So I started my PC today and was greeted with this. Is this something legit or is it malware or something?

Can anyone tell me if this is an actual real Steam/Valve message or not?

Hey guys, I put a refund request for Planet Zoo 2 because i decided to reuse those funds to buy other games, it's been more than 24 hours and the refund hasn't been accepted, I have 0 hours because it was a pre order, and haven't even installed the game, should i be more patient? usually when i ask for a refund, they accept it a few minutes, maybe a couple hours later, but it's never been more than 4 hours

(I've also already updated my mature content preferences)

I'm starting to go insane. I have scanned my computer with multiple different anti viruses and put steam on whitelist every single time i have to reinstall it. However it keeps uninstalling itself and its games....... Can someone help me? it really really sucks and i'm tired of having to reinstall everything

Issue:

When connected to the internet, Steam starts launching, displays "Logging in", moves to "Waiting for network", and then crashes/closes completely before reaching the main library.

Key Detail:

If I disconnect my PC from the internet entirely, Steam opens in Offline Mode without any issues. But as soon as I connect to a network and try logging in, it attempts the login sequence and then crashes.

Things I've already tried:

1. Flushed DNS and reset Winsock (ipconfig /flushdns, netsh winsock reset).
2. Rebuilt Steam web cache (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Steam\htmlcache -> htmlcache.old).
3. Tried launching on a completely different network / mobile hotspot (same crash occurs).

System Specs:

• OS: Windows 11
• Connection: Wi-Fi

Has anyone run into this specific login loop crash before? Is an in-place reinstall (steam.exe refresh) the only option left, or is there another non-destructive cache/network fix I missed? Thanks in advance!

Whenever I try to read patch notes or whatever for a certain game this pops up how to fix? Thanks

I never seen this why now? I am not asking how to remove the popup but i want to know what it will install?

I’ve done a bit of surface-level research but I’ve only found posts from 10 years ago so I figured I should post here.

My screenshot is having upload troubles but here’s the full text of the error:

Steam Service Error

The Steam Service on your machine requires some maintenance. This service helps Steam install or update games, enables anti-cheat detection in some titles and assists with other system level tasks. Reinstalling the Steam service requires administrator privileges.

INSTALL SERVICE CANCEL

I imagine this is a fairly common and benign error and to just allow it to install what it needs. Steam worked just fine this morning and I haven’t adjusted any settings. There was a Windows update I needed installed and Steam did run an update as well but that’s pretty much normal I think? I’m mainly posting for the sake of curiosity. Some of those old posts seemed concerned that it was a fundamental issue with Steam issues where I’d need to delete all my games and delete Steam then reinstall everything. I doubt it’s that extreme… but still.

Thanks for any info and/or help!

Quick edit: I thought I should give more info; I was attempting to launch Fallout 4 via a desktop shortcut. The game fully launched in the background but over top is the large grey error banner.

Edit 2: It’s been about an hour. I ended up running the update. All seems well so far? Hoping it was just a bug or it actually needed an update or something.

Edit 3: It’s the next day and I’ve started and restarted Steam a few times just to see if it comes back and so far the popup hasn’t come back up at all. Steam is functioning 100% normally. I didn’t have to run anything as an administrator or change any settings. Nothing weird is running in the background either. I’m assuming it’s just an issue with that day’s Steam update along with that day’s Windows update. As far as I can tell there’s no virus or anything. When I installed it the process came directly from the Steam app so it should be okay… fingers crossed.

Concerned due to the fact many have got this but not everyone and a bunch of people are claiming it's suspicious.

I did install since it seemed like a rare but occurring error.

Not something I've ever gotten.

Then I noticed it's been happening to a bunch of people recently.

Of course as I said plenty are saying it's suspicious or looks like malware so I need to know exactly what this is and why it appeared today.

I can't afford to screw around with potential Malware.

ive tried so many things, but this shows up on a blank screen every time i click on any "what's new" update, and it also shows up on certain store page.

Ive reinstalled steam and did a bunch of windows cmd bs, changed my timezones, re synced

bruh

why does this error even prevent me from looking at updates

I had this issue pop up today out of nowhere. As I said in the tittle, steam just shuts itself off when I try to boot it up. I've tried to run it as an administrator, with a fresh install, and I can't seem to get it to work

When I reinstalled it, it closed itself immediately aftee the "updating steam..." window had finished despite having marked that I wanted to run steam as soon as it was installed.

