Stellaris doesn't start anymore

[Breli]

Hi all,

Platform: GOG, Version 3.6.1 all DLCs installed.

I have played more than 100 hours in the last couple of weeks and ran a few times into the "game doesn't start" problem. I was able to fix it a few times by deleting all the files in the dcouments folder, by a simple reboot or (weirdly enough) by trying again. But now it is completely dead. Stellaris always craps out on me as soon as the first full screen art picture is loaded.

I already tried the following:
- Clearing out the /documents/paradox .../stellaris folder: didn't solve the problem
- Running stellaris directly as admin : didn't solve the problem
- No antivirus software on the system other than microsoft defender (added an exclusion for game folder as well as documents folder just to be sure): didn't solve the problem
- Deactivating all mods: didn't solve the problem
- Re-installing the entire game in GOG: didn't solve the problem

The error log just contains the following:
[19:20:19][pdx_ugc.cpp:52]: No UGC backend available for current platform. [19:20:29][dlc.cpp:342]: Invalid supported_version in file: mod/pdx_12725.mod line: 9

The strange thing is, that my setup already worked and was good enough for more than 100 hours. It is really annoying that this instability is so unpredicatable.

Any suggestions/help greatly appreciated. I would really like to finish my run once ...

 

[AndrewT]

In your reinstalls, did you make 100% sure there are no files or folders left under either the GoG Stellaris or Documents GoG locations, before installing again?

If you run stellaris.exe from File Explorer does the same thing happen?


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 , exceptions.log

 

[Breli]

Hi,

Thanks for replying and looking into it.

In your reinstalls, did you make 100% sure there are no files or folders left under either the GoG Stellaris or Documents GoG locations, before installing again?

Yes, I did. To be on the safe side, I re-installed everything again and made sure nothing "old" was left. Same problem.

If you run stellaris.exe from File Explorer does the same thing happen?

Yes, it does.

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 , exceptions.log

dxdiag.txt, pdx_stettings.txt, system.log and error.log are attached.
settings.txt does not (yet) exist. Neither does exceptions.log

 

[AndrewT]

The game is crashing with a Windows error c0000374 , which seems to mean "heap corruption", ie a game bug. But we know that is not the case or everyone would get it!

What if you make a new Window suser on this machine and log into it with that, and install the gam ethere - does the same thing happen?

And can you test on any other machine you might have access to?

 

[matt_mills]

Problemsignatur:
P1: stellaris.exe
P2: 1.0.0.0
P3: 6388f969
P4: StackHash_4a6a
P5: 10.0.22621.900
P6: a97a9ed6
P7: c0000374
P8: PCH_6E_FROM_ntdll+0x000000000009F954
P9: 
P10:

P1: Process name
P2: Process version
P3: Process timestamp
P4: Module name
P5: Module version
P6: Module timestamp
P7: Exception code
P8: Exception offset from the start of the module
P9: Unused
P10: Unused

So while stellaris.exe is crashing, the crash is coming from ntdll.dll, IE, windows systems itself.

I'd guess that this crash is being caused by a system driver.

 

[Breli]

Hi,

I cannot really follow the logic "this cannot be a game bug". This forum is FULL of Stellaris launch issues. Bugs don't necessarily have to affect all users, they may only occur in specific settings/circumstances. Also, I was able to play more than 130 hours with my current setup before it stopped working. I have no issue whatsoever with any other software/game/driver etc. so I assume it is indeed a Stellaris problem rather than something else.

I would really like to continue playing but looks like I have to give up on that for now.

Anyway, thanks for looking into it.

 

[AndrewT]

Yes, there are other reports of crashes while launching or playing. To my memory none had that Windows error c0000374 , so I still think yours is unique.

You are right to say it is not impossible there is a game bug that only manifests itself on your machine, but that would not be my go-to diagnosis; after all if that is the case it would be best posted in Bug Reports not here, AND QA and/or the developers would have to duplicate the issue to be able to fix it. Which seems pretty unlikely in the circumstances!

IOW your best hope of a fix is that it is NOT a game bug but some issue on your machine or Windows installation.
What if you make a new Window suser on this machine and log into it with that, and install the gam ethere - does the same thing happen?

And can you test on any other machine you might have access to?

 

[matt_mills]

I would really like to continue playing but looks like I have to give up on that for now.

It's an interesting crash, if you want to troubleshoot it further, wait for it to crash, and without closing it (IE, don't click anything on the "this program is not responding" screen) alt tab out and open task manager (ctrl-shift-escape), go to the details tab, find stellaris.exe, right click it and click create dump file.

Click open file location once it's done and find the .DMP file, it will likely be very large, depending on how loaded it is when it crashes, so you probably want to compress it with something like 7zip and then put it somewhere you can link a large file (it will probably be bigger than the forum upload allows).

If you want to troubleshoot more directly you can find my discord link on github (https://github.com/MattMills/stellarstellaris-win).


