[FIXED] Steam download 40% of any game then stop/start the download repeatedly.

[󠇩⁧󠀡]

Hello.

I got this issue where on my main gaming rig any download bigger than 2GB will take FOREVER to download even tho my hardware and my internet connection can handle it.

It will :

1. Download the first 40% at full speed
   
2. Stop downloading
   
3. Wait a couple of seconds
   
4. download again for 1 second
   
5. stop downloading again

and then repeat from step 2 forever.

Turning any 1 minute game download into a MULTI HOURS LONG one.

see video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyUf2bHGFPg

I've tried everything to fix it and nothing worked. (not an AV issue, download work fine if I boot on linux, download work fine on another PC with same specs and same windows version)
I'm at a point where I think that steam and my windows install are conflicting each other directly...
(The fact that SteamCMD also has this issue realy make me think that it's steam itself that do something at 40% download and for some reason fail and can't recover from it so it try to restart download on a timer, producing this effect of download stoping/restarting for 1 sec at regular interval)

from what I understand re-installing my OS should fix it but that not realy an fix if I don't understand why it does it in the first place and can't prevent it to happening again. (I'm not reinstalling my OS everytime my steam client decide to forget how to download)

I would gladly appreciate ANY help, proposition on a fix or a way to troubleshoot more deeply the steam client.

FIX : https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/3758850346179893895/#c3758850346182919945

[Iceira]

Sounds like serious issue at that pc, harddrive issue or out of free room or antivirus app block is, this have been the clues in forever ( over last 2 decads atleast )

check disk

sfc /scannow

dism repare

you are going to google this ( why so you learn such should have been done before you make post, and we cant see if you did it. )

rest is is steam flush ( google it )

or rep steam library ( google it )

even reinstall steam over current one to ensure all is install and work as intended

even run steam.exe as admin.( one time )

this can look hard, again there is a reason for it, so ppl lerrn how to do it, and know what they are doing.

even safe boot mode ( require google it and how to do it in windows10 )

yea tough love is known and needed today,

and its still steam support/Game devs support that has support not us here in user forum.

ps.
do note in some rare senarios its seen before steam in other end do have a issue, this is why you do them so they can see you actual did try solve all.

and do have 5 times that DL size in free storege space, most here wont even help anymore if you have 200gb left free only on a system disk and DL size is 50GB you can already see the missing size in math, i did not say game need it , even OS need free work space while it process its task. most know this but again we cant mind read here.

then DL size is 100GB , you can see a issue with 200gb free left, im sure you can math that mean 500gb free work space, ( game size in the future and how things can be done might change ) but then game hit 250gb in DL size we are past 1,2TB free work space and past 4TB disk drive as minimum, sure we are not there yet but soon we are.

no one will talk about GB its TB then.

[Iceira]

the video dont show performance on Disk ( if they are 100% busy ) thats why network wont feed you, the network protocal and it you that tell steam in other end stop send me data i can't keep up ) only things in the middle here like ISP's can make a hamoinca effect in resize buffer until line get more stable again then you handle the feed again, ( require network skill to know this or read about it )


ps.
windoiws resource manager is the clue here not steam DL meter, steam cant see if disk do backup or other task while DL at steam. ( again experience person know this )
defrag or whatever other app even see a user said spotify or was it another app, again we dont care check disk status on 100% busy, then disk wont go fast no matter if this is antivirus app that scan and unpacking same time, this is just all worst case senarions most never have them all, but sure such can happend. ( this dont explan virtual ram in top of this disk play ram while install make all things even worse )


and missing system spec, dont make it better. ( most will say win10 is a 16gb ram system anything leeser will effect performance, you need very strong pc if that is 8gb ram system.
again you could have past gen games on such then its fine but still suffer from it compare to a 16gb ram system.

[󠇩⁧󠀡]

Hello !
Thank you for trying to help me out ! :D

Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

Sounds like serious issue at that pc, harddrive issue or out of free room or antivirus app block is, this have been the clues in forever ( over last 2 decads atleast )

AntiVirus is not the issue, I have tested with and without it.

