Trouble Installing Steam on Windows 7?

[Yerfdog]

A while back, my friend told me he got a new gaming PC. I told him he should get Steam. He tried installing it, but for some reason it wasn't working. He also told me that he was using Windows 7. I told him to try installing it into Program Files, and he said that didn't work. I told him to try installing it under the Admin user, and he said that he tried it and that it didn't work either. I think this was about March 20th, 2010, maybe a little before, maybe a little after. I know it was around that time because that's when I got the Orange Box, and thus Steam. I got an achievement fairly quickly, and the earliest achievement I can find on my TF2 achievements page is March 20th.

Any suggestions to fix the problem?

I think I might be able to ask for more information tomorrow.


(The reason I haven't posted about this before is because this was before I joined the site, and I didn't remember about it until today. )

 

[KSoD]

Steam should install no problem. I have done it on every install of Win7 since the very first Beta. It is something specific with his system if it doesn't install and he has to start troubleshooting it. Run chkdsk /r /f and sfc .scannow to start.

 

[texashiker]

You have to be an administrator to install steam on windows 7 and vista. I think there is a thread in the steam support forums about installing steam on windows 7 and things to check. The first thing they mention is that you have to be an administrator.

I am running windows 7 - 64 and steam installed just fine on my computer.

 

[KSoD]

You dont have to be an admin. Cause there is no way Windows or Steam would allow for the user to unlock the Hidden Admin account. You can right click and use the option Run as Admin, but that is not the same as being an Admin. The accounts created in Vista/Win7 are not Admin accounts. They are power user accounts. In addition, i didnt have to do any of that. I just clicked install and it operates just fine. So it isnt even having to be an Admin. Cause i certainly didnt do either and it works.

 

[Yerfdog]

He's also saying that there was no error message. Let me ask him exactly what he did, maybe he'll have to try it again to see if it'll work. I think I remember having a little trouble with it when I tried installing it on Vista.

 

[KSoD]

Vista you have to do the right click>run as admin. Win7 you dont. I have never had to do it with Win7.

 

[texashiker]

Instead of me posting any suggestions, have you read through the steam support pages? And have you posted your question in the steam forums?

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5688-IFHZ-2170

 

[KSoD]

Steam is not Windows Experts. They are only experts in their program. This is clearly not an issue with the program cause others have already confirmed that it works no problem on the OS in question. Which leaves this to be a Windows issue, not a steam issue. So why post there just to be told the same thing i just said?

As i said in my first post, there is something problematic with the system. chkdsk /r /f and sfc /scannow must be run.

Sorry if it seems im being a bit rash or rude. I really am not trying to be. I am just trying to point out facts. I have seen the support in the Steam Forums. Your better off running the programs i suggested and reporting back with results than going there.

 

[Yerfdog]

Okay, so a program that comes with Windows 7 called "chkdsk /r /f" and a program that comes with Windows 7 called "sfc /scannow" must be run? Is that right?



(This is to make sure I understand you correctly, I don't think he'd be happy if I told him something wrong because I didn't understand and ended up messing up his system in some way somehow. )

Wait, just found out what the problem was.

I told him to install it to Program Files. He took it as, when you click "install steam" on the Steam website, click 'Save', and save it to Program Files, not, when you click "install steam" on the Steam website, click 'Run', and then go through the Installation process and make sure it is installed to it's own folder in Program Files. Maybe I should have clarified... I thought he knew how things worked since he got a gaming PC, and you usually don't get gaming PC's unless you know how to properly install things.



...Just found out something. He had been lying the whole time about it. He got it about 3-4 weeks ago to buy Left 4 Dead. For some reason he was lying to me. He said that he thought I'd be mad for some reason if he had a Steam account and I didn't know about it.


I believe now would be an appropriate to time to rage.

Also, now, it says I have him added as a friend, but his username isn't on my friends list for some reason?