Is Steam Malware?

[Felch]

I just bought Empire Total War because it's on sale for dirt cheap, and now Steam is crapping out on me.

It's always been a problem. Any time Windows shuts down (updates or whatever), it's always Steam that pops up on the list of programs that won't shut down properly. But now, I've got a game that I actually paid for, and I'm unable to play it. I click on the damn thing in Steam and it pops up with the thing that says it's starting, but then it blinks out. When I check in Task Manager, it starts Empire, and then it blinks out.

I checked out Steam support and it just recommended that I run the software as an administrator, but when you change that setting it gives you a damn warning blurb about how Steam doesn't like being run with different permissions. And it still doesn't work.

I look through the support forums and found a thread about people who have trouble running it under Windows 7 64-bit. I figure this must be the problem, but the thread is no help. No one from Steam or from Creative Assembly even bothers to answer questions apparently. It's just some people saying that they have trouble, and some other people calling them idiots because it works fine for them.

I tried uninstalling Steam and reinstalling it. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but uninstalling Steam deleted all the games I'd already had downloaded, and all the saves I'd had in those games. And reinstalling it didn't help matters. I'm still stuck with not being able to run Empire, and now I don't even have my Torchlight or Borderlands or anything else.

Why the **** do I have to deal with Steam on this? I've got games through Impulse, and none of them give me trouble. It makes me want to just steal **** instead. I've never had to deal with this much trouble when I pirate games.

**** THIS. Seriously. **** Steam, **** paying for ****. You'll just wind up with some damn bloatware that hogs system resources and refuses to shut down properly. You're better off with bittorrent.

[Asher]

I run Steam on Win 7 64-bit and have no problems.

Try running the binary just from inside SteamApps wherever you installed Steam. When I uninstalled Steam it did get rid of the SteamApps, but the saved games for my games were all still where they were before (in my Documents and Settings folder for each game).

[Felch]

Tried that. I even tried shutting Steam down in task manager, and running the executable in the steamapps folder. It just starts up Steam, starts up Empire, and then Empire closes without any explanation. My roommate has none of these problems.

I swear it's because Steam hates me personally. It has become self-aware, and wants to drive me mad, because it knows that I'm the only one able to stop its plans and I'm on to its evil schemes. I am the Chosen One though. I must remain strong.

[Wiglaf]

This is probably an issue with the game, not Steam. And no, it is not malware. Malware is what you get when you start stealing games, douchebag.

[SlowwHand]

Steam malware search turn this up:

Amazon.com: PC Games no DRM or Steam Malware
See other list for details of DRM malware. Check out: http://www.gog.com/en/ frontpage/ Duke Nukem is simple, but fun. With high res textures, even better.
http://www.amazon.com/...Steam-Malwa...R3BKY2X6QUWEYP - Cached - Similar -
Amazon.com: PC games known to have DRM or steam malware
Based on comments(pc): These game have DRM or steam malware. If you don't have Internet access, you won't be able to use these games. DRM may cause security ...
http://www.amazon.com/...steam-malwa...R3AYM8FXMAZEHW - Cached - Similar -
GOG.com's founder, Marcin Iwiński, calls Steam Malware | Gamers ...
31 posts - 23 authors - Last post: Jan 29
GOG.com's founder Marcin Iwiński, calls Steam malware, I totally disagree and would cite user error for most of his problems. ...
www.gamerswithjobs.com › Forums › Games and Platforms - Cached -
steam.exe - Steam, Delete and Removal Information!
Every attempt has been made to provide you with the correct information for steam.exe or STEAM. Many spyware / malware programs use filenames of usual, ...
www.auditmypc.com/process/steam.asp - Similar -

[Wiglaf]

Slowwhand dumbass search turn this up:

Sep 25, 2009 ... Apolyton's Grim Reaper 2009. SlowwHand... Are you eaten up with a terminal case of dumbass?
http://civilization2.net/forums/show...187489&page=18
Dumbass makes his appearance. View SlowwHand's Photo Album SlowwHand is offline ... Hi Dumbass; how ya doin' these days, anyway? ...
http://www.weplayciv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=53436
Yeah. We need fewer dumbass SlowwHand posts, not more.
http://civilization3.net/forums/show....php?p=5731111

[SlowwHand]

You're such a turd, whoever you are.

[MRT144]

Terrible definition of malware.

[Spaced Cowboy]

I've had games get hosed up on Steam, but I've deleted them and reinstalled them and had no problems. Except Overlord2 which i could never get to run. If reinstalling the game does not work, try reinstalling steam iself, but i doubt that is the problem, likely a bad game istall.

[Hauldren Collider]

awesome necro.

[Dinner]

Win7 64 here as well and no problems.