Steam won't launch at all

[Maximizer]

Hey, there! I have Steam since nov 2004. And never had any problems until today. Yesterday everything was ok, but today's morning I turn on PC and launch Steam and it even doesn't open. Steamwebhelper.exe process in Task Manager appears to be stuck and uses 30-40 % of CPU. I did everything - deleted the exe, re-launched Steam, it "extracted the package", and again the same problem. Uninstalled Steam, reinstalled - same problem. What buggers me is what happened during the night as my PC was turned off. Look, I'm no dumbo, I might be no power user, but still somewhat of advanced user that doesn't goes around the system and makes idiotic changes. On my PC I have only Steam and large media library with movies and music. That's it. And no I haven't installed any programs lately, on games from Steam - and the newest games from my last purchase I installed a week ago. Can anyone have any solution or direction to pint me to, since google is no longer a normal search engine. Thanks.

[V3LTA]

Try to update windows, drivers, reboot internet and pc.

If it doesnt help try to ctrl shift escape
Close steam process. Exclude steam from antivirus, and run steam as administrator? (Or add steam to white list im not sure)

[V3LTA]

Oh would be good to run anti virus detection first, before trying to exclude something from antivirus

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Do these for me.
1. Open CMD as administrator, type in without quotes "/SFC scannow" let it do it job, once done, click start menu, power option, click restart. What you did was check for any windows error, and clear RAM memory of storing any problems.

2. Head to where Steam installed, delete everything in the folder except for Steamapp folder, and Steam.exe file. Once done run Steam.exe, and see if issue resolved.

- Ensure 3rd party anti virus isn't causing problems to steam.

- Ensure 3rd party firewall, or custom settings you done for firewall not causing any problems to steam.

- Ensure didn't use any 3rd party app to mess with permissions, or if you mess with system permissions ensure that not the problem either.

[Maximizer]

Originally posted by Dr.Shadowds 🐉:

Do these for me.
1. Open CMD as administrator, type in without quotes "/SFC scannow" let it do it job, once done, click start menu, power option, click restart. What you did was check for any windows error, and clear RAM memory of storing any problems.

2. Head to where Steam installed, delete everything in the folder except for Steamapp folder, and Steam.exe file. Once done run Steam.exe, and see if issue resolved.

- Ensure 3rd party anti virus isn't causing problems to steam.

- Ensure 3rd party firewall, or custom settings you done for firewall not causing any problems to steam.

- Ensure didn't use any 3rd party app to mess with permissions, or if you mess with system permissions ensure that not the problem either.

Nothing works. Again, no 3rd party apps to mess with permissions as nothing except games is installed. Firewall is built in Windows' one. I don't use antivirus since 2006. SFC reports no problems. Modern OSes on modern PCs don't need ram cleanups. It has something to do with webhelper app and its connection to chromium.

[Amon Ynous]

What OS are you using? I think an update just made the app not work on Windows 8.1.
Try compatibility mode with windows 7 if you're using 8.1

[old_scopie1945]

Maybe this will help, as it has also worked for a few of us. Steam was stuck on an endless loading screen. Using Windows 10.
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/6679490060455520348/

[76561198420165243]

same symptoms here with win8.1 and tried all suggested solutions, uninstall/install , firewall disabled, no antivirus, even cleaned the regedit, etc. Only 8.1 users having this issue since 13 Sept 2024. ımo only way is to wait untill new upgrade/ correction to the Steam Installer or update pack.

[V3LTA]

Originally posted by NOMAD:

same symptoms here with win8.1 and tried all suggested solutions, uninstall/install , firewall disabled, no antivirus, even cleaned the regedit, etc. Only 8.1 users having this issue since 13 Sept 2024. ımo only way is to wait untill new upgrade/ correction to the Steam Installer or update pack.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4784-4F2B-1321-800A

[76561198420165243]

Originally posted by V3LTA:

Originally posted by NOMAD:

same symptoms here with win8.1 and tried all suggested solutions, uninstall/install , firewall disabled, no antivirus, even cleaned the regedit, etc. Only 8.1 users having this issue since 13 Sept 2024. ımo only way is to wait untill new upgrade/ correction to the Steam Installer or update pack.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4784-4F2B-1321-800A

I'm aware of that but if steam worked on 8.1 until 13sept2024 it can keep working. There are few thousand of users with 8.1 which are (including me) won't change their stable op system just for play over steam platform . Even there are alternative platforms i can switch.

