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Starbound – Disc Write Error During Update Fix

Got a disc write error keeping you down? Try this super simple solution.
This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

If a disc write error has gotten between you and Starbound, I have a solution that may help you out. It’s much more simple than you may expect.

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I stumbled across this super simple solution after running into a wall where I could not start the game because it needed an update, but refused to finalize due to the dreaded disc write error. The game also claimed several files were missing during verification, but could not download the new update files.

After reinstalling and still being shot down, I did what manic would do: restarted my computer. That did the trick, for the most part.

(Update: This is one method, but see below for a less irritating option!)

Method 1:

Rebooting.

You must restart your computer first and foremost, and then go to your Steam library and force Starbound to update again by moving it to the top of the queue if it has not done so already. If this fails to work, reinstall for potential success.

With some Googling, it appears some people must reinstall post-restart while others simply have to patch. There are still others for which this will not work and it is not a permanent solution as it will happen time and time again.

Method 2:

Set the Starbound folder to not be Read-only.

I cannot confirm this to work with every update, nor can I confirm that this is more than a one time fix but it did work this time and is worth a try.

Wander to your ‘common’ folder, found in ‘steamapps’. The exact directory path (for me, and most users sans those using a 32-bit OS, in which case it will be simply ‘Program Files’ instead of ‘Program Files (x86)’) looks like this:

From here you right click your Starbound folder and choose ‘Properties’. Near the bottom of the ‘Properties’ window you will see ‘Attributes’.

From here, ensure that ‘Read-only (Only applies to files in folder)’ is unchecked. Click apply, wait for the files up update, and attempt to patch again.

Hopefully this helps you get your game up and running! Check out the rest of our Starbound guides for more troubleshooting and general tips:


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Ashley Shankle
Ashley's been with GameSkinny since the start, and is a certified loot goblin. Has a crippling Darktide problem, 500 hours on only Ogryn (hidden level over 300). Currently playing Darktide, GTFO, RoRR, Palworld, and Immortal Life.