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Drivers keeps files even after I deleted them.

Anonymous
2025-02-22T19:56:15+00:00

So I've encountered this problem a few week ago when I noticed that some game are not updating and couldn't download (on steam) I thought that It was just some one time thing but It wasn't, soon when I got on steam some deleted apps where trying to install even though I have not put them in the scheduled part, after that I tried to reinstall steam but it kept happening, I decided to look into the drive that the games were installed into, in my case the E: drive (witch is an ssd) and saw that there were all of the files there, games were not updating and only said "missing downloaded files" and "corrupted update files", I have tried to use the Tools tab and scan for any corrupted files on the drive but I couldn't, I then deleted everything in the drive and run that again but after I clicked "Scan and repair drive" all of the files that I delete averred again! I even tried to delete the drive from "Computer Management" from the control panel but I couldn't.

I feel like I have tried everything but nothing worked so far, If anyone had this problem and was able to fix it please let me know what you did!

P.S the C: drive works perfectly fine (but its a HDD not an SSD)

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-02-23T03:21:34+00:00

    Reply:

    Hi Dan, I’m Eric, and I’d be happy to help!

    If deleted files keep reappearing on your E: drive (SSD) and Steam is struggling with updates, it sounds like your SSD might have write protection, corrupted sectors, or firmware issues. First, check if the SSD is set to read-only mode by opening Command Prompt (Admin) and running:

    diskpart

    list disk

    select disk X (replace X with your E: drive's disk number)

    attributes disk

    If it says Read-only: Yes, disable it with:

    attributes disk clear readonly

    If that’s not the issue, your SSD might be failing. Run CHKDSK to scan for errors using:

    chkdsk E: /f /r /x

    If CHKDSK finds errors, it might repair them, but if issues persist, I’d recommend checking the SSD’s health status with CrystalDiskInfo or a similar tool. If it shows warnings like bad sectors or wear leveling issues, you might need to back up your data and consider secure erasing the SSD through its manufacturer’s software before reformatting it completely.

    Let me know if this helps! If it does, please mark this reply as helpful or as the answer.

    Best,

    Eric

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-24T09:01:07+00:00

    I would try using Safe Mode but It won't let me boot into it, no idea what the cause is.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-02-24T08:59:24+00:00

    Thanks for the reply! sadly none of these worked, I tried to see if its in Read-Only but all of the lines returned with a No answer, I ran chkdsk but an error popped up and couldn't scan it, It stopped at step 2, I will try to use CrystalDiskInfo to see if it can help. these are the error messages that pop up when I try to chkdsk:

    An unspecified error occurred (696e647863686b2e 532).

    An unspecified error occurred (6e74667363686b2e 17b4)

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-02-23T07:38:18+00:00

    Hi Dan23IR

    Welcome to the Microsoft Community

    Understanding your issue with not properly freeing up space and retaining data after deleting files

    Try starting Windows in Safe Mode and then try deleting files and cleaning up the disk. Safe Mode minimizes system interruptions.

    Restart your computer, at the login screen hold Shift and click the power icon > select “Restart” > Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart and press F4 to enter Safe Mode.

    Contact me if you need anything else.

    Best wishes

    Merek.Z - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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