Steam constantly freezes on library

[Revon]

When I go to the page of a game in the library, Steam will periodically start "Not responding". It'll do this briefly, then after several seconds, it will happen again, and the longer this continues, the shorter the interval between freezes and the longer the freezes themselves. This seems to inevitably lead to crashes while the game is running. I'm on Windows 10.

Update #1: Valve got back with a request:

Originally posted by mikela:

Hi all, sorry you're running into this issue with the beta update. We've tried a few ways to reproduce this with the information provided but haven't seen any similar behavior in our tests.

It may be helpful to record a video of this happening as well as capturing additional debug output from the Steam client.

If you open a command prompt, you can run the following (if Steam is installed to the default directory)

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -dev

This will start Steam in developer mode with extra output written to the command prompt.
You can then press Control-M in the command prompt to enter highlight mode, click and drag to select the output and press Enter to copy.

Additionally, Steam in developer mode allows you to open the browser developer tools which may also have useful information. If the Library browser is not functioning this may not work but you can press F12 to open the developer tools window, then switch to the Console tab at the top of the window. You can then Right-Click within the log entries and "Save as..." to export the log output.

Feel free to post any information directly to this thread or create a help ticket to send over the information (please note here if you have so we know when to look).

Update #2: Someone suggested this may be caused by having a lot of screenshots, and I do have a lot of screenshots. ANyone else with this issue, 1. Can you see your screenshots for a game on the library page? and 2. Do you have a lot of screenshots?

[Boczek121]

+1 on Win 7

[Vainusy]

+1 Windows 10

[Bumbefly (we/All)]

Confirmed a bit, i guess. Yet i do have doubts if it’s realy the same what i experience.

Only Horizon Zero Dawn is where i experenced what could be my rigs equivalent to freeze and crash. Not a complete freeze and not a complete crash though.
FallOut 4 & Galactic CIV III gave me a little lag about where Horizon Zero Dawn showed lag for a second longer. In Bioshock Infinte the lag lasted just a fraction of a second, barely noticable.
It happens (for me) at the first batch of Community Content. Scrolling down, after loading a 2nd batch of UGC, i didn’t notice this anymore. Never got to that 2nd batch for Horizon Zero Dawn.
WallPaper Engine f.e. was perfectly fine with the Friends Window opened, with ½ a dozen screenshots in secondary windows opened, with a full dozen lengthy WallPaper Engine related Youtube video’s running in the Steam Main Window, while also using the Steam Music Player.

Not a complete freeze/crash: it was only the library itself that froze. I could use everything not library related from the menus and taskbar on top or at the bottom of the main Steam window. Downloads was clearly included with the “library related “ stuff.

Friends window initially would remain fully available but would loose connection about 5 minutes after the Steam Main Window would close.
I timed it once: Friends window lost connection at 5 minutes and 23 seconds after the freeze of Horizon Zero Dawn library page.
That’s about the same time i guess for the Steam Client to need me to log in anew. Before that time ran out, i could open any Steam Client page i would like without logging in anew.

When friends window would be closed within those 5 minutes after the main window closing by itself, i could open the friends window with full functionality, inlcuding seeing the scammers post their messages in the countless unmoderated chatrooms.

Broadcasts opened in secondary windows and the Steam Music Player are able to continue seemingly indefinitively, at least up to some 45 minutes after the main window closed itself.
Broadcast minimized to the lower right corner of the main window would continue playing when main window is frozen, but closes together with the main window closing itself.

The library page would remain frozen, differently tough. Opened (from taskbar icon or system tray icon) again within the first 5 minutees after closing, library page would be the frozen Horizon Zero Dawn page. Re-opened after the friends window lost it’s connection, Steam needs a new log-in (even when broadcast is still running without any hick-up in a secondary window) and then the main library page opens, frozen and all.

Other Steam Client pages opened before these 5 minutes passed, open without a problem. I even could report a nosense post at the Steam Client Beta forum. Re-opened after the 5 minutes passed, they need a new log-in too.
When re-opened within the first 5 minutes and whether active reading the forums (reported yet another post) or not, main window will close oncemore as soon as the friends window (that doesn’t close) looses connection. Re-opening a non-library page (including an account settings/info page) there-after didn’t need a new log-in although the Friends window needs it.

I guess that’s about all i managed to find, had to cook diner during this process, and now i’ll enjoy my diner. Enough testing for me today.

[Edit]

• All the above in regular desktop view. Didn't try Big Picture nor Small Modus.
  
