What does Steam keep downloading in the background all the time?

[Przemek]

I have an odd problem with Steam. Never had any untill now

Steam.exe downloads something at full speed. But I am not updating any game or tools! I have HL2 and HL2: DM installed and nothing more. But Steam is downloading tons of data :/
Additionaly, when my HL2 was updating after a reinstall, there were two connections established. One was downloading HL2's updates, the other... well, was downloading this something When Steam was updating a product in the past, it always created *one* connection.

Right now it's impossible to browse the internet with Steam downloading TONS of data in the background. It doesn't matter how long I leave it running, it's going to keep downloading :| I'm not exactly sure if this mysterious download stops while playing online, thus increasing my ping.

Here are a few screenshots of the problem:

This is my Steam, My Games tab:
http://www.tomaszow.mm.pl/~decapc0/steam1.png

Tools tab:
http://www.tomaszow.mm.pl/~decapc0/steam2.png

and Firewall connection status:
http://www.tomaszow.mm.pl/~decapc0/what_is_steam_downloading_all_the_f_time.gif


ps - yeah, I know shutting down Steam will help me with browsing the web, but this mysterious download is still a problem and needs to be fixed Or I need to know what is being downloaded

 

[Beerdude26]

Ohnoes teh brainworms :O

Steam sometimes downloads updates "prematurely". That way, it can just update overnight or while you aren't watching without forcing you to stress your connection for 20 minutes, leaving you completely useless for any other online entertainment.

 

[Cole]

Steam will tell you if it's updating something.
Check the games and tools tab. If something has the word update by it, then it's updating. Simply right click on it and tell it no otherwise IT ISN'T DOING ANYTHING.

 

[Przemek]

I included two screenshots - nothing is updating, Minerel.
So I think it's Steam updating itself in the background

BTW - what does "Ohnoes teh brainworms" mean, Beerdude26? :dork:

 

[Beerdude26]

A person who is now banned, Spicy Tuna (aka Lemonking) babbled something about that he was afraid he had brain worms, some nasty things you can apparently get from eating sushi or something.

His (albeit racist-like) legacy lives on

Every time someone complains about a headache or something with their head, people yell out 'OHNOES TEH BRAINWORMS'.

 

[OmegaX]

Steam is actually collecting all your personal data and passwords. If you see any suspicious charges on your credit card you should immediately call the credit card company.

 

[Barney Fife]

Well my two cents input is that if you're not playing any of VALVe games turn steam off.

 

[Przemek]

Barney Fife, this is exactly what I do, but when I will be downloading SourceSDK it won't download as fast, because the mysterious download seems to have a higher priority :|

 

[Beerdude26]

Well, you could send a Steam Support Ticket.
Link

 

[Blood]

Mhm funny...

i took a look in my SteamApps Folder and what did i found! A rag doll kung fu.gcf file with a size of 327 MBs but i dont have it in my Games list and i dont want it, so why is it there, by the way, i got 2 machines with 2 accounts and on both mashines this file exists! Why are these files on my mashine? :frown:

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

i took a look in my SteamApps Folder and what did i found! A rag doll kung fu.gcf file with a size of 327 MBs but i dont have it in my Games list and i dont want it, so why is it there, by the way, i got 2 machines with 2 accounts and on both mashines this file exists! Why are these files on my mashine? :frown:

You obviously told Steam to download it... :|

 

[iMMuNiTy]

Jesus Christ.

Guess how Steam knows when to update? It keeps itself connected to Valve servers and keeps checking for updates. When an aupdate is available - DING - you are prompted to download an update.

 

[Beerdude26]

You probably once wanted to preload it and forgot about it.
But Steam didn't

 

[Barney Fife]

Barney Fife, this is exactly what I do, but when I will be downloading SourceSDK it won't download as fast, because the mysterious download seems to have a higher priority :|

I know what you mean bro. My CSS is been downloading for a month, and I finally got tired of waiting and paused it. I don't know how steam works behind my back, but what I do know is that steam takes big junk of my connectivity when playing other MP games like SOF2 and COD2. So when I'm not playing any of VALVe games I always have steam off.
Anyway I thought I could help you with that. Good luck.

 

[Przemek]

Problem is gone, Steam downloaded like 500MBs and finaly stopped
Now Steam works like a charm, just played Darwinia :]