All about reputation, few weeks later people start to blame Steam all over the net and it will be Steam's loss not mine.

Thank you for your personnal support [/] which Steam has not.

[bidulless]

Originally posted by Maximizer:

Hey, there! I have Steam since nov 2004. And never had any problems until today. Yesterday everything was ok, but today's morning I turn on PC and launch Steam and it even doesn't open. Steamwebhelper.exe process in Task Manager appears to be stuck and uses 30-40 % of CPU. I did everything - deleted the exe, re-launched Steam, it "extracted the package", and again the same problem. Uninstalled Steam, reinstalled - same problem. What buggers me is what happened during the night as my PC was turned off. Look, I'm no dumbo, I might be no power user, but still somewhat of advanced user that doesn't goes around the system and makes idiotic changes. On my PC I have only Steam and large media library with movies and music. That's it. And no I haven't installed any programs lately, on games from Steam - and the newest games from my last purchase I installed a week ago. Can anyone have any solution or direction to pint me to, since google is no longer a normal search engine. Thanks.

hello
first you need to give us more valuables informations than just what you did like :
- your os
- your drivers and version
- steam version and stable or beta
- when it happen ? after a steam update or one of your os update ?
all this is neccessary for us to understand a bit what's the states of your comp before it happen.

[Maximizer]

Thanks for the help everybody, I got the solution.

[Maximizer]

Originally posted by bidulless:

hello
first you need to give us more valuables informations than just what you did like :
- your os
- your drivers and version
- steam version and stable or beta
- when it happen ? after a steam update or one of your os update ?
all this is neccessary for us to understand a bit what's the states of your comp before it happen.

-Win8.1
-drivers obviously not latest, but last stable ones for the hardware.
-Steam is in auto-update, they flipped the switch on Win8.1, now only in compatibility Win7 mode
-nothing happened - Valve did this. OS updates hand picked from the last official microcrap did for security.

Again, what I have on my PC are games and media library. That's it. No wierd apps, no downlosding fro shady websites, etc. Ain't no opsec specialist, just use PC since 1999 and now my way around, BUT the last thing on Earth I thought about was the solution with compatibility. I thought Valve pulled the plug on Win8.1 and nothing will make it run, so I dismissed the compat solution although I thought about it. Already even prepped Linux Mint USB. Thanks to Amon Yonus who pointed me to the right direction now I won't have to sacrifice perfectly set up and working system only for Steam.

[bidulless]

Originally posted by Maximizer:

Originally posted by bidulless:

hello
first you need to give us more valuables informations than just what you did like :
- your os
- your drivers and version
- steam version and stable or beta
- when it happen ? after a steam update or one of your os update ?
all this is neccessary for us to understand a bit what's the states of your comp before it happen.

-Win8.1
-drivers obviously not latest, but last stable ones for the hardware.
-Steam is in auto-update, they flipped the switch on Win8.1, now only in compatibility Win7 mode
-nothing happened - Valve did this. OS updates hand picked from the last official microcrap did for security.

Again, what I have on my PC are games and media library. That's it. No wierd apps, no downlosding fro shady websites, etc. Ain't no opsec specialist, just use PC since 1999 and now my way around, BUT the last thing on Earth I thought about was the solution with compatibility. I thought Valve pulled the plug on Win8.1 and nothing will make it run, so I dismissed the compat solution although I thought about it. Already even prepped Linux Mint USB. Thanks to Amon Yonus who pointed me to the right direction now I won't have to sacrifice perfectly set up and working system only for Steam.

hello
aye there was a problem with win8 and the last steam update the till now, the only solution has been to use compatibility mode for the steam.exe.
That's why it's important to gives valuables informations on post if you want to be helped.

[Maximizer]

Originally posted by bidulless:

hello
aye there was a problem with win8 and the last steam update the till now, the only solution has been to use compatibility mode for the steam.exe.
That's why it's important to gives valuables informations on post if you want to be helped.

Agree, sorry for not filling people with all needed details, it may cost them their time to go through my emotional post, but I was just very pissed at the situation which happened to me first time ever.