Steam Files Fail to Validate

[Aybara978NE]

Is anyone else having issues validating their local Steam files after 1.35?

I tend to validate my local game files as a matter of course after every update. There are generally no issues and I will get the message that "All files have been validated successfully." However, after downloading 1.35 and the Domination DLC, I am consistently getting the message that "3 files failed to validate and will be reacquired." I continue to get this message after multiple attempts to validate my local files, even after restarting Steam and my PC.

The game seems to run fine at the moment, and the new content seems to be available, but I am still curious about files that are failing to validate.

Is anyone else having this issue?

 

[AndrewT]

I just tried it and got 0 failures.

Try a Steam Flush Config

Steam Support :: Clear download cache

support.steampowered.com

 

[Aybara978NE]

I just tried it and got 0 failures.

Try a Steam Flush Config

Steam Support :: Clear download cache

support.steampowered.com

Thanks, @AndrewT ! I did ultimately try that on my own. It seemed to do something because EUIV tried to download (re-download?) a sizable update through Steam, but I still kept getting the same error message afterwards.

I did find a Steam help article that suggests this is normal for some games since there may be some local config files that are system specific, but I am skeptical in this case since I haven’t had this issue with EUIV in the past.

I have seen some reports of crashing, with the suggestion to delete a settings.txt file in the documents folder. I haven’t been able to sit down for a long play session yet to see if I have a similar issue, and was trying to get ahead of any problem if this was somehow related.

On the one hand, I shouldn’t be trying to fix what doesn’t necessarily seem broken, but being unable to fully validate the game files bugs me a little.

Other than uninstalling and reinstalling the game, (which I have not done yet) do you have any other suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks either way!

 

[AndrewT]

I did find a Steam help article that suggests this is normal for some games since there may be some local config files that are system specific, but I am skeptical in this case since I haven’t had this issue with EUIV in the past.

EU4 does not keep its config files in the Steam folder. They are under Documents/Paradox Interactive/EU4 and Steam does not know they exist.


My next idea would be a complete clean reinstall of Steam and game:

- move any valued save games elsewhere
- "uninstall" in Steam-EU4
- exit the Steam app completely
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/EU4 AND Documents/Paradox Interactive/EU4 folders
- delete everything in the Steam folder EXCEPT steam.exe and the SteamApps folder
- run steam.exe to rebuild all that
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- add EU4.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.


Now that may be more trouble than you want to go to for this issue, up to you.

 

[Aybara978NE]

It would be interesting to know how it ended up

I haven't had the time to go through all of AndrewT's suggestions, and I am not sure when / if I will bother with it. (I haven't had the time to play yet, either).

But I can say that the issue persists after the 1.35.1 hotfix. If I ever get it fixed I can post an update here.

 

[Aybara978NE]

Clean install seems to have done the trick.