Gaming has become an important aspect of many people’s life in recent years. Steam, in particular, has had a significant effect in today’s gaming trends. Steam, on the other hand, may be a genuine pain at times.
It is prone to repeated errors, which, although most of the time being very basic, appear to users to be very difficult. Occasionally, when updating a Steam game, players see an error message that says “While updating (game), an error occurred [Content file locked].
Steam is unable to write update files to your hard disc, resulting in this error. This problem can be solved in a variety of ways. Uninstalling Steam, as well as the complete local game content, and then reinstalling it is one of the most successful ways to fix this error.
Although this method has solved the problem for many customers, it is a time-consuming and difficult task.
This is why we’ve developed a list of simple and quick cures for this problem that you can try before embarking on the time-consuming method outlined above. This involves identifying and resolving minor issues that may have contributed to the error.
How to Resolve the Steam Content File Locked Problem
The following are some of the most basic and effective methods for resolving this problem in the simplest way possible. We recommend that you read the full article before attempting any of these techniques. This will save you time and prevent you from fiddling around with your hard drive. Let’s get this party started!
1. Run An Anti-virus Scan
In the vast majority of cases, the antivirus is to blame. Antivirus software frequently flags Steam files as threats and quarantines them. Various methods for disabling your antivirus until the game is updated are discussed below.
McAfee Antivirus is an antivirus programme developed by McAfee.
McAfee Antivirus cannot, however, exclude certain data from real-time scanning. This leaves us with just one choice: totally disable McAfee until the game is updated.
To do so, open McAfee and select “Virus and Spyware Protection” from the drop-down menu. “Real-time Scanning” will now appear as an option. Turn it off by clicking on it. Following that, follow the steps outlined below to ensure the integrity of your game files.
Step 1 – Start by restarting your computer. Then restart Steam.
Step 2 – Next, go to the library area and right-click on the game that’s giving you problems.
Step 3 – Now, select the properties option. Then select the tab for local files.
Step 4 – Finally, select the option to check the integrity of the game file, and Steam will verify the game in a matter of seconds.
Hopefully, Steam will no longer cause you any problems.
NOD32 by ESET
NOD32 is well-known for flagging malicious files and programmes, which it then quarantines within your system. As a result, issues appear during game updates. Copy the address from the current Steam directory to your clipboard.
In case you’re curious, your Steam directory’s default position is “SteamSteamAppscommon, C:ProgramFileSteamSteamAppscommon, C:ProgramFileSteamSteamAppscommon, C:ProgramFileS
After you’ve copied this address, open ESET NOD32 and paste it into the “exclude from real-time scanning” section. Now, just follow the procedures in the previous section to “check the integrity of game files” and you’re ready to go.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Steam may be flagged as a threat or invader at times, preventing it from performing any operations involving your hard drive. Navigate to “threads and exclusions” to fix the problem.
Now go to the “trusted zone” and add Steam.exe as a safe or trusted application. Remember to enable “Do not scan opened files” and “Do not restrict programme activity” in the options. After that, follow the instructions above to “check the integrity of game files” before rebooting your computer.
2. Reset Winsock
Another explanation for the failure of your game update is the Winsock Catalog. But don’t panic; you can try executing the command to reset it, which will return it to its original default settings.
Step 1: To open the Run window, first hit the Windows + R key combination.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you’re logged in as the administrator.
Step 2: A dialogue box will display on the screen. In this dialogue box, type “netsh winsock reset.”
Step 3 – Finally, run the command and restart your computer.
3. Repair Corrupt Files
If neither of the preceding techniques worked, you can simply troubleshoot which file was missing or corrupt, and then attempt downloading the complete package again.
Step 1 – Exit Steam first, then navigate to the Steam directory. “C:/Program Files(x86)/Steam” is the default location. If you have a different location in mind for it to be installed, go to that spot.
Step 2 – Open the “logs” folder and then the “txt” file.
