"error initializing or updating your transaction"

ceasless · 12-30-2011, 12:44 PM

Trying to buy some of the daily deals, but its not working.

I'm on vacation in Colombia and trying to pay with my Paypal (billing address is in the US).

I keep getting this error:

"There seems to have been an error initializing or updating your transaction. Please wait a minute and try again or contact support for assistance."

This also happens with Click'and'Buy and direct Visa attempts.

xbotak · 12-30-2011, 12:47 PM

Same here, i am using Mastercard.

SgtKaboose · 12-30-2011, 02:46 PM

If using a PC
-Exit Steam, then go to the location that Steam is installed to. ♥By default this is C:\Program Files\Steam directory (this is the default with a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it).
-Delete all of the files except for:
Steam.exe
And the folder \SteamApps\

If using a Mac:
-Exit Steam and go to the folder Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Steam
-Delete all of the files in this folder except for SteamApps.

Restart your computer and test the issue.

Hope this helps

cappuchok · 12-30-2011, 03:12 PM

The problem with that "workaround" is that the users who have experienced this, have also done so outside of the Steam application, when trying to make the purchase through a web browser of which Steam is unaware and whose cache files are not used by Steam.

So I believe this "workaround" to be nothing more than snake oil, since the source of the errors must have been the payment servers, and not a local installation of the Steam client (especially apparent in the cases where I tried paying in a web browser from a clean virtual machine which doesn't have Steam installed, yet got the same "declined" emails from the payment servers).

So, while I agree that a fresh copy of Steam is a nice thing, there is no technical proof that it is an actual fix for this particular problem. If a fresh, virtual, sandboxed and uncached copy of Firefox couldn't make the purchase, there is no way that the source of the problem was a corrupted Steam client installation.

SgtKaboose · 12-30-2011, 04:53 PM

I had the same issues until I did this. I could not buy from a debit card or my steam wallet until I had a fresh copy of steam.

SlashBlack · 12-31-2011, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtKaboose

If using a PC
-Exit Steam, then go to the location that Steam is installed to. ♥By default this is C:\Program Files\Steam directory (this is the default with a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it).
-Delete all of the files except for:
Steam.exe
And the folder \SteamApps\

If using a Mac:
-Exit Steam and go to the folder Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Steam
-Delete all of the files in this folder except for SteamApps.

Restart your computer and test the issue.

Hope this helps

this worked for me

thank youuu

12-30-2011, 12:44 PM	#1
ceasless Join Date: Dec 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 8	"error initializing or updating your transaction" Trying to buy some of the daily deals, but its not working. I'm on vacation in Colombia and trying to pay with my Paypal (billing address is in the US). I keep getting this error: "There seems to have been an error initializing or updating your transaction. Please wait a minute and try again or contact support for assistance." This also happens with Click'and'Buy and direct Visa attempts.

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12-30-2011, 12:47 PM	#2
xbotak Join Date: Dec 2010 Reputation: 2 Posts: 48	Same here, i am using Mastercard.

12-30-2011, 02:46 PM	#3
SgtKaboose Join Date: Feb 2007 Reputation: 812 Posts: 516	If using a PC -Exit Steam, then go to the location that Steam is installed to. ♥By default this is C:\Program Files\Steam directory (this is the default with a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it). -Delete all of the files except for: Steam.exe And the folder \SteamApps\ If using a Mac: -Exit Steam and go to the folder Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Steam -Delete all of the files in this folder except for SteamApps. Restart your computer and test the issue. Hope this helps

12-30-2011, 03:12 PM	#4
cappuchok Join Date: Dec 2011 Reputation: 0 Posts: 3	The problem with that "workaround" is that the users who have experienced this, have also done so outside of the Steam application, when trying to make the purchase through a web browser of which Steam is unaware and whose cache files are not used by Steam. So I believe this "workaround" to be nothing more than snake oil, since the source of the errors must have been the payment servers, and not a local installation of the Steam client (especially apparent in the cases where I tried paying in a web browser from a clean virtual machine which doesn't have Steam installed, yet got the same "declined" emails from the payment servers). So, while I agree that a fresh copy of Steam is a nice thing, there is no technical proof that it is an actual fix for this particular problem. If a fresh, virtual, sandboxed and uncached copy of Firefox couldn't make the purchase, there is no way that the source of the problem was a corrupted Steam client installation.

12-30-2011, 04:53 PM	#5
SgtKaboose Join Date: Feb 2007 Reputation: 812 Posts: 516	I had the same issues until I did this. I could not buy from a debit card or my steam wallet until I had a fresh copy of steam.