Why are there so many updates on these games

[DEAD MEAT]

I can go for years without an issue, then suddenly half of the games I have installed get disk write errors, or file permission errors. This crap is getting old. What is so tough about installing a game and then clicking play ... and it works.

I've had to try multiple different fixes, I have yet to find one fix that solves all the issues across the board. This is total BS.

[N3tRunn3r]

sound slike either a defective hardware issue and/or a false system setting, beginning with UAC (User Account Control) and/or using a prefeb pre-installed OS and not a fresh and clean install.

[nullable]

Your assuming your issues affect everyone else equally. Sometimes issues that arise on your system are yours to manage and aren't Valve's fault.

All I know is I've been using Steam almost twenty years across a dozen systems and haven't had the issue you describe occur, and I don't think I'm unique there.

[Satoru]

Note if you are getting those those are permissions issues. This can happen

1) If steam does not have permissions to write fiels, running steam once as an administrator tends to fix those issue

2) Your anti-virus can lock files preventing steam from updating them. Add whitelisting in your anti-virus

[Kargor]

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

I can go for years without an issue, then suddenly half of the games I have installed get disk write errors, or file permission errors. This crap is getting old. What is so tough about installing a game and then clicking play ... and it works.

I've had to try multiple different fixes, I have yet to find one fix that solves all the issues across the board. This is total BS.

It's pretty much impossible to guess what your problem is.

As another example, my box has been set up many years ago on Win7, eventually downgraded to Win10, and Steam has always worked just fine. I've never seen such issues.

What I have seen a while ago were mysterious crashes and bluescreens, mostly in games, but occasionally with other software too. This was caused by a defective RAM module.

I have also seen a harddisk failure (yes, this box does not run on SSD). That wasn't a major thing, though, as it's using two of them in a RAID-1 setup and a suitable replacement disk was still on the market.

And yes, both of these examples show one thing: hardware can just fail, without needing a particular reason.

[xarvn]

Even with perfectly working hardware, electronic devices are susceptible to things like cosmic rays, high-energy particles, EM radiation, etc. That is why mitigation techniques such as ECC and other techniques are used. Still none of these guarantee 100% prevention from data loss and corruption.

[DEAD MEAT]

Running STEAM as ADMIN takes care of most of them.
But not all.
It is 100% a STEAM issue.
It is NOT a hardware issue.
Some of these games updating from time to time makes sense, but many do not. Why for example does a game like IL2 1946 require an update? The content never changes. It's all this 3rd party BS, that's my guess. Again I don't see a need for a lot of this crap. I am not as big a fan of STEAM as I once was. They got a pretty good racket going. They support almost nothing they sell. I many cases the stuff will not even run "out-of-the-box" as sold here FreeSpace2 would be a good example but there are others. When you buy the same software on GOG ... surprise surprise it freakin' works. Almost all of the Early Access are straight up rip offs that will NEVER be finished. Valve itself is not a publicly traded company and like I stated earlier ... they got a pretty good racket going and at some point some regulators in some country are going to have to get involved. Once upon a time these games did not mean much to most people, but now it's big business, and has worked it's way into many many peoples lives from all over the World, like no other medium has before it.
STEAM should at the very least ensure the crap they sell works.
Their refund policy is the only thing keeping them afloat.
STEAM used to be my first choice when buying software.
Now they are becoming the last option, if I can not get it any place else.
It's just a Cloud, now a days everybody has one.
If I have to jump through a 3rd party hoop every time I buy a game ... why not just go there a buy it to begin with.
I do not come here to argue.
I really don't expect an answer on a STEAM forum because they have gone to the Dogs too, Reddit is a much better option for real solutions, this post is directed AT STEAM, and I hope they read and hear this line loud and clear ...

STEAM used to be my first choice when buying software.
Now they are becoming the last option, if I can not get it any place else.
It's just a Cloud, now a days everybody has one.

I doubt I am the only person that feels this way.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

I keep it simple, if you get disk errors this means either there a problem with permissions which you have to check out, 3rd party app you're using causing issue where make Steam can't read, or write, or corrupted file issues, and have to delete file, and redownload it, just head to where Steam is delete everything except for Steamapp and steam.exe and test.

For it to be hardware issue, this meant it has error issue that you hope windows can fix it, or worse case scenario your drive is failing, and things either can't write to said section, or has corruption issues even if did write to it.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

They support almost nothing they sell.

Technical support is provided by the developer of those 3rd party games.

CPDR acquire the rights to some older games to be able to support them and is the reason why Good Old Games (GOG) came to exist. As for "it freaking works" you should read reviews for Fallout 3 on GOG.

Other points

1) Disk write errors, permissions is related to your PC, otherwise the forums would be inundated with other users complaining about the same issues if it was Steam related.


2) Many updates? - If you are referring to small updates that is Shader cache for Vulkan and OpenGL.

