Windows 10 (and 7) - DWU is not starting

[Kbe78]

Hi.

I've purchased the game on steam a few days ago and like some other players DWU doesn't start with my configuration.

I was on Win 7 when i first installed the game but after a lot of attempts and even the update to Win 10, i'm still at the same point. I have followed the general instructions with this issue : install the files from _CommonRedist, update graphic driver, reinstall the game, rewrite startup.ini, disable kaspersky, run exe as admin... and nearly all answers i have found on forums.

But when i read other contributors who can't start the game, my technical problem is maybe a little bit different because when i run directly DistantWorlds.exe (always as an admin), the process is visible in the task manager and doesn't crash. So i think the game is probably running in the background because process and memory show activity in the task manager. This can be a clue to resolve the issue.

I post the dxdiag file. And sorry for my poor english.

[zakblood]

add the exe of the game to your Anti Virus and firewall program, to make sure check the logs of these to see if it was one of them which was to blame.

That usually means a 3rd party program, like an Internet security programs, is interfering with the game or update installation.

run the game from a admin account and use full admin permissions.

please make sure all game pre requisite are installed with the game, even if you think or fully know there are already installed, it will only over write, and it may be that you have a older or newer version of these where as the game in question may need a certain version.

please make sure you are running the latest game version and have up to date drivers installed on your pc,

16/12/2015 is your video driver date, please update it.

12/06/2012 sound chip same again it's old.

If you have the original version. So you'll need to update it from the Internet.
Please note that you'll only need the last update, as the updates are comprehensive.

there's about 5 or 6 threads here on the same subject, if any of the info helps, please reply back, good luck and sorry for the trouble

[Kbe78]

Still same issue [:(]

DistantWorlds.exe is added to kaspersky
Realtek driver updated (yes, it was a little bit old [:D] )
It seems the last video driver is the one i have

It's the steam version, so manual update doesn't work (serial number is required). No previous version, no mod.

For the other threads, like i said in the first post, i tried about everything which work for others (steam forums too), but a lot of these similar issues show crash or message errors. In my case the exe runs and is present in the task manager. It also seems active as if there is no problem with it, so i really think the game is working in the background. I need to end manually the process in the task manager to stop it.

Thanks for the help, except reinstall the OS which is the very last solution, i really don't know what to do [:(]

[Bingeling]

I would not bet that this will help, but.

Try to view the application log. It should be sorted on time, and does anything pop up that looks DW related?

A google found this, but stop after getting to the application log part as the problem described there seems specific to something else.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996117%28v=exchg.65%29.aspx

It can give a hint of what is actually wrong. For a friend, for instance, a look there revealed that the graphics card was the guilty part in his world of tanks crashing, and that info lead to a free fix from the store. In that case the info received was a code that when googled pointed at the graphics card.

[Kbe78]

Hello Bingeling.

Nothing particular appears in the application log about the exe.

However, don't know if it's neutral or an issue, in another log of the event viewer, in Program-Compatibility-Assistant, i have an event ID 17 which appears every time i run the exe :

Exe : F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Distant Worlds Universe\DistantWorlds.exe

Nom du programme de résolution* : DetectorShim_Win32Exception
*name of the resolution program

[Bingeling]

Maybe try to (temporarily) disable the compability assistant? It popped up when googling for it.

Also, you ought to be able to run the game outside steam. Go to the install folder and run the DistantWorlds.exe. It ought to work, probably outside steam. And on right click you can try compability modes.

That is a long shot, but at least it is less invasive than to reinstall the OS

[Kbe78]

In fact, with all the tests i need to make, i always run the exe directly from the folder and not by steam.

No change when the compatibility assistant is disabled, and the same when i try other compatibility modes [:(]

[zakblood]

have you tried all these?

tm.asp?m=2414049

[Bingeling]

Also, you run by file as admin. Did you try to run through steam?

Have you tried to uninstall/reinstall xna and .net?

