CSD Troubleshooting
Frequent CSD Opening Issues
Steam Removed
When you double-click your CSD file, you may see a dialog box from your operating system stating that it "Cannot Open This File Type". Customarily, this means that Steam is not installed on %%os%%. The typical path of opening your CSD with a double-click won't work because %%os%% cannot make the program connection.
Tip: Another CSD-related program can be selected to open the file by clicking "Show Apps" and finding the application.
Outdated Steam
Occasionally, you might have an outdated version of Steam installed that's incompatible with your Steam Game Data Backup File type. Download the latest Steam version from the Valve website to ensure you have the correct one installed. This problem is most common when you have an older version of the software application, and your file was created by a newer version that it cannot recognize.
Tip: Sometimes you can get a clue about the version of CSD file you have by right clicking on the file, then clicking on "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac OSX).
Summary: Not having the right Steam version on your computer can cause problems opening CSD files.
Other CSD File Opening Causes
In the majority of cases, installing the right version of Steam will resolve your issue. If you are still having problems opening CSD files, there may be other issues that are preventing you from opening these files. Problems unrelated to software:
- Corrupt Windows Registry file path references for CSD
- Deletion of the CSD file description from the Registry by mistake
- Corrupt install of Steam or other CSD-related program
- Your CSD can't be loaded properly (file corruption)
- CSD file integrity has been compromised by malware
- Hardware related to CSDs has device driver corruption
- Your PC doesn’t have enough available resources to open the Steam Game Data Backup File file
Quiz: Which operating system pioneered hierarchical file system (eg. file folders)?
That's Correct!
Multics was the first OS to support hierarchies of directories (eg. "Home" -> "Documents" -> "Work"). Nearly every modern operating system was heavily influenced by Multics.
Close, but not quite...
Multics was the first OS to support hierarchies of directories (eg. "Home" -> "Documents" -> "Work"). Nearly every modern operating system was heavily influenced by Multics.