Stellaris crashing on launch

[Monti0512]

Hello,

I have a problem with Stellaris (I had a similar issue with HoI 4 before). After clicking 'Play" in the launcher it shows the 'Stellaris' screen and crashes after 2-3 seconds.
I have tried all the solutions on this page https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/crash-all-time-on-stellaris.1514372/

Dxdiag file attached, system.log as well. Error.log is empty, excpetions.log does not exist

Thanks in advance

 

[AndrewT]

In the game launcher please set Display mode to Borderless. THEN go here:

Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads

This article lists the download links for the latest versions of Visual C++ Redistributable packages.

support.microsoft.com

And run the x86 and x64 installers there.

IF that doesn't help, Has the game ever run successfully on this computer? Or never?

IF IT USED TO RUN:
Please do a full **clean** re-install:

- move any valued save games elsewhere, and user_empire_designs.txt from /Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ if you have made any custom empires or races.
- "uninstall" in Steam-Stellaris
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/Stellaris AND Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris folders
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- add stellaris.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.
- start the game with no mods active and test

In particular you need to make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam Stellaris or Documents Stellaris locations, before installing again.

Also if you have FRAPS or the MSI Gaming App or Rivatuner installed, disable it as it clashes with this game.


If that doesn't help, also update that nVidia driver to March 2022 https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

 

[Monti0512]

Hey Andrew,
Borderless and Redistributables have no effect. NVidia Geforce Experiance tells me I have the newest drivers.
I don't use FRAPS, MSI Gaming App or Rivatuner. I use iCUE, for my Corsair devices if this information is improtant in any way, however I have already tried launching the game with iCUE off and it did not change a thing.
Stellaris has never worked on this PC, it is fairly new. I barely managed to launch HOI4 recently, I run through all of the Microsoft packages you usually suggest, reinstalled HOI a couple of times along the way. Problem persisted until i turned OFF launch as admin (which is strange. Stellaris on the other hand with 'launch as admin' ON does not let me go past the launcher ('launching the game fail prompt'), with it OFF I starts up for a second and gives the following window:

 

[AndrewT]

GeForce Experience is wrong; you are on a driver nearly a year old and one came out this month - please update to it from here:

Download The Latest Official NVIDIA Drivers

Download the latest official NVIDIA drivers to enhance your PC gaming experience and run apps faster.

www.nvidia.com

If that doesn't help, what happens if you run stellaris.exe directly from File Explorer? Any Windows error show?

 

[Monti0512]

Drivers updated. Lanch via steam or from the stellaris.exe end the same way:

 

[Monti0512]

I have a problem with EU4 as well, this is what happens when the game starts, this is the loading screen:

First run on this PC as well

 

[AndrewT]

Have these games ever worked on this machine, or never yet?

If they used to work, did they all go wrong at the same time?

If you run the WIndows updater, does it find anything to apply?

Did EU4 make exceptions and error logs?

 

[Monti0512]

Andrew,
None of these games worked on this PC before.
When I get back home I will double check if there are any Windows updates to run, however i try to keep it up-to-date.

Edit:
Windows is up-to-date (in polish inconveniently).

No exceptions/error logs in EU4 folder (the excpetions folder is empty as well)

 

[AndrewT]

No exceptions/error logs in EU4 folder (the excpetions folder is empty as well)

The /logs/ folder there is empty, are you saying?

If so, I think there's a Windows or hardware problem affecting our games in this machine, but I see nothing that points to what exactly!

If GeForce Experience is running, try uploading it before starting the games.

And run this Windows repair tool:

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files - Microsoft Support

Describes how to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files in Windows.

support.microsoft.com

If that don't help, install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here, thanks.

 

[Monti0512]

Hello Andrew,

Apologies, brainfart moment, there are error logs regarding EU4 - attached to this message.

I run the System File checker, sfcdetails attached:

I am going to restart my PC and check the result.

EDIT.

No result, still black-pink screen in EU4 & crash for Stellaris.
Speccy output attached.

 

[AndrewT]

I see you have Avira running as an AV app - have you added stellaris.exe and eu4.exe to all its exceptions lists?

Try disabling the Discord overlay, as a test.

Those things aside, we see in there failed or 'in progress' Windows updates going back more than a year. If you run Updater utility does it find anything to apply?

If not, or you do that but it does not resolve those stuck updates, you may be looking at a Windows Reset or even wipe and reinstall I'm afraid!

 

[Monti0512]

Hey Andrew,
I turned off both Avira firewall and Discord, run the games but that did not change anything.

I run the troubleshooter for windows update, it found some issues, resolved it, however no new updates were pending afterwards.

When it comes to the missing updates for my Windows. I found this page:

Microsoft Update Catalog

I created a restore point for my system and then randomly searched for the updates listed in "Not Installed". I searched for 8 different positions. Some where not present in the catalog web page, however I managed to download the updates dated on 16.03.2021, 14.04.2021 & 11.06.2021 (see Speccy output previously attached) for Windows versions that are listed there. However when I tried to install those I got this pop up:

Which roughly translates to:
Autonomous Windows Update installer:
This update is not applicable to this computer.

Would it rule out Windows Update, and potentialy missing updates as the cause of my problems with EU4 and Stellaris?

 

[AndrewT]

I turned off both Avira firewall

Firewalls only govern external communications, not file system issues like this. Did you add stellaris.exe to Avira's antivirus exceptions list?

To be honest, as I'm not a Windows support technician I'm not sure what to make of your situation with the updates now - they are just something I noticed in the Speccy output as potentially causing a problem. Why updates that do not apply to your Windows edition would be listed there I have no idea!

What if you make a new WIndows user on this machine, and log into it as that - do the same problems occur? If so, we're really only left with a Windows problem or hardware, IMO.

 

[Monti0512]

Hey Andrew,

I have just managed to launch stellaris by adding '-opengl' in properties like this:

any idea why is that?


I have tried the same trick with EU4, now i do not have the pink screen, but it crashes the same way Stellaris did.

 

[AndrewT]

That means you are using the open source OpenGL standard (which we use in Linux and MacOS) instead of Windows DirectX. I'm afraid that basically proves the problem is in Windows or the video hardware!

 

[Direwave456]

Hello there,
I had the same issue as described above. I went through the logs of the games and I saw that the crash was caused by a permission denied on the settings.txt file.
So i simply deleted all the user files in "My Documents/Paradox Interactive". The game created them again and it worked fine for me.
If it doesn't, try running the game in administrator in steamapps/common/... after the deletion.