• Display size for Library user interface elements set to automatic

[endEdit]

Steam Client Beta

Built July 13 2022, at 2258
Steam API v 020
Steam Pack. v.1657838689

Custom build PC

MSI Motherboard/PRO-B660M-E-DDR4
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF 3.19 GHz
32,0 GB Ram

Windows 11 Home 21H2
v. 22000.795
NB, LOCAL account with limited rights, NO ruling Microsoft account

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
driver v. 512.77
(no GeForce XP application)

[Squall Leonhart]

There is an issue involving the current Nvidia drivers causing temporary high cpu freezes when starting games.

[𝔇𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔦𝔢𝔩]

+ 1 on Win 11

[Ghost25]

+1 on Windows 10, rolling back to stable fixes the issue though.

[✘GreedoShotFirst✘]

Originally posted by Squall Leonhart:

There is an issue involving the current Nvidia drivers causing temporary high cpu freezes when starting games.

I have an AMD GPU and have freezing problems. This problem lies with the Steam Client.

[Revon]

Originally posted by Ghost25:

+1 on Windows 10, rolling back to stable fixes the issue though.

Yeah, I've been in the betas for I don't even know how long. This bug made me go back to the stable client. It's pretty bad. I'm glad-ish to see it's not an issue only I have to deal with. Hopefully it'll get fixed soon.

[Luxia]

Originally posted by Squall Leonhart:

There is an issue involving the current Nvidia drivers causing temporary high cpu freezes when starting games.

Absolutely not, this issue is unrelated. I haven't touched my drivers for months, downloaded the update yesterday and Steam is completely screwed now.

But yes, I'm also having the issue since downloading the update yesterday. Constant CPU spikes, gobbling up as much of CPU as possible, full freezes in the community/library tabs (I'm talking over 10 minutes). Win 10, i5-6600K, GTX 1080, 16 gigs of RAM, etc.

Wasn't ever a thing until I installed the update.

[Sn0w]

+1 have the same problem with the library.
Thanks to Ghost for a quick solution, hope it will get fixed soon

Originally posted by Ghost25:

+1 on Windows 10, rolling back to stable fixes the issue though.

Little edit:
- It's literally just the library that wont work
- I needed to relog to get the library to work again (but not for long till it froze again)
- You can hover over the buttons but it will not do anything when you click on them

[[Dr.]RedBull108]

Same thing happening to me right after the latest update on 15th

[Bumbefly (we/All)]

Stable build indeed is free from this issue.
Reverting to Beta branch brings it back again.

Forgot to add to my previous post: i can use my library by closing Steam via the taskbar & System Tray icons, and then re-starting the Steam client. No need to reboot pc although i did try that too: no significant difference in memory or CPU use.

Previous video driver was from the month May. Updated with installing GeForce Experience app. (Nvidia Audio driver didn't need an update).

With latest driver& GeForce Experience app, the issue is more prominently present. Many more games now show the lag, Game Ready supported & not Game Ready supported. I did not try all of my games, but now i specificly tried with all (32 in total) Game Ready supported games i own, and then some.
Lag is now also clearly present scrolling down through Publisher/DEV News items above UGC.

Horizon Zero Dawn remains the only game where i see the freeze and shut-down of the main Steam window.

On the other hand, i can now scroll down further than before. I now mostly got to the 3rd or sometimes even 4th batch of aditionally loaded UGC before the Horizon page froze. With the exception of the last time i tried, then the window froze already at the very first row of UGC.
Have to stress, it's not at the usual moment of loading a new batch of content, that the window would lag or (Horizon) partially freezes. Lag & freeze have their own intervals.

Even after the Friends/chat window lost it's connection, LOOT (modding tool for FO & TESS series) can connect to my library although i myself will only get a frozen library window.


Steam End User Client
Built June 2022, at 20:20:56
Steam API v 020
Steam Pack. v.1654574690

Steam Client Beta
Built July 13 2022, at 2258
Steam API v 020
Steam Pack. v.1657838689

Custom build PC
MSI Motherboard/PRO-B660M-E-DDR4
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF 3.19 GHz
32,0 GB Ram

Windows 11 Home 21H2
v. 22000.795
NB, LOCAL account with limited rights, NO ruling Microsoft account

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
Nvidia Display Driver v. 516.59
Nvidia HD Audio Driver v. 1.3.39.3
GeForce Experience v 3.25.1.27

[Little Flea]

can't replicate this.

[Revon]

Originally posted by Little Flea:

can't replicate this.

What your OS?

[CRAZY ENZO]

+1 on Windows 10, but only as of today.

My old NVIDIA drivers were from all the way back in Dec 2021, but the problem exists both there and on current (516.59) drivers. I don't think it's GPU related, not much GPU usage.

I do see CPU usage rise only to about 20-30%ish and setting CPU priority higher did cause a... tiny improvement, but it eventually slows down to a crawl before crashing anyway, unless I leave library or restart.