When running it a second time, I got the option to log in, after which it asked me about the valve hardware survey, and closed itself as soon as I rejected it. And now it's back to closing during the "updating steam" window

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but I do not see any instances of steam running in task manager, and I am on windows 11

Recently started my PC and out of nowhere this popped?
what is this all about? Any idea if we need to go with installation or would it cause any impact?

I don't want my PC to run some background AI stuff to slow it down further

I've tried reinstalling steam, restarting the system, but nothing worked

edit: works now.

Ive just run into this issue yesterday. Steam updates (downloads/patches) extremely slowly for some reason. Yesterday, i assumed it was a windows update running at the same time because after restarting the download and patch speed went back up. Today, after the Service Error ive seen a lot of people had, its back to this ^

Any idea what might cause it or any similar problems around lately?

i had received 200$ as a gift so i can add to my steam wallet on october 6th, i was able to add the money without paypal asking to add a card. than i got 100$ from doing my job and wanted to add that money to steam, i picked "my paypal" then suddenly i have to add in the card.

i had my family help me getting an account and i was able to instantly add it without needing a card and before you say it, i live in canada! as in CAD unless CND is the incorrect currency???

Hello peeps.

My issue:
I used to play with a Xbox One controller (the old one with micro usb) using Bluetooth to play a game called Blazeblue Entrphy effect. Worked flawlessly. I recently got a Playstation dualsense edge controller from my girlfriends brother that didn't use it anymore, so i wanted to use it. I connected it to my PC using bluetooth, updated its software (go figure) and booted up steam with the game.

When i started playing, i noticed it still uses the Xbox glyphs, which isn't the end of the world but it messes me up since i have new face buttons now and i want to start remembering those. In the settings of the game (as per picture) it shows that a Xbox 360 controller is currently selected.

After some google-fu i learned that a lot of games have no native playstation controller support and steam has Xinput enabled trough a translation layer. So all playstation inputs get converted into the xbox ones basically. This game however does have native support (see picture), so after trying stuff like disabling steam input, using default game settings, etc. It would either straight up not take any button inputs or still recognize it as a Xbox controller.

If anyone could shed some light onto this I would greatly appreciate it as im at my whits end.

Recorded mobile for convenience but this is also happening on desktop

Hello,

I’d like to know if any of you have recently submitted a Steam store page for review and are also experiencing unusually long delays.

I was initially told that the review process would take 3 to 5 business days, possibly up to 7 if additional review was needed. However, I’ve now been waiting for 18 days in total (14 business days), and I still haven’t received any further response from Steam Support.

For context:

I submitted my Steam store page for review on September 27. I received a response on October 6 asking for a very minor change, which I fixed less than an hour after the review failed. I was then told that a new review would take around 2 days.

It’s now October 14, and I still haven’t heard anything.

Is there anything I can do at this point? I planned everything around the release of my Steam page: press outreach, marketing, participation in Scream Fest on October 26, and having at least two weeks between the announcement and the release of my demo.

At this point, I feel completely screwed by the delay.

Would it make sense to submit a new support ticket, or could that risk delaying the process even further?

Thanks in advance if anyone has any advice or has been through something similar!

I was using the Steam app to play a game less than an hour ago, and I decided to play something else, but I needed to change the account. After trying to change the account, the Steam app just stopped opening. It won't get past the initial login stage in the picture; the app just closes. I've even tried reinstalling Steam, but nothing works; it's the same issue. Does anyone know how to fix this issue? I know it's not a network issue either.

My account purchased an ingame currency which i didn't do nor i haven't even played the game yet.

I've tried contacting the game's support and replied: "Sorry that we don't support players to refund for successful bills. Meanwhile, please avoid sharing or trading your game account and login details to ensure your account's security.
Thank you for your understanding." lol

Also checked the game's community and there are others who got the same issue too.

anyone here got the same problem? i want my refund but how?

Edit: Addt'l info:

what i remembered was i did opened a steam game store page from a post on "X/Twitter" and it was on russian, i can't understand the reviews so i opened it on my desktop app and didn't feel anything weird. few hours ago i saw my account balance that it was deducted so i checked my history, email and saw a receipt that was on "russian" language so i think it was from the X post link.

Hey guys, my account was locked by steam, they thought my account was compromised. It's been over 24 hours since my support ticket was filed, do they usually take this long?