I am trying to install Skyrim and MW3, but when I open Steam, all it says is "scanning for steam game's updates". I didn't think anything of it, but it's been doing this for FIVE HOURS now.
I tried the backup, but it didn't help. What's going on? Why can't I play these games I've bought?
Ah yes, this is a wonderful message, similar to when Steam sits for hours updating itself. Some things to try:
As Samjus notes, make sure Steam has access through your firewall. Add an exception for Steam or try disabling it (make sure it doesn't turn on the Windows firewall when disabled). You might also need to check your router to ensure it's not blocking the needed ports.
Exit the client, then navigate to Steam's folder (probably C:\Program Files\Steam on Windows) and delete the ClientRegistry.blob file, then try again.
Give up and try again later; sometimes this happens when Valve is having server issues.
Uninstall and reinstall Steam.
Take a look at this link : http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=870766
Your firewall could just be blocking steam from adding anything.
Have you ran into this problem before?
You could try starting Steam in offline mode, start installing your games, and when asked to, reconnect to the internet/Steam to finish the installation. This worked once for me for MW3.
