"Failed to start game (app already running)" Please help!

[uwu]

So i just got A Story About My Uncle, installed it, and played for an hour or so. I closed the game like you are supposed to but when I tried to open the game again, it came up with an error saying "Failed to start game (app already running)". I checked task manager and it's not open, i rebooted my computer, and it won't let me try to reinstall the game b/c it's "open". It's been almost a day since I've been able to open it. I've looked at a ton of other help forums but none of the solutions worked for me. I'm hoping someone here is able to help me b/c I'm not sure what else to do...Thanks.

[76561198262067401]

• Restart your PC in safe mode
  
• Go to the Steam folder
  
• Move the "common" and "userdata" folders outside of the Steam folder, somewhere you can find them later
  
• Delete the Steam folder, and any remaining subfolders and files
  
• Restart your PC in normal boot
  
• Reinstall Steam
  
• Move the "common" and "userdata" folders back to where they were

The problem should now be resolved.

[uwu]

Do you mind telling me how to restart in safe mode? I'm using Windows if that matters

[76561198262067401]

Hold down the Windows key and press R, or open the Start menu and choose "Run". Type "msconfig" in the box and press Enter. In the new window go to the "boot" tab and put a checkmark in the "Safe Boot" box, then click "Apply". To get out of safe boot, just repeat the process but remove the checkmark.

[uwu]

Originally posted by flawlessmelody:

Hold down the Windows key and press R, or open the Start menu and choose "Run". Type "msconfig" in the box and press Enter. In the new window go to the "boot" tab and put a checkmark in the "Safe Boot" box, then click "Apply". To get out of safe boot, just repeat the process but remove the checkmark.

Ok, as expected it stopped working so I followed those instructions. It took a while for me to find the steam folder but I did and took out the two folders listed. I rebooted and had to delete steam off my desktop and redden load it. Once I did that, there was no new steam folder for me to put the user data and common folders in. My games have no data and some of my games are no longer there. I don't know how to get them back...

[76561198262067401]

By default, Steam installs under Program Files, or Program Files x86. I would check there. You could also open Steam, click "Steam" and then "Settings"; in the new window, go to "Downloads" and click "Steam Library Folders", it will show your current Steam installation.

If this issue is occuring frequently, it is likely the game is not closing properly for one reason or another. If possible, you should always close the game using whatever quit feature it has built in, rather than Alt+F4 or the task manager.

[uwu]

Originally posted by flawlessmelody:

By default, Steam installs under Program Files, or Program Files x86. I would check there. You could also open Steam, click "Steam" and then "Settings"; in the new window, go to "Downloads" and click "Steam Library Folders", it will show your current Steam installation.

If this issue is occuring frequently, it is likely the game is not closing properly for one reason or another. If possible, you should always close the game using whatever quit feature it has built in, rather than Alt+F4 or the task manager.

I inserted the user data and common into the folder it said in Steam, do I need to restart my computer to see the changes? Because there was no change so far. Another thing is there was several folders with the same name, should i have replaced them or ignored them? Thanks for helping me out with this.

[Tev]

Your games will show up as uninstalled, because you copied the common -subfolder instead of the whole SteamApps -folder.

Hopefully you have now placed the common -folder under

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\

and the userdata -folder under

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\

If you install in the same location as you did previously, the Steam -client should detect the existing files and recreate the appmanifest -file.

[uwu]

Originally posted by Teutep:

Your games will show up as uninstalled, because you copied the common -subfolder instead of the whole SteamApps -folder.

Hopefully you have now placed the common -folder under

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\

and the userdata -folder under

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\

If you install in the same location as you did previously, the Steam -client should detect the existing files and recreate the appmanifest -file.

If I didn't put it in the subfolder when I first placed it back in, is that a problem? I'm pretty sure I can move it again but I don't know if I'm already too far gone

[Tev]

The problem is that you didn't copy the whole steamapps -folder, because the appmanifest -files outside the common -folder are basically the bridges the Steam -client uses to figure out the said application's current status on the disk. Installed bytes and such.

In otherwords, since it sounds like they're gone now. Place the folders like I posted above, please. After that, with the Steam -client, attempt to install the game in the same location. If you get [Steam client is detecting existing files], then once it's done your game should show up as installed.

[uwu]

As you can tell, I dont really understand all this folder stuff, and probably screwed up somewhere along the way. So you are saying that I can reinstall my games, but just not the saves within the game?

[Tev]

Your save files are fine, no data is actually lost.

Just that without the .acf -files outside the common -folder, the Steam -client will assume the games aren't installed until you attempt to install the game in the folder it's already installed in.

Thus Steam should detect the existing files.

1. Exit Steam
   
2. Put "common" under Steam\steamapps\
   
3. Put "userdata" under Steam\
   
4. Open up Steam
   
5. Click [Install] on the game.
   
6. If you don't have multiple installation locations, just proceed like you normally would.
   
   • If you do, choose the location the game files are installed in.
7. (Here hoping the detecting existing files -process starts)
   
8. Your game should be installed.

[uwu]

Ok that sounds a lot better. I just reinstalled A Story About My Uncle, and the error i had from the beginning popped up -__- oh well...Thank you so much for your help!

[Tev]

Regarding the app already running issue, despite your starting post, doublecheck your task manager. [CTRL+SHIFT+ESC] ->

Show processes from all users

If there's nothing there, then try holding down your [Windows] and [R] -keys

steam://open/console

In the console, type in

app_stop 278360

If despite this and rebooting the PC the issue still persists.

Then try something as vague as this,
[Steam > Settings > Interface]

Run Steam when my computer starts

Disable that should you have it ticked, and see if it makes a difference upon reboot.

Then there's this:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8043-EUJN-5239

Disable the non-Microsoft programs. See if the problem persists in Selective Startup. If it doesn't, start enabling the programs in batches and see where the issue starts.

When it starts, you know it's caused by one of the applications you just re-enabled.

[uwu]

So far the first two suggestions did not work, so I will go on to the third. Im a little hesitant though because it said it would disable the anitvirus programs, and im not sure i even want to mess with those. I really appreciate your help