Steam starts up then instantly closes

[ghostdive]

I have been using Steam on Windows Vista and it was working a few days ago, but now it wont start. There is no error message or anything, it just closes in a under a second. Trying to update it doesn't work either. It just says it's "unavailable". Does anyone have any suggestions? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Kiya]

Try following these Steam support instructions for refreshing your Steam files
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3134-TIAL-4638

[Cas]

Hello,


IMPORTANT: if you use anti-virus products, you may experience an issue where Steam continually tries to download and apply this update. If so, please temporarily disable your virus scanner and restart Steam to complete the update. We are working to find a better solution for this incompatibility in future updates.



To ensure you have the latest Steam client, Please exit Steam and go to the folder called C:\Program Files\Steam\ (this is the default location for a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it).

Delete the files listed below:

- steam.dll
- ClientRegistry.blob

Restart your computer.

Then, launch Steam.exe from within the Steam installation folder, and not from a pre-existing shortcut.

With Steam running, re-test the original issue.

Note: This process will not affect your currently installed games.


If the issue persists, make sure your computer and network are optimized for Steam:

Programs Which May Interfere with Steam
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9828-SFLZ-9289

Troubleshooting Network Connectivity
http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1456-EUDN-2493

Please follow all suggestions in these articles, even if your computer appears to be functioning correctly.

Hope this will help! , Uri™

[Legendary old man]

Before you go to that trouble do you know how to reboot your computer? To my surprise people think that when you put a computer to sleep you are rebooting it. A simple reboot might fix your issue.

[Cas]

Originally posted by facedown:

Before you go to that trouble do you know how to reboot your computer? To my surprise people think that when you put a computer to sleep you are rebooting it. A simple reboot might fix your issue.

please be specific whome you are talkin to -_- it's confusing :c

[Legendary old man]

Originally posted by Kuroko~ ハルカ:

Originally posted by facedown:

Before you go to that trouble do you know how to reboot your computer? To my surprise people think that when you put a computer to sleep you are rebooting it. A simple reboot might fix your issue.

please be specific whome you are talkin to -_- it's confusing :c

Talking to the OP. Why would I be talking to anyone else? You must be born confused. Also what is whome?

[aperama]

I'd like some help along a very similar issue, if anyone can give me advice.

I've had the same issue occur, but couldn't find anything to do with my antivirus (even after turning it off momentarily). I checked about in every way I could, but eventually had to delete everything, as suggested on one of the assorted threads I found, except for steam.exe, /steamapps/ and /userdata/. Everything else is sitting in the recycle bin, and I've got Steam running...

But I have two drives worth of Steam games that are no longer registering. My question is simple. I don't want to re-download approximately a hundred gig worth of games, and I still have all of the files on these drives available to me. I can run them - but not through Steam. As such, is there a preferred way of getting Steam to re-recognise the files that I've got on these other drives? Cheers.



.... EDIT: Never mind. I tried, about three hours earlier, to use the 'manage drives'/'steam libraries folders' utility. It didn't work. A friend told me to try it? Worked perfectly. Go back to your business, folks.

[Legendary old man]

Try settings > downloads > click select "steam libraries folders". browse to folders and select them. It might work, not sure.

[ghostdive]

Originally posted by Kuroko~ ハルカ:

Hello,


IMPORTANT: if you use anti-virus products, you may experience an issue where Steam continually tries to download and apply this update. If so, please temporarily disable your virus scanner and restart Steam to complete the update. We are working to find a better solution for this incompatibility in future updates.



To ensure you have the latest Steam client, Please exit Steam and go to the folder called C:\Program Files\Steam\ (this is the default location for a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it).

Delete the files listed below:

- steam.dll
- ClientRegistry.blob

Restart your computer.

Then, launch Steam.exe from within the Steam installation folder, and not from a pre-existing shortcut.

With Steam running, re-test the original issue.

Note: This process will not affect your currently installed games.


If the issue persists, make sure your computer and network are optimized for Steam:

Programs Which May Interfere with Steam
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9828-SFLZ-9289

Troubleshooting Network Connectivity
http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1456-EUDN-2493

Please follow all suggestions in these articles, even if your computer appears to be functioning correctly.

Hope this will help! , Uri™

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys.

I have tried these things after you recommended it, disabled my anti virus programs, as well as rebooted my PC multiple times to no avail
Any other suggestions? I kind of don't want to go through uninstalling/reinstalling until i've tried everything else.

[LemurEyes]

Hey! old post, I know, but I just ran across the same problem when running steam games off my portable hard drive on a new computer.

Solution: Right click on desired game in libraries>properties>Local Files {tab}>Verify Integrity of Game Cache

This took a few minutes then my games stayed open after launch. HOPES THIS WORKS FOR YOU TOO

[SinGem]

Originally posted by BadBoi:

Hey! old post, I know, but I just ran across the same problem when running steam games off my portable hard drive on a new computer.

Solution: Right click on desired game in libraries>properties>Local Files {tab}>Verify Integrity of Game Cache

This took a few minutes then my games stayed open after launch. HOPES THIS WORKS FOR YOU TOO

The problem was the steam client itself not the games BadBoi.

Also a very old post that i find to be relevant at the moment, it appears that I to am having the same problem. I start my steam it says updating and then connecting and it just closes without any error messages. Anyone have any solutions? :/


Edit:

The strange thing about it is that it is able to launch in offline mode if i don't have internet. I have also tried all of what was said and to no avail has it worked.

[Klepzig]

I tried some of that. Didn't work. I just reinstalled on top of my old installation, it installed the update, and then asked for my login again (which I used to not put in, but no big deal). Everything came up like before. (Took away at least 2 hours of gaming time, though.)

[biden my time]

This post has been brought back to life two to three times now.

Thanks, internet!

[VexxRinn]

had same issue looked like it was the steam beta
was able to fix issue by going in to offline mode and opting out of beta

[tharawdeal]

@VexxRinn Your situation must have been different, then. I can't opt out of beta because I can't get online long enough to go into offline mode. The Steam client never actually connects.

[SinGem]

@tharawdeal The way you get into offline mode is to disconnect your computer from the internet then launch steam and it will ask you if you want to launch into offline.