Game refuses to launch - Documents/Paradox Interactive/Crusader Kings II missing?

[naanacbv]

My nvidia is up to date, ive reinstalled, verified files, given admin privileges and run in 640x480 res in compatability, restarted after everything, etc.

one of the suggested actions in the article was to delete the Documents/Paradox Interactive/Crusader Kings II folder, but I didn't have it in the first place - even with reinstalling the game.

any suggestions? paradox games are all extremely broken.

 

[AndrewT]

Have these games ever worked on this machine? Or never yet?

Exit the Steam app and run ck2game.exe and hoi4.exe directly from File Explorer - what happens, any Windows error show up?

DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

 

[naanacbv]

Have these games ever worked on this machine? Or never yet?

Exit the Steam app and run ck2game.exe and hoi4.exe directly from File Explorer - what happens, any Windows error show up?

DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

they have always worked, but eventually they just stop working after an update or something, and it takes a lot of forum browsing to fix. HOI4 works okay, but I have a similar issue with documents (there's a folder, but the game according to the errors can't properly access it?) so there's no mods, but its tolerable so I don't care.

There is no error message after running it, and nothing shows in task manager.

I'll be fine if there's nothing to do, CK2 is free on steam and I'm content with my hoi4 hours.

 

[AndrewT]

HOI4 works okay, but I have a similar issue with documents (there's a folder, but the game according to the errors can't properly access it?) so there's no mods,

That is almost always caused by an antivirus app getting in the way. Which one do you use?

Add hoi4.exe and ck2game.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add them to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list. You should add steam.exe and C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2021.6/paradox launcher.exe to that list.

I see the BEX64 error against CK2 in that dxdiag (no problem recorded against HOI4 there, interestingly) but I see nothing pointing to why. The game does not need Admin permissions, so go into its Compatibility settings and remove that and any other settings in there. Then tick "disable fullScreen optimisations" in there, apply and exit.