Steam is one of the most popular gaming platforms for PCs out there with hundreds of thousands of games and a budding community with extensive social features. However, sheer popularity doesn’t guarantee a painless operation.
In this article, we’re taking a look at the Steam disk write error and figuring out its causes as well as the fixes you can take to solve the problem.
What causes the disk write error on Steam?
There are a number of reasons that can cause the Steam disk write error. Some of the more common ones are as follows.Â
- The drive you’re writing to or the Steam folder is write-protected.
- Mechanical defects with the hard drive.
- Bad sectors on the storage drive.
- Intrusive firewall or antivirus blocking Steam.
- Corrupt or outdated files in the Steam directory.
Also read: Steam content file is locked: 6 Fixes
How to fix the disk write error?
Here are 10 ways to fix the Steam disk write error..
Restart Steam
This is one of the easiest ways of fixing random issues with Steam. Just open the Task Manager, head over to the Processes tab and right-click Steam. Click End Task and launch Steam again.
Restart your PC
Restarting your PC can also at times help resolve seemingly random bugs, including any problems with Steam. Restart your PC and try launching the game you’re trying to play again to see if that gets rid of the problem.
Run Steam as an administrator
Running Steam with administrator privileges can help you get around any permission issues that might be hampering the platform’s functionality, especially in regard to writing data on your drive. Try running Steam as an administrator and launching your game again to see if that fixes the problem.
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Disable write protection
Write protection on drives doesn’t let any software write any data on that particular drive or partition. Try disabling it to see if that solves the Steam disk write error.
Step 1: Open Windows Explorer and head over to your Steam library folder. Right-click and select Properties.
Step 2: In the General tab, ensure that the Read-only checkbox is disabled.
Delete corrupted files
Deleting corrupted files from your Steam folder and writing them again can also get rid of the error.
Step 1: Open Windows Explorer and head to your Steam library, inside the common folder.
Step 2: If you see a file the same name as the game you’re trying to play which is zero bytes in size, delete it and try again.
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Disable antivirus
At times, overly-intrusive antivirus or antimalware software can cause problems with Steam’s functionality. Try disabling your antivirus or antimalware software and give it another go. If the game works, add an exception for Steam in the software.
Check integrity of Steam game filesÂ
Luckily, Steam has a built-in feature that verifies your game files and reinstalls any files that might be damaged. Follow these steps.
Step 1: Head over to your Steam Library, right-click on CSGO and select Properties.
Step 2: Head over to the Local Files tab.
Step 3: Click on Verify integrity of local files… and let Steam do its thing.
Try running or downloading your game again to see if that fixed the Steam disk write error.
Change Steam library location
Changing the location of your Steam library can also help get around this issue.
Step 1: Open Steam and click Steam in the top-left. Click Settings from the menu.
Step 2: Head over to the Downloads tab and click the Steam Library Folders button.
Step 3: In the Storage Manager, click the plus icon to make a new library.
Now move all your games to the new library location and try again. The Steam disk write error should be resolved.
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Check your hard drive
Problems with your storage drive can also cause Steam to lose access to the files it needs to run the upgrade. If that’s the case, run a disk scan to check your drive and take appropriate action.
Check out this detailed guide to know how to run a disk checkup on Windows.
Clear the Steam cache
Clearing the Steam cache can also help resolve such errors.
Step 1: Open Steam, click on Steam in the top-right menu and click Settings.
Step 2: Head over to the Downloads section and press the Clear Download Cache button.
If we’ve missed out on a method that fixes the Steam disk write error, please comment down below.
Also read: How to fix Steam error code 118?