[Kbe78]

1. Please update your video and sound drivers. Done

2. Please ensure that you have Windows Media Player installed and enabled. Done

3. Please ensure that you have Internet Explorer installed and enabled. Done

4. Please also check that Windows Management Instrumentation Service is running. Done

5. Please ensure that no game files have been quarantined by your Internet Security package software (Anti-Virus). Done

6. Please run DirectX 9.0c. Done

7. Please run XNA Framework 4.0. Done

8. Go to the Control Panel then Programs and Features and attempt to repair NET Framework 4.0.
9. If a repair does not help, then try to download and run the NET Framework Repair Tool to see if it can find and fix any issues with the NET Framework on your computer.
10. If the repair tool does not help, then go to the Add/Remove Programs control panel and attempt to uninstall NET Framework 4.0.
11. If uninstall still fails from Add/Remove Programs, download the NET Framework cleanup tool and choose to remove NET Framework 4.0. Then reinstall again NET Framework 4.0

NET Framework update is the only step i'm not sure was correctly done. Repairing doesn't work, can't uninstall in the config panel (doesn't appear in the list), so i used the cleanup tool which seems to work. But when i install files from the DWU folder, win10 (and 7 before the OS update too) tell me i can't install 4.0 and 4.5.1 because it's already present in the system (even if the cleanup tool tell net framework has been successfully removed

12. Please run msconfig and disable all background programs and then run the game. If the issue is resolved, then you can re-enable each program until you find the interfering program. Done

13. Install and run the game with your Internet Security package software (Anti-Virus) temporarily disabled. Done

14. Please check that you have Microsoft User Account Control disabled, then reinstall and run the game.
Done

[Kbe78]

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Also, you run by file as admin. Did you try to run through steam?

Yes, the autorun.exe is ok. I didn't think it was very important at the beginning but who knows if it's a matter with win background, when i click to run "Play DW" on the game menu, it's like a dead link. It even doesn't run the DWU.exe. All the other links work ("Website", "Game Manual"...).

[Blabsawaw22]

Don't mean to intrude here, but is this part here important??

I was on Win 7 when i first installed the game but after a lot of attempts and even the update to Win 10, i'm still at the same point.

Or I mean, is it possible the upgrade from windows 7 to windows 10 could be a major culprit?

Is that what the OP means? or they tried the game on windows 7 and windows 10 separately?

Maybe the original poster can try a Macrium backup and then maybe try a "Clean" windows 10 Install - to try the game? (even though I'm sure they don't want to do it..) but with Macruim, it will allow to go straight back to before.. like a system restore point.


win 10 clean install - http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950 ... stall.html

Macrium video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct_9qmbf3aA

Link to Macrium Free http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

[zakblood]

if pc has been upgraded and game no longer works or doesn't install or update, uninstall and makes sure folder is clean, and reisntall and update to latest version, making sure all above it done i mentioned before

please make sure all game pre requisite are installed with the game,

etc.

then add game to firewall and antivirus program, not just disable them, then game will work, if it doesn't you have something on the pc that interferers with it working or starting, nothing by default in windows does this, apart from AV/Firewalls etc, as UAC doesn't apply in admin mode as requested to run in.

[Kbe78]

Sorry if my first post was a little bit unclear, but when i purchased the game, i was on win 7 and had exactly the same issues that i have now. After making all the tests like the ones described in post #9, I was thinking it was maybe the result of missing or corrupt dll, so i decided to update to win 10 (in my mind, the update was imminent so it was the opportunity).

So the game never worked on my computer.

[zakblood]

so any luck now?

new report if not and we'll try and start again as game works fine on win 10 tbh

[Kbe78]

Just wanted to say I have made a clean install of Win 10, and now the game works. Missing DLL, NET Framework... we'll never know what was the issue, but thanks to all contributors in this topic for your help [;)]

[Blabsawaw22]

ah.. the clean install always wins...