.
- Click on Apps which should immediately open a list of all installed programs on your PC.
- Locate the Steam entry on the list and click on it once. Click on the Uninstall button above the list and confirm any dialog boxes which may appear. Follow the instructions on-screen in order to uninstall Steam and restart your computer afterwards.
- Open the official Steam website then download the Steam installer. Follow the instructions on how to install Steam.
Check if the Steam disk write error issue still occurs.