Stellaris doesn't open

[ChrisWo]

Hey guys,

got another issue starting Stellaris...
Installed it again on my Laptop yesterday.

So, i tryed to open Stellaris via desktop icon and launcher: Launcher opens, press play, stellaris opens and close after few seconds. Then the red triangle appears in the launcher "failed start game" in german. (I'm german)
Starting Stellaris via .exe in local files: Just open and close after a second without any message (as well in admin and different windows compatibility modes)
Yesterday I got a different message from windows like "Stellaris got a problem and is closed, report is sent to microsoft. Today (without any changes) no message is popping up.
Unfortunately, in the document folder of Stellaris, no log folder is created...
However i could copy the error report from Windows as attached.

I deactivated Microsoft Defender, checked the file integrity via Steam, reinstalled Stellaris (and deleted all file in documents, deleted and unsubscribed all mods), checked for MIS afterburner (don't have it).

All other Paradox games are working fine (Surviving Mars, Endless Space 2, Cities: SL)

My system is Windows 10 pro 64, Inte i7-4700MQ, Nvidia GTX860M. Would think (as i can run Anno 1800) it should be enough for Stellaris...

Does anyone have any idea, what I could do?
If I can privide something, just let me know

Thank you in advance and wish you a nice christmas time!!

Chris

 

[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.


IF NEVER:
Install ALL these Microsoft modules:

Download Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package MFC Security Update from Official Microsoft Download Center

A security issue has been identified leading to a vulnerability in MFC applications that are built with Visual Studio 2010 and ship the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package.

www.microsoft.com

Download Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Update 3 RC from Official Microsoft Download Center

This update is the latest in a cumulative series of feature additions and bug fixes for Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable.

www.microsoft.com

Download DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) from Official Microsoft Download Center

The Microsoft DirectX® End-User Runtime installs a number of runtime libraries from the legacy DirectX SDK for some games that use D3DX9, D3DX10, D3DX11, XAudio 2.7, XInput 1.3, XACT, and/or Managed DirectX 1.1. Note that this package does not modify the DirectX Runtime installed on your Windows...

www.microsoft.com

(run dxsetup.exe after extracting this download to its own folder anywhere on your computer)


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.

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:
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.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log .

 

[CityStellar15]

I'm having the same problems, tried all the solutions with no luck. Can you look at my files and tell me what is wrong?
I use an exzternal antivirus, almost the same rig as OP

 

[AndrewT]

In future please make your own thread - similar symptoms do not necessarily mean the same problem cause.

The game is crashing in your nVidia driver:

Windows Error Reporting:
+++ WER0 +++:
Fault bucket 1614857980750707835, type 4
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: stellaris.exe
P2: 1.0.0.0
P3: 619e5f9a
P4: nvd3dumx.dll

Which is from 2018. Please do this:

- uninstall that driver and all other nVidia software
- reboot
- install the latest (and I think last ever for your card):

Driver Details | NVIDIA

Download the <dd~LanguageName> <dd~Name> for <dd~OSName> systems. Released <dd~ReleaseDateTime>

www.nvidia.com

- reboot again

Good luck with that!

 

[CityStellar15]

I have, but seeing as the same problem seemed to be occurring here I decided to take a 2-pronged approach for an answer.

 

[ChrisWo]

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


IF NEVER:
Install ALL these Microsoft modules:

Deleted URL
(run dxsetup.exe after extracting this download to its own folder anywhere on your computer)


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.

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:
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.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log .

Hey Andrew,

first, hope you had pleasant christmas days

So, I did as you told:

Deinstalled Stellaris, deleted all folder (documents and steam), reboot.
Reinstalled it, verified it, reboot.

After checking (now the Windows message "Stellaris isn't working anymore, its gonna sent to Microsoft" appears again / different then yesterday) I added Stellaris and the whole directory to my whitelist of Anti-Vir and ransomware. Reboot and check.

I installed all the packages, suiting my system.
Reboot and check (still the message appears)
I checked for any of the programs you mentioned but I don't have some installed (I never installed such software).

The documents/.../Stellaris/logs folder isn't created.

However, I have the DxDiag file and the pdx_setting as attached.

Additional, I tried to install the NVIDIA driver like you said to CityStellar15's post. However, the installer tells me, the driver is not suiting my windows... I have W10, 64x so I dont know why...

Hope, you have a good day and thank you very much for your help!

Best regards

Chris

 

[AndrewT]

Additional, I tried to install the NVIDIA driver like you said to CityStellar15's post. However, the installer tells me, the driver is not suiting my windows...

This is one reason why we don't like multiple problems being discussed in the same thread! That driver version was for them, not you.

Yours is here:

Driver Details | NVIDIA

Download the <dd~LanguageName> <dd~Name> for <dd~OSName> systems. Released <dd~ReleaseDateTime>

www.nvidia.com

The clean reinstall of that driver i described about should help you.

 

[CityStellar15]

Im sorry, Andrew, but that solution offered no help. I did the instructions as requested but to no avail. Before I do anything I'll regret, by delete all nvidia software did you mean to check that box on the device manager uninstall screen?

 

[AndrewT]

Im sorry, Andrew, but that solution offered no help. I did the instructions as requested but to no avail. Before I do anything I'll regret, by delete all nvidia software did you mean to check that box on the device manager uninstall screen?

No, in the Windows Control panel - remove applications. Put nVidia in the search there and uninstall everything that search finds.

 

[CityStellar15]

Still no help in that. Followed all of the instructions and rebooted multiple times. Shall I run another scan for the error?

 

[CityStellar15]

Here is the second scan, pre-emptively.

 

[AndrewT]

No more crashes in nVidia so we've fixed one problem.

But now we see some LiveKernelEvent entries. These happen when Windows or the machine are forced down or rebooted. Have you see those, are they related to this game or something else?

What happens if you run stellaris.exe directly from File Explorer?

 

[ChrisWo]

No more crashes in nVidia so we've fixed one problem.

But now we see some LiveKernelEvent entries. These happen when Windows or the machine are forced down or rebooted. Have you see those, are they related to this game or something else?

What happens if you run stellaris.exe directly from File Explore

This is one reason why we don't like multiple problems being discussed in the same thread! That driver version was for them, not you.

Yours is here:
URL IN FIRST REPLY

The clean reinstall of that driver i described about should help you.

Hey together,

sorry for the late reply but it took me a while to get the chance to play again

All over, my problem was obvious based on a missing driver.
The driver I tried to download from nVidia wasn't working as it told me, the driver is not compartible with my version of windows... Idk why.

However, i did a way, i usually refuse to go as I dont have a good mind about "Programs that analyse your system and upgrade all old drivers". I don't want to write the program name here as I don't know, if I'm allowed. It was a free one so just give it a try.
I updated only the nVidia driver and afterward it worked.
I'm not sure, if there was a correlation to the fix you talked about.

--> All in one, it's now working, it was caused by a missing nVidia driver.

Thank you very much for your help here!

Cheers
Chris