The "harddrive" is not the issue.
They got way more than 5x of freespace and thoses are Nvme SSD that can handle GigaBYTE/s.
and they do work fine when trying with linux.

Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

check disk

sfc /scannow

dism repare

you are going to google this ( why so you learn such should have been done before you make post, and we cant see if you did it. )

rest is is steam flush ( google it )

or rep steam library ( google it )

even reinstall steam over current one to ensure all is install and work as intended

even run steam.exe as admin.( one time )

this can look hard, again there is a reason for it, so ppl lerrn how to do it, and know what they are doing.

even safe boot mode ( require google it and how to do it in windows10 )

Already tried everything you said.

Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

ps.
do note in some rare senarios its seen before steam in other end do have a issue, this is why you do them so they can see you actual did try solve all.

and do have 5 times that DL size in free storege space, most here wont even help anymore if you have 200gb left free only on a system disk and DL size is 50GB you can already see the missing size in math, i did not say game need it , even OS need free work space while it process its task. most know this but again we cant mind read here.

then DL size is 100GB , you can see a issue with 200gb free left, im sure you can math that mean 500gb free work space, ( game size in the future and how things can be done might change ) but then game hit 250gb in DL size we are past 1,2TB free work space and past 4TB disk drive as minimum, sure we are not there yet but soon we are.

no one will talk about GB its TB then.

as I said freespace is not the issue

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Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

the video dont show performance on Disk ( if they are 100% busy ) thats why network wont feed you, the network protocal and it you that tell steam in other end stop send me data i can't keep up ) only things in the middle here like ISP's can make a hamoinca effect in resize buffer until line get more stable again then you handle the feed again, ( require network skill to know this or read about it )


ps.
windoiws resource manager is the clue here not steam DL meter, steam cant see if disk do backup or other task while DL at steam. ( again experience person know this )
defrag or whatever other app even see a user said spotify or was it another app, again we dont care check disk status on 100% busy, then disk wont go fast no matter if this is antivirus app that scan and unpacking same time, this is just all worst case senarions most never have them all, but sure such can happend. ( this dont explan virtual ram in top of this disk play ram while install make all things even worse )


and missing system spec, dont make it better. ( most will say win10 is a 16gb ram system anything leeser will effect performance, you need very strong pc if that is 8gb ram system.
again you could have past gen games on such then its fine but still suffer from it compare to a 16gb ram system.

Oh you are into something !
My SSD is 100% busy when installing a game into it...
but that is weird since there is nothing else I'm aware of that is using that drive. (expect steam)

[Iceira]

test with slave disk then mecanical disk from the past. ( ask own Board support, nothing normal can stop things in the middle of things without bootleneck of something cause this.

try see it as , you, isp, or steam in other end,
why this way, because network screw me up, or my pc and you try eliminating who is doing this.

because if good old slave disk do it that mean my pc is doing this, and then its not ISP and stewm in other end, test with other friends laptop at your connection is also a way or spare old pc even, gather proof, or should i say this proof its sream or isp network whatever goes here

and dont forget safe boot mode, no such things as i did not know interference issue.

shame i did not live next door the my old piece of laptop might have help you, im sure you can see a point if i can DL it with no issue, ( yes as we say today im busted, nothing wrong with that batter get caught in who or what is doing this then not know. )

ps.
could said work for 250 to 350 millions of other people, and yes some few other user that dont even count in 100.000 with the many post dont forget many diffrent issue with this. bad driver cable and other drive issue is a mixup of alot of rare case that all seem same outcome disk dont do as it should.

why i see it its as not a isp or steam issue you said disk stop at every 40%
dont forget i see things diffrently, but to proof it is hard with not have the inside hands on you have, most here i bet will see that is very specific, and look like something cause this, as buffer is full and system just got a i give up and with what. i bet even you can see a point in this ugly truth.


happy bug hunt with whatever cause this.

