I encountered an unusual issue while setting up the games.
I encountered an unusual issue while setting up the games.
I've been using Xbox Gamepass for PC for a while now, with 678GB of games stored on the E drive that I play regularly. The C drive remains reserved for work OS and programs. I'm trying to keep these drives separate just for organization. This morning, I attempted to install a game called Maneater along with a few others—Psychonauts 2, Outer Wilds, The Gunk, and Aliens Firestorm Elite. Each time I encountered an error stating a problem. Error code: 0x80071770 I checked the MS Store to see if it was downloading there, but it wasn't listed. I also removed MS Solitare Collection, which had been on the C drive for a long time. Since it was small enough, I reinstalled it quickly, as Gamepass requires a 10mbps download speed. Unfortunately, I couldn't install it on the E drive either—error code: 0x80073cf9 I recently removed New Super Lucky's Tale from the E drive and reinstalled it during this experiment, and it worked fine. Now I'm trying to install Psychonauts 2 again on the E drive, but it's asking for a specific folder with "PN2" instead of the default location. When I select E, it says: You can't set your default install location to that folder. Try another one. All the other games I want are behaving similarly. I can't choose the E root folder anymore as before. I've created a folder named XboxGames on the E drive, which now allows me to select it. Results: it downloaded... f***. This isn't how I did it the first time. I attempted to install the game in WPSystem like other games, and also tried it on my laptop, which still showed the same issue with MS Solitare Collection.
I’m curious about what this reveals about me. When I saw “strange problem installing games,” my mind jumped to absurd shape challenges similar to the character with the drinking issue in the movie. (For those who haven’t seen it as a lighthearted joke, it’s a quick, broad laugh—just a few seconds long.) Is E a mechanical hard drive? How recent is it? Drives wear out over time and eventually stop working. I’m not familiar enough with error codes to pinpoint it right away, so my best guess is a drive problem or data corruption. Can I still upload to C:? You probably don’t need to. There’s a free tool called Crystal Disk Check that might be easier than the usual Windows utilities. There’s also a GUI drive checker, though I’m not sure which one you’re talking about. You can run “CMD” in the search bar and execute “chkdsk /?” for instructions. If everything looks normal, the issue might be related to Steam. This just confirms that.
It's a WD Blue 1TB SSD that's been around for about eight months. It hasn't been used much, and I can write normally without issues. The game launched right away when I asked it to go to E:\XboxGames, but I expected them in the WPSystem folder. Everything seems to be behaving strangely.
It seems the issue isn’t likely with the hard drive itself. The settings in certain apps might be causing things to install incorrectly. When strange problems arise, a malware check is useful, though it may not always detect everything—similar to how lupus can mimic other conditions. It’s possible there’s a corrupted file somewhere. One solution is to simply remove and reinstall the problematic software. This method is straightforward and can be quicker than troubleshooting the root cause. A system refresh could also help, though I’m not sure if Windows supports it.
Well, I know it's not Windows in particular but I do think there is a file corrupted somewhere because it won't install in the proper place. It will however install in a new place where the previous games have not been installed. The games that were installed previously still work as intended and I can put them back where they belong after uninstalling. So yeah you might be on to something. Reinstalling literally everything on the drive and the questionable app might be the way to go.
The unusual part is that a damaged file wouldn’t function properly. It might just be resetting elsewhere, which feels odd. Devices that operate but act strangely could need malware testing. That’s the only reason I brought it up. It might be worth a simple hard drive inspection anyway—it’s inexpensive and straightforward. The fastest method I’ve heard of is typing “type run CMD” into the search bar next to the Windows logo at the bottom, then using “chkdsk /?” in the command prompt for guidance. There’s likely a graphical interface option too. I’m not sure how to do it without downloading anything. Just a few keystrokes and you’ll quickly see if the drive has any problems.
I verified for malware and ran chkdsk. No issues detected. I noticed an unusual action—it wasn’t done before. I wondered if any folders were set to read-only and they weren’t, but it prompted me to confirm I had admin privileges before saving a WAV file. My thought is that Gamepass may have been updated to a new version and doesn’t accept the current folder structure, only expecting a folder named Xbox Games.
I don't rely on Xbox game pass, so I'm not affected by any updates there.
Well, and thats where you are you are wrong... windows *will* install certain things in random places and there isnt really anything you can do about it, its by design.