KF2: USB or Crate Does Not Open - Fixes

This page paraphrases a bilingual (Russian and English) guide based on Tripwire's own support article "USB or crate does not open with correct key". The symptom: you use the right key on a crate or encrypted USB, the opening animation starts and then hangs forever, sometimes followed by a message that the server is not responding.

Cause

If the opening animation starts but does not finish, the game is waiting for a reply from Steam and not getting one. Try the following workarounds.

Workarounds

1. Restart Steam. Close the game and restart Steam (changing users forces Steam to log out), then try again at the next launch.

2. Delete inventorymsgcache. Open C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\. Inside is a folder named with a number (your account), and in it an inventorymsgcache folder. Delete everything inside it, then launch the game and try again. The guide's author found this worked for them, and Tripwire confirmed it for many users.

3. Steam file refresh. Tripwire noted this may no longer work for many people. On Windows XP/Vista/7/8:

   • Exit the Steam client completely.
   • Press Windows key + R to open Run.
   • Type steam://flushconfig and press Enter (allow the prompt if one appears).
   • Restart your computer.
   • Launch Steam directly from its installation folder (for example C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam), not from an existing shortcut, using Steam or Steam.exe.

   This also fixes many cases where Steam reports that it failed to reach the item server.

4. Recycle an item. Tripwire lists recycling an item as a workaround (only recycle something you do not want; it is not reversible).

Extra method from the comments

For players where nothing works: buy or use your cheapest item of any quality or type (weapon skin or accessory), then:

1. Try to open the crate (it will not open).
2. Recycle that cheap item.
3. Open the crate again; it opens.

Doing this for every crate costs a bit more but works. If none of the above helps, contact Steam Support.