So I got my new PC up and running yesterday, and I've hit a snag already. Its almost impossible for me to install my Steam games, it appears.

Whenever I try to use the Orange Box installation disc, it gets to "Creating Local Game Cache Files... Preparing Half Life 2 files to install..." and takes painfully long to get even one third complete. I let it sit overnight and came back to it, being only half complete.

Whenever I select to install the games from Steam itself (such as Portal, for example), it would, also, get to "Creating Local Game Cache Files... Preparing Portal files to install..." This time, it gets to the end of the status bar and then stops.

Also, when I attempt to cancel the installation, Steam becomes unresponsive.

Any ideas?

Also, here's my specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (3.16 GHZ)
4GB DDR2 RAM
NVidia Geforce 8800GT
Windows Vista 64-bit

Did you reinstall steam and delete all of the folders in the steam directory? I'm assuming you backed up games to a separate directory?

Yes, and does the same thing. And no, but I still have my games installed on my old PC.

This is all I got for you.

That article isn't relevant. It only applies to already-installed games.

Make sure you have enough free space. Run chkdsk on the drive. Try defragmenting it.

You can copy GCF files from PC to PC without problems, as long as Steam isn't running at the time. That may work around the problem.

[Edit: wtf I didn't reply to this thread.]

The HDD has enough space. The drive is 700 gigs, which I, as previously stated, just installed windows on yesterday. Chkdsk didn't find anything worth noting. As I said before, it has happened only with Steam games.

Are you running any anti-malware program that might be overly aggressive? I know this sounds like an outlandish/odd scenario, but if you're using something like Comodo's Defense+, there is an option to pop up / prompt you to approve for EVERY minute change that is done to the system (example: creating a new file when installing a program .. then again for the next individual file .. then again for the next individual file ..). It is also possible to set this on auto-block so that anything that isn't on their "trusted" list is automatically stopped from doing anything like that. I had a case once where I was installing a Steam game and I accidentally hit "Block/Remember this answer" and it hung like you described.

Yeah some antivirus will scan files as they are created. Try disabling them, restarting Steam, and then trying.

I don't have any kind of security software installed yet, other than the Windows Firewall and Defender. =/

Defender has real-time scanning.

There doesn't seem to be any specific reports of Defender causing specific problems, only this: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6057-YLBN-1660

Check this list too: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9828-SFLZ-9289

As I said before, I don't have any security programs other than defender. However, I did disable defender, but I was met with the same result. I formatted as a sort of last resort (which wasn't a loss at all, since everything I put on thusfar was easily replaced), but that didn't work, either.

Can you try installing the games via download?

As I said before, no, I can not. I have tried both with the disc and via Steam. These are the only things that I've encountered thusfar that won't install.

I'd start pounding down Valve's support then.

Make sure the Steam service is running (services.msc). If you can't get it to start, try running Steam as administrator.

So I decided to redownload the steam installation file, since I've been using either the installer on the Orange Box disc or with one that I happened to have on a backup disc I made. I can't even download the installer, since it gets to about 36% and then stops. =/

I'd say there's something wrong with your computer then, possibly a dying hard drive?

I don't know. The parts are pretty much brand new. And it's only steam and the steam installer that's doing this. I've been able to download, install and run other applications just fine. In fact, I just downloaded and installed GIMP while waiting for the Steam download to complete, which was going at .3KB/s, before it grinded to a halt.

There's no reason for you not to be able to /download/ the installer though. It's just a file, there's nothing special about it.

I know that. But still, it isn't downloading, while every other installer that I have downloaded has done so. This is the only one that hasn't. My steam games are the only things that aren't installing. Thus why I am so puzzled about the situation.

This is completely unrelated but I did not know that cloaked spies have no heal beam when feeding off of an enemy dispenser to maintain the cloak (btw no one uses the smiley anymore and it's sad)

UPDATE: I tried downloading the installer on my laptop. It did the same thing. I also tried to install portal via steam, and I had the same result. Also tried it after bypassing the router. Same result both times.

I wonder if it's your ISP?

You are getting it from here, yes? http://cdn.steampowered.com/download/SteamInstall.msi

If yes, try going here: http://etc.sorrowind.net/SteamInstall.msi

I just downloaded it to my webserver, so it's the same file.

Try right-click-run-as-administrator?

go find a different web connection?

But what about when he installs it from disk?

From what he described it continues to install for a period then stops, which seems to be right around the point where it would attempt to connect to the internet to get all the various updates that would be required.

I don't know how Orange Box installs off of a disk, but when I install HL2 off my CDs, it's completely independent of the internet. Only after I go to play it for the first time does it have to connect to the internet to update/finish installing.

Very strange... It did the same thing. =/

Also, yes, I have tried the "Run as Administer" thing.

And yes, I have tried installing from disc. It goes for a while, slows down, then grinds to a halt.

I can't simply find a different connection, as my desktop's tower itself weighs about 40 pounds. As for the laptop, I don't care; the most intensive game I play on it is Galactic Battlegrounds.

However, a friend might be coming over in a few days with his cellular access card to test this theory out.

So wait, you can't DOWNLOAD the entire file from even my server? (sorrowind URL) I mean download, not INSTALL. If that's true, it is definitely your ISP or some software you have installed on your network / PC / laptop that is filtering it for some VERY stupid reason.

your pc has aids

burn it

Yep. I'm thinking so, too. I guess I'll see if I can get it to work on my laptop at school, just to test this theory out. I'm sure its not my network, since I haven't changed anything on it since the last time I installed my Steam games/downloaded the installer (couple of months ago, when I formatted my old PC). Plus, I bypassed the network on my laptop, and it still didn't work.