Installing & Updating When You Lose Power

[SLG]

I was just wondering since it was storming here and I lost power for a minute what will happen if you were installing or updating a game and you lose power.

[DarkCrystalMethod]

If the install was corrupted then usually steam notices and attempts to fix.
However if its not noticing you can force it from the "Local Files" tab on the games properies window. Use the "Validate files" button and that usually solves the biggest issues.

[SLG]

Thanks. So if the power goes off half way through, I can just verify my local files if something happens?

[Qbert ⭐]

Worst case scenario, you have to verify game files and download the updates and some core files again.

No biggie if you are not in a very slow connection.

[Kargor]

Basically, when a computer goes down without a proper shutdown, the filesystem (aka the data on the disks) may be damaged.

Such damage gets repaired by the operating system; however, the focus is on getting things to work, not to restore all files. Imagine a damaged file cabinet, where they focus on fixing the cabinet, but they might loose/damage some of the papers in there in the process. Or a fire extinguisher saving the house, but not necessarily all the furniture or the carpet or whatever.

Thus, the end result might be files missing or being damaged. This is more likely to affect stuff that is currently being worked on, as the data on disk may be in flux, and the power-off might just leave it in an inconsistent state.

[crunchyfrog]

As Kargor says, it's pretty safe.

You'll generally ahve a period of the OS checking what's happened, maybe losing a small amoutn of data, then you just carry on almost where you left off.

In the very worst of cases, you might need to download more or the whole thing but that would be rather rare.

[RiO]

Originally posted by crunchyfrog:

In the very worst of cases, you might need to download more or the whole thing but that would be rather rare.

Nah. In the actual very worst of worst cases you'd be looking at OS corruption because Windows was updating something in the background as well. And then it turns out to be a critical file like a required driver needed to boot up correctly - and you suddenly have to break out a recovery disc to get things booted up again and repair the critical OS files. Fun! (Not...)

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by RiO:

Originally posted by crunchyfrog:

In the very worst of cases, you might need to download more or the whole thing but that would be rather rare.

Nah. In the actual very worst of worst cases you'd be looking at OS corruption because Windows was updating something in the background as well. And then it turns out to be a critical file like a required driver needed to boot up correctly - and you suddenly have to break out a recovery disc to get things booted up again and repair the critical OS files. Fun! (Not...)

Yeah very true and a fair point.

Or you could have a powercut due to thunderstorm and fry something. Like what happened to Joel "The Last Gamer". He holds the Guinness Record for the largest game colelction and a whole load of stuff including loads of arcade machines got fried while he was out.

Anywho, yeah, fair point. I toucld be worse.

[SLG]

I am not taking about the OS. I am talking about Steam during the process of installing or updating a game.

If the power goes off during the process, will I have to redo it or will it begin where it was interrupted?

[isomorphic_projection]

Originally posted by SLGray:

I am not taking about the OS. I am talking about Steam during the process of installing or updating a game.

If the power goes off during the process, will I have to redo it or will it begin where it was interrupted?

I will continue to download from the point where it was ended after power loss. Just verify after.

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by SLGray:

I am not taking about the OS. I am talking about Steam during the process of installing or updating a game.

If the power goes off during the process, will I have to redo it or will it begin where it was interrupted?

We know that. We were just going on about the fact that it can be much worse and you can't control it.

No harm no foul.

[isomorphic_projection]

Originally posted by crunchyfrog:

Originally posted by SLGray:

I am not taking about the OS. I am talking about Steam during the process of installing or updating a game.

If the power goes off during the process, will I have to redo it or will it begin where it was interrupted?

We know that. We were just going on about the fact that it can be much worse and you can't control it.

No harm no foul.

HD's and Fan's going full at their brakes. But loosing power is just a small problem. We did not have these types of sensitive equipment, the last time the sun burped. North America went dark.

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by isomorphic_projection:

Originally posted by crunchyfrog:

We know that. We were just going on about the fact that it can be much worse and you can't control it.

No harm no foul.

HD's and Fan's going full at their brakes. But loosing power is just a small problem. We did not have these types of sensitive equipment, the last time the sun burped. North America went dark.

While generally true, we were talking about all sorts of issues which CAN Happen. It's not so much the outage but what happens from it. You get a powers usrge, you're going to have a bad day.

And lightning DOES happen.

[SLG]

Thanks for all the replies.

[Paratech2008]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can pause the download, shut Steam down, and then shut down the computer and when you turn it back on later and start Steam the downloading should star close to where you paused it...

[( ( < < <🤖> > > ) )]

isnt it like hand writing... if the ink is on the paper... its there...

so what ever is written on the hard drive its there... and will be there
when the power is turned back on...

you would only lose stuff that is in ram... or is that too simple..