Half Life 2 cannot uninstall error - missing shared content on Steam Deck

[retrodon]

HL2 doesn't uninstall on the Deck showing a message "uninstall error - missing shared content". Is there any easy way to uninstall it from the Deck and remove it from the "Installed" tab? Uninstalling worked fine with the HL2 episodes.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

What other Source engine games are installed?

[retrodon]

Only Half Life Source is installed.

[Dynamonic]

Originally posted by retrodon:

Only Half Life Source is installed.

Some Source Engine games share files with each other, particularly early Source games. Because of this, you can't uninstall Half-Life 2 without first uninstalling Half-Life: Source.

[DragonLight]

wtf

[Jake Sully]

Originally posted by Dynamonic:

Originally posted by retrodon:

Only Half Life Source is installed.

Some Source Engine games share files with each other, particularly early Source games. Because of this, you can't uninstall Half-Life 2 without first uninstalling Half-Life: Source.

That is wrong.

I have installed Half-Life: Source without Half-Life 2 being installed. Half-Life: Source is a standalone game and does not require Half-Life 2.

So uninstalling Half-Life 2 shouldn't have an issue at all since again Half-Life 2 is not sharing anything with Half-Life: Source. Yet there is mods and other Half-Life 2 packs.

[Turbo]

Originally posted by retrodon:

HL2 doesn't uninstall on the Deck showing a message "uninstall error - missing shared content". Is there any easy way to uninstall it from the Deck and remove it from the "Installed" tab? Uninstalling worked fine with the HL2 episodes.

Had the same issue.

You have to uninstall them in the order HL2 Episode 2, HL2 Episode 1, and then HL2.

To get a clean uninstall, reinstall the two episodes and then uninstall everything in the order I listed.

[al64inthedark]

I have the same issue with COD Black Ops. This need a fix seriously.
Also Far Cry 2 can't uninstall for another reason.

[Dynamonic]

Originally posted by Jake Sully:

Originally posted by Dynamonic:

Some Source Engine games share files with each other, particularly early Source games. Because of this, you can't uninstall Half-Life 2 without first uninstalling Half-Life: Source.

That is wrong.

I have installed Half-Life: Source without Half-Life 2 being installed. Half-Life: Source is a standalone game and does not require Half-Life 2.

So uninstalling Half-Life 2 shouldn't have an issue at all since again Half-Life 2 is not sharing anything with Half-Life: Source. Yet there is mods and other Half-Life 2 packs.

You can install Half-Life: Source on it’s own, but it becomes tethered/dependent on Half-Life 2 once that it is also installed; sharing files with it to save disc space and run more efficiently.
If you choose to later install Half-Life 2 with some Source games already installed, such as Half-Life: Source, you’ll notice it will download and install nearly instantly. This is because many of Half-Life 2’s files will already have been made present with the other Source titles you installed.
Some GoldSrc games also do this, such as Half-Life, it’s expansions and it’s official engine-sharing titles such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress.

[retrodon]

Originally posted by Turbo:

Originally posted by retrodon:

HL2 doesn't uninstall on the Deck showing a message "uninstall error - missing shared content". Is there any easy way to uninstall it from the Deck and remove it from the "Installed" tab? Uninstalling worked fine with the HL2 episodes.

Had the same issue.

You have to uninstall them in the order HL2 Episode 2, HL2 Episode 1, and then HL2.

To get a clean uninstall, reinstall the two episodes and then uninstall everything in the order I listed.

Unfortunately, that method also didn't work for me. Uninstalling Episode 2 and 1 works perfectly fine but then the same issue and error message appears for HL2.

[retrodon]

Originally posted by Turbo:

Originally posted by retrodon:

HL2 doesn't uninstall on the Deck showing a message "uninstall error - missing shared content". Is there any easy way to uninstall it from the Deck and remove it from the "Installed" tab? Uninstalling worked fine with the HL2 episodes.

Had the same issue.

You have to uninstall them in the order HL2 Episode 2, HL2 Episode 1, and then HL2.

To get a clean uninstall, reinstall the two episodes and then uninstall everything in the order I listed.

Quick update: I just uninstalled all HL2 Episodes and also HL Source. After that, uninstalling HL2 worked perfectly fine and it disappeared from the "Installed" tab.
So, I guess it is necessary to uninstall other Source games first.

Thanks all for your time and effort. Hope the issue can be fixed for others as well.

[Dynamonic]

Originally posted by retrodon:

Originally posted by Turbo:

Had the same issue.

You have to uninstall them in the order HL2 Episode 2, HL2 Episode 1, and then HL2.

To get a clean uninstall, reinstall the two episodes and then uninstall everything in the order I listed.

Unfortunately, that method also didn't work for me. Uninstalling Episode 2 and 1 works perfectly fine but then the same issue and error message appears for HL2.

If you have Counter-Strike: Source, Garry’s Mod or Portal installed, they share Half-Life 2’s files too.
You actually won’t save that much space with uninstalling Half-Life 2, if you have other Source games installed, because much of it will remain installed for shared file purposes.

[Turbo]

I think I only had the 3 HL2 games installed and no other Source games. Seem like it makes sense all other Source games need to be uninstalled first.

[Jake Sully]

Originally posted by Dynamonic:

Originally posted by Jake Sully:

That is wrong.

I have installed Half-Life: Source without Half-Life 2 being installed. Half-Life: Source is a standalone game and does not require Half-Life 2.

So uninstalling Half-Life 2 shouldn't have an issue at all since again Half-Life 2 is not sharing anything with Half-Life: Source. Yet there is mods and other Half-Life 2 packs.

You can install Half-Life: Source on it’s own, but it becomes tethered/dependent on Half-Life 2 once that it is also installed; sharing files with it to save disc space and run more efficiently.
If you choose to later install Half-Life 2 with some Source games already installed, such as Half-Life: Source, you’ll notice it will download and install nearly instantly. This is because many of Half-Life 2’s files will already have been made present with the other Source titles you installed.
Some GoldSrc games also do this, such as Half-Life, it’s expansions and it’s official engine-sharing titles such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress.

No it does not. Since if HL:Source ever would need HL2, then it would state in requirements that HL2 is required to play HL:Source so what you are saying is not correct and I do not agree.

Because I had HL2 nad HL:Source installed on my steam deck once and I could still uninstall HL:Source first and keep HL2.

Cause of word Source it means game is made on engine Source not that it uses HL2 content to work.

Goldeneye Source is a Source Mod so it requires a HL2 episode 1 or 2 if I remember it to work or just SDK packs. But then it states that when installing it.

[Dynamonic]

If Half-Life: Source is installed on it’s own, you’ll find you’ll still have a chunk of Half-Life 2’s files installed too, regardless of whether you own the game or not.
That’s because Half-Life 2 contains the base Source engine game files needed for the other early Source games to run.

Similarly, in Portal: Companion Collection for the Switch, data-miners and modders were able to load some of Half-Life 2’s maps, despite Half-Life 2 not being included, because Portal used assets from Half-Life 2’s file directories to run.

If you do a quick Google search on this topic, there’s loads of info about it.
Valve kept file sizes down and helped the engine run more efficiently by getting different Source engine games to use the same shared file directories.
That’s why the OP had trouble uninstalling Half-Life 2, because the other installed Source games were dependent on it’s files.
Desktop Steam currently recovers the needed files for the other Source games when Half-Life 2 is uninstalled, but the Deck won’t let you do that currently, whilst other dependent games are installed.