Here's how to solve a validation loop/infinite update loop

[sir_deadlock]

I've been running into these a lot lately. I found a solution for one game, but it seems to work for all of them.

What you're going to need to do is...
- First, pause the update.
- Go to the folder where you have Steam installed. For me that's: This PC / Local Disk (C) / Program Files (x86) / Steam
Yours might be somewhere else, but you get the idea.
- Open the "Logs" folder.
- You're going to open the "Content_Log" text document file. If you're having trouble finding it, you can sort the files by date modified and it will jump right near the top of the list.
-Scroll all the way to the bottom of the text document and look around for a file address. It's probably going to be where your game is installed. There might be multiple addresses to multiple files, and the log will say something like " Update Required,Fully Installed,Update Queued,Files Corrupt,Update Started" and "blah blah chunks missing of such and such total in file yada yada."
- Go to the folder where your game is installed.

If you don't know how to find your game's folder, there are two ways:
1) Go to your Library menu, right click on the game title or click the cog button in the more detailed looking side, select "properties", select "installed files" on the left side, then select the "browse files" button on the right. That should pop open the game folder.
2) Go back to your Steam folder. If you chose to have you games installed on a different drive, then go to that drive and open the "SteamLibrary" folder. Then open "steamapps", then "common". That's where all your games are installed. The folders are alphabetical by default, but you can sort them by date modified, where they'll then be in descending order of the most recently used games, including playing a save file or the game being updated.

- Find the files mentioned in the content_log. It should have told you what folder it's in and what file it is. Probably the shortened address after the "missing chunks" description.
- Delete those mentioned files.
- Unpause the update.

For whatever reason, those corrupted files weren't getting replaced.
I'm guessing that Steam kept checking for a problem, seeing the files were corrupted, but whenever it tried to download them it saw they already existed. So it loops over and over through that process.
By going in and deleting them, the Steam validation process will see the files are missing and download them fresh.
No need to reinstall your game. No need to lose your save files. Precise surgical removal of corrupt files by an educated human being.

Good luck!

[Twist]

Is that the issue that causes Steam to "download/update" the same four games every time I launch steam?

[sir_deadlock]

Originally posted by Twist:

Is that the issue that causes Steam to "download/update" the same four games every time I launch steam?

If the updates you're talking about actually finish, then no. Some games just have daily updates. Keeping on top of that type of thing is one of Steam's selling points and why auto-updates are set to "always keep up to date" by default: they update regularly to save you time later when you're ready to play.

If that sort of thing bothers you, I'd recommend opening the properties for those games, going to the update tab and selecting for them to "only update on launch." That will probably make it so that they change color on your sidebar every day and say they need an update, but like, that will only matter when you're ready to play them.

[Twist]

Originally posted by sir_deadlock:

Originally posted by Twist:

Is that the issue that causes Steam to "download/update" the same four games every time I launch steam?

If the updates you're talking about actually finish, then no. Some games just have daily updates. Keeping on top of that type of thing is one of Steam's selling points and why auto-updates are set to "always keep up to date" by default: they update regularly to save you time later when you're ready to play.

If that sort of thing bothers you, I'd recommend opening the properties for those games, going to the update tab and selecting for them to "only update on launch." That will probably make it so that they change color on your sidebar every day and say they need an update, but like, that will only matter when you're ready to play them.

That's why I used quotation marks when I called it a "download". Every time I launch the client the same four games claim to have done a download when they haven't downloaded anything at all. I can delete the four games from the list of downloaded titles. But next time I launch Steam, the same four games show up again as finished download without downloading anything. :)

[sir_deadlock]

Originally posted by Twist:

That's why I used quotation marks when I called it a "download". Every time I launch the client the same four games claim to have done a download when they haven't downloaded anything at all. I can delete the four games from the list of downloaded titles. But next time I launch Steam, the same four games show up again as finished download without downloading anything. :)

Ooooh. Huh.
Yeah, I don't know what that's about. Doesn't sound like an update/validation loop though. You might be able to check the content_log to see if the downloader interacted with the games, but I really don't know how to address that issue.
I just found out this little trick for solving a loop and wanted to let people know. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Twist]

Yeah no problem. I was just curious and trying to figure out via forums if anyone else had the same weird issue. It's not causing any problems with the games itself, they all launch just fine. It's more of a visual annoyance.

But thanks. :)

[Iwo1221]

lifesaver

[John]

omg thx dude

[Viper]

Im having this issue with call of duty but there's nothing following the lines of "missing chunks", let alone a file address

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Viper:

Im having this issue with call of duty but there's nothing following the lines of "missing chunks", let alone a file address

CiD has its own specific issues with this. There are some possible fixes in the game hub.

[Andross]

I AM FREE OF THE VALIDATE LIMBO THANK YOU

[Pyrodysseus]

Originally posted by Andross:

I AM FREE OF THE VALIDATE LIMBO THANK YOU

2nd this, thank you!

[MetalicXBr]

Originally posted by Viper:

Im having this issue with call of duty but there's nothing following the lines of "missing chunks", let alone a file address

I agree i have the same issue with call of duty and its not working to what i know of

[Trular]

Thank you for this! I had 2 very large games (~425GB combined) both stuck in validation loops. Your advice took less than a minute and got both updates back on track. Tip of the hat to you my dude...

[Kayzo_]

as of this date this still works thanks heaps

[A57RO]

22nd June 2024 - this still works, legend. Thank you.