Just FYI, since it is a dump of the process memory, it can contain sensitive information (although it should be minimal, only thing I can think of off hand would be the launcher token and user) and you may want to send it directly to me.

 

[PROACEX1]

Just a quick bump @matt_mills @AndrewT I am encountering the same issue as Breli. Sometime post 3.6 this started occurring and I have not yet been able to launch the game without a CTD.

No mods
Vanilla install running 3.7.4 (fc72)
Launcher is 2023.5-rc



Error indicates the same exception code as mentioned:

Faulting application name: stellaris.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x6422f656
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.22621.1485, time stamp: 0xb7f0154a
Exception code: 0xc0000374
Fault offset: 0x000000000010be19

 

[AndrewT]

Just a quick bump @matt_mills @AndrewT I am encountering the same issue as Breli. Sometime post 3.6 this started occurring and I have not yet been able to launch the game without a CTD.

No mods
Vanilla install running 3.7.4 (fc72)
Launcher is 2023.5-rc



Error indicates the same exception code as mentioned:

Faulting application name: stellaris.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x6422f656
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.22621.1485, time stamp: 0xb7f0154a
Exception code: 0xc0000374
Fault offset: 0x000000000010be19

Are you also on the GoG edition?

Have you done as Matt Mills asked, re the dump file?


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 , exceptions.log

 

[PROACEX1]

It is Steam edition. I also submitted a bug post @AndrewT
The dxdiag report is attached in the other thread.

I collected a dump file as well, link is in the bug thread.

 

[PROACEX1]

For some reason I cannot add a link here to the bug post, unless I separate it out

Stellaris - Stellaris CTD on launch [3.7.4] (fc72)

Description Stellaris CTD on launch [3.7.4] (fc72) Game Version 3.7.4 What version do you use? Steam What expansions do you have installed? Do you have mods enabled? No Please explain your issue is in as much detail as...

forum.paradoxplaza.com

 

[PROACEX1]

No exception or error logs, checking with notepad++ both are empty (0kb files)

The settings.txt isn't populated either on a new install looking through the directory

 

[AndrewT]

Right click on stellaris.exe , properties, compatibility. Tick "disable fullScreen optimisations" untick every other box in that dialog, Apply and exit.
Then in the launcher Game Settings menu, select fullScreen display mode, Vsync off, then cap the refresh rate at 60.

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

 

[PROACEX1]

So disabling fullscreen optimizations didn't help by itself, but adding compatibility mode for Windows 8 along with disable fullscreen optimizations does allow the game to launch! @AndrewT

I had tried compatibility mode earlier but only Windows 8 by itself.

 

[AndrewT]

That should not at all be necessary - the game is developed under Win10 and 11 after all!

 

[PROACEX1]

That should not at all be necessary - the game is developed under Win10 and 11 after all!

This makes me wonder why it even worked at all

 

[Dragazhar]

Forgive the bump but this is my problem as well. Ever since 3.6, I have been unable to play except very recently when I bypassed the launcher.. Unfortunately that fix is no longer working and I am again unable to play.

Steam version with and without mods:
Game version : Canis Minor 3.7.4 (fc72)
Launcher : 2023.6

Event Log bit:
Faulting application name: stellaris.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x6422f656
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.19041.2788, time stamp: 0x2f715b17
Exception code: 0xc0000374
Fault offset: 0x00000000000ff449

I have done all of the following: Checking game file integrity, restarting steam throughout all this, deleting the Stellaris folder inside the Paradox folder in Documents, reinstalling the game, Uninstalling all mods and deleting all saves games just in case, and now bypassing the launcher and running the .exe file as admin directly still gets this crash.. It happens very fast.. the Stellaris window opens then its gone.. I am not sure how to get the .dump file when it crashes this fast. I do not get a "this program has stopped responding' msg at all.

Included below is the dxdiag, and what .files I did have.. I just reinstalled and cleared the Paradox folder then tried to run the game and got the crash.

Last note: This crash has happens with and W/O mods

I have not tried your last suggestion you gave @PROACEX1. I will try it but I figured I would get you what information now.

 

[Dragazhar]

Crashed after opening Stellaris.exe properties and ticking Disable fullscreen optimizations in Compatibility tab and going in the launcher to change to fullscreen. turn Vsync off and cap framerate. /sad face

Sadly, running the game in compatibility mode for Win 8 didn't work for me as it did for @PROACEX1

 

[AndrewT]

Mod errors in that log; please disable ALL mods while we work on this.

Crashed after opening Stellaris.exe properties and ticking Disable fullscreen optimizations in Compatibility tab and going in the launcher to change to fullscreen. turn Vsync off and cap framerate

That pdx_settings.txt shows borderless, try fullSCreen there. Any better? After that can we get a new pdx_settings.txt AND the settings.txt , thanks.

bypassing the launcher and running the .exe file as admin directly still gets this crash.

That can cause problems all of its own. What if you do this without stellaris.exe running as admin ?

And you may as well update that nVidia driver to the latest https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us