[Iceira]

be happy you notice the 100% busy, that explan alot why network ( you tell steam i cant keep up with incoming data, atleast you know you are the cause, better then not know. )


check BIOS and Chipset Drivers, if your system Brand driver give to MS aient working as they should its still own Brand Product faulth. ( Ms dont make other Brand driver they are given to them, and MS only test for crash core issue and dont care if they are working at all. )
contact own Board brand and maybe they will help, or look at it, as you said it harddisk brand support might not be the cause but ask them anyway, or check for test app.

you never know, what cause this, and why you ask both places to save time.

same as steam support, open the door make ticket, just to ruleout data unpacking issue or issue with it i doubt it , but something cause system issue and you have issue with dealing with installation, and same time steam might not be tha cause but they might have a clue why system go down on it so ask nicly if them have seen such before.

and this is why you ask nicely
"but that is weird since there is nothing else I'm aware of that is using that drive. (expect steam)" its like i have as examle a 200mhz cant unpack my data so all goes down on
atleast you can see a point in it, ofc you dont have such cpu but something cause system issue and you go down on it.

this is why 40% stop bottleneck is odd.

gl with faulth finding require support or other that have seen this before.

[Iceira]

Other old issue is Laptop in balance mode. i hope thats not the case here.

laptop is build for power saving , desktop is not.

[󠇩⁧󠀡]

I found out !

It was my windows cache.
I have no idea why but for some reason the windows cache on my system just don't work as intended with steam.

So I just had to disable caching for that drive and now it work fine again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwuwJdpKBN4

I still have no idea why it only happen with steam or why it only kicks in at 40% but yea at some point steam ask too much of my Windows and the caching system somehow hang the drive at 100% usage and high latency.

[isomasu]

GOOD

[Iceira]

So you enable cache 2 option on write behind cache on disk, and got system issue with it, that option is not on by default.

atleast i and other here can hope other steam user dont make same mistake, ( and user option or mistake or let me be nice, you forgot and dont know the consequence of it. )

be happy you recall what you did, most will not see that as first trouble shooting, also require hands on gear to check for such.

cya.

[󠇩⁧󠀡]

Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

So you enable cache 2 option on write behind cache on disk, and got system issue with it, that option is not on by default.

atleast i and other here can hope other steam user dont make same mistake, ( and user option or mistake or let me be nice, you forgot and dont know the consequence of it. )

be happy you recall what you did, most will not see that as first trouble shooting, also require hands on gear to check for such.

cya.

I did not enable this option and it is on by default on all my drives.

[Iceira]

󠇩⁧󠀡 eredeti hozzászólása:

Iceira W10 eredeti hozzászólása:

So you enable cache 2 option on write behind cache on disk, and got system issue with it, that option is not on by default.

atleast i and other here can hope other steam user dont make same mistake, ( and user option or mistake or let me be nice, you forgot and dont know the consequence of it. )

be happy you recall what you did, most will not see that as first trouble shooting, also require hands on gear to check for such.

cya.

I did not enable this option and it is on by default on all my drives.

Very strange, i have not seen it on over 20 years, its simple not recommned at desktop pc, because last thing most games do is save a game, and then exit or shutdown pc and then you have huge change of cached data is not saved in before pc is off.

well atleast it make sense with why you had issue , maybe report this to steam, because whatever that is, its simple not seen as first possible faulty finding anymore, and they might want to know this, dont forget we other cant report because we do not had the problem.

and technicaly most here dont care, who did it or why its was change, they only care about steam tell them what if this setting is on. ( and yet steam can say not a steam problem and yet all will complain over it, i hope you understand and i bet , then most here just say contact steam support im sure they will get the problem and have to deal with it, so steam user win even then its not a steam problem.

gl with try do whats is right, if we can call this, most helper here will not or be worse to all who has DL issue , STOP use write behind cache, ( can also say buy better hardware that can handle inc data. ) most dont like such reply, but even that is part of truth. )

and i think its best steam make 2 line with harddisk write issue, most will not be offended with try turn option off if it's on.

gl with it.

ps.
Dont forget most that know server build has such cache, and now its not a option recommend for game pc setup or desktop anymore.