To turn it off.

Steam > Settings > Shader Pre-Cache.

Note: Previously they were hidden.


3) Early Access: What is an Early Access title?

It does not get any clearer than:

"Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it DEVELOPS".

"This Early Access game is NOT COMPLETE and MAY OR MAY NOT CHANGE FURTHER. If YOU are not excited to play this game in its CURRENT STATE, then YOU should WAIT to see IF the game progresses further in DEVELOPMENT".

Is waiting a problem?


And finally adding an EAG to the cart and clicking confirm is a VOLUNTARY action, not a mandatory one, therefore YOU receive the product AS IS at the point in time YOU clicked confirm and that is also applicable to AAA games.

[nullable]

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

Running STEAM as ADMIN takes care of most of them.
But not all.
It is 100% a STEAM issue.

If it's a Steam issue it should affect most users. But it doesn't. That's inconvenient for your argument, no?

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

They support almost nothing they sell.

You say that like most stores offer technical support for software they didn't create. If you buy software from Wal-Mart or Staples, what are their options for supporting that software?

I think this is an idea you didn't really think through, it just sounds good.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

I many cases the stuff will not even run "out-of-the-box" as sold here FreeSpace2 would be a good example but there are others.

Welcome to PC gaming. Where old software can be fickle and whether it works "out of the box" is pretty conditional and dependent on the user's system. Steam never promised to resolve all the issues with PC gaming or fix all old programs for every possible system configuration.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

When you buy the same software on GOG ... surprise surprise it freakin' works.

Except for the people who have issues that you pretend don't exist. Just like you pretend that the people who don't have issues running older games on Steam don't exist.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

Almost all of the Early Access are straight up rip offs that will NEVER be finished.

What Early Access is, is not a secret. No one is being forced to buy Early Access games. Lots of people pretend the information and warnings don't really count whenever they decide they're unhappy.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

Valve itself is not a publicly traded company and like I stated earlier ... they got a pretty good racket going and at some point some regulators in some country are going to have to get involved. Once upon a time these games did not mean much to most people, but now it's big business, and has worked it's way into many many peoples lives from all over the World, like no other medium has before it.

Mostly it seems like people hope regulators will implement arbitrary rules that will force software development to run on a specific schedule and have exact results and that will fix everything.

You can't legislate art and still have good art, just saying.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

STEAM should at the very least ensure the crap they sell works.

It does work. Not everyone needs to be spoonfed one button solutions. Older games have always been fickle. And not having the option to buy older games is worse for everyone than some minority of users having complaints that getting a game to run is above their pay grade.

Originally posted by DEAD MEAT:

I doubt I am the only person that feels this way.

The ability to feel malcontent and knowing you're not the only malcontent doesn't really change things. Every business has unreasonable and unhappy customers.

[DEAD MEAT]

Whatever ...
This is 100% total STEAM BS.
The software works seamlessly for years, then suddenly without creating a .BAT file or some other workaround, I have to jokey back and forth from running with ADMIN privileges to simply download and install a owned game, or do all these constant updates.
IF .... and I do mean IF there has been changes in the WIN 11 operating system, STEAM should be on top of that so running as ADMIN through a compatibility mode is not required.
Running with ADMIN privileges can and does cause issues with some 3rd party software like VKB stuff for HOTAS's and some other 3rd party stuff that also requires ADMIN privileges to establish whitelisted sessions. And simply running / installing some games.
And the absolute fact is this is something, for me at least, that just started, out of the blue.
If I sound like an unhappy camper ... that's because I am.

Maybe if STEAM's software did not give a warning about running as ADMIN every time it starts because they themselves KNOW, it should not require that to operate as intended. I'd let it go, but this is an issue with many, I'm just one of them now. In the end STEAM does very little except marketing and running a cloud, they should at least be able to come up with operating software that supports what little they do actually do that freakin' works.

Go ahead and be a fan-boy .... no sweat off me.
But it's a simple concept.
The crap works out of the box without screwing with it or it does not.
Somewhere down the line STEAM has dropped the ball.
They don't even support their own BS now.
Or so it would seem.

[Nx Machina]

No issues with Steam on Win 10 x64 22H2 (current OS). Admin privileges not required.

Never had to use admin privileges in 19+ years on Steam.

Win 11 related issue?

[PANCHOX]

so many updates from games these last years, is getting ogood

[Satoru]

People always say it’s a steam issue but it never is

It’s a local issue with your system. You can keep “blaming” steam but it’s literally just asking to write to disk. If it can’t your system is doing something to prevent it

[Satoru]

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

No issues with Steam on Win 10 x64 22H2 (current OS). Admin privileges not required.

Never had to use admin privileges in 19+ years on Steam.

Win 11 related issue?

I’ve been running windows 11 for months. No issues. Write errors are always a system problem. The Op doesn’t want to acknowledge this for some reason and refuses to listen.