Step 3 – Finally, scroll down to the bottom of the text file. Then, look for the most recent error.
Step 4 – Now navigate to the root directory. It will be 576371714 in this situation. There is a maximum file size for this folder. It’s because the size of the root folders of different games varies.
Step 5 – Finally, launch Steam and navigate to the Downloads folder. Here, Steam will request an update for the game. You’re done once you’ve updated the required files.
4. Move Steam’s Installation
If none of the preceding options worked for you, another wonderful option is to move the Steam installation along with the game files. There are two elements to this answer. The first section entails the Steam’s relocation, with the assumption that it will open and operate smoothly.
If an error occurs, you will need to reinstall Steam. The steps are outlined below. It should be cautioned, however, that any interruptions during this process may cause your files to be corrupted. As a result, the user will have to reinstall it.
Step 1 –Go to the Steam client first. Then select Settings.
Step 2 – Select “Steam Library Folders” from the Downloads menu.
Step 3 – Next, choose “Add Library Folder” from the drop-down menu. After there, choose where you want your Steam to be stored. This is the path that all of your installations will take in the future. Following that, we’ll concentrate on migrating all of the existing Steam files to the new Steam directory.
Step 4 – Shut down Steam. Go to the Steam directory that is currently open. “C:Program FilesSteam” is the default location.
Step 5 – Remove all folders and files except SteamApps and UserData from your computer. Make sure you don’t delete the exe file.
Step 6 – Finally, cut the remaining folders and paste them into the new directory you made earlier.
Step 7 – Finally, re-login to Steam.
If you run into any issues while relocating your Steam folder or after you launch it, follow the procedures below.
Step 1 – Shut down Steam. Go to the location where you moved Steam.
Step 2 – Now, cut the “SteamApps” folder and paste it on the desktop.
Step 3 – Uninstall Steam to get rid of all the old Steam settings from your computer. Then, in the original location you picked, reinstall it.
Step 4 – Finally, within your new Steam directory, move the SteamApps folder. All of the settings, gaming content, and saved games will be copied.
Step 5 – Finally, launch Steam and log in. Then double-check the integrity of the game files, and you’re done!
5. Run a Disc Scan
A corrupted or destroyed hard disc is frequently the cause of this error. It’s also possible that the hard disc containing all of your game installations has faulty sectors.
It will slow down if it has faulty sectors, making specific portions of the hard disc unavailable. As a result, users can conduct a simple “Disk Check” check to confirm that the hard disc is in good working order. As a result of this,
Step 1 – To begin, press the Windows + R keys together.
Step 2 – Now you’ll see a dialogue box. In the dialogue box, type “cmd” and then press the Enter key.
Step 3 – Next, type “chkdsk:/5” and press Enter to start the process.
Step 4 – To confirm the disc check scan, press “Y.” Check if the problem still exists when the scan is completed.
6. Run The Programme As An Administrator
Steam may request specific permission to access particular files and folders in some instances. If the permission is not given, the Operating System may prevent the user from accessing the folder.
A notice stating “Content File is locked” will appear. As a result, we must run “Steam” as an Administrator in this solution. To do so, follow the instructions below:
Step 1 – First and foremost, right-click on the Steam icon. Then select Properties from the drop-down menu.
Step 2 – Next, go to the Compatibility tab and look for the “Run as Administrator” option.
Step 3 – Finally, click the Apply button. After that, click OK.
Step 4 – Finally, restart Steam to see if the problem has been resolved.
Conclusion
Finally, that’s all there is to know about this particular Steam problem. This is a straightforward problem. After slowly reading the article, you will discover that it is simply a matter of common sense and trial and error.
Before beginning the process, read the entire article. This way, you’ll be able to pinpoint the source of the problem more quickly and implement a solution that works right away. If you’re unsure about anything, start with the first solution and work your way down.
We hope that this information is helpful in resolving this issue. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have fun gaming!
