WIndows starts to freeze after launching Stellaris

[Rindera]

Windows 10 x64, AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G, 16Gb RAM.

After I launch Stellaris, Windows starts to freeze. It is especially noticeable when scrolling windows with the mouse cursor. The freezing remains even after closing the game.

Here's what I know so far:
What freezes:
1) Windows Explorer (scrolling, switching windows, etc.)
2) Notepad++

What does not freeze:
1) Any games (Stellaris included)
2) Internet Browser
3) Discord

Other observations:
1) Launching Stellaris directly (without the launcher) doesn't help
2) Other PDX games seem to cause the same issue (tested with EUIV)
3) Other games (steam and non-steam) do not cause the issue
4) Relogging to Windows (not even rebooting the PC) resolves the issue (until the next Stellaris launch, of course)
5) Restarting explorer.exe doesn't help
6) I compared lists of processes before and after Stellaris and tried killing all the new ones but it didn't help.

Please help me figure out what's going on and how to fix this.

 

[AndrewT]

I have no idea what could be causing this to you. Has this always happened since you've had the game? Or it was okay up to some point?


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 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 .

 

[Rindera]

Earlier I had a laptop with Windows 7 x64 and there was no such problem. Now I have a fresh Windows 10 PC, installed the game and immediately have freezes. The installation could not be cleaner than that, I think

Currently I have no antivirus, WIndows Defender is disabled.

Here are the files, thank you. Also note that the EUIV also causes the freezes so it is very likely some system/hardware problem with (older?) PDX games and not just Stellaris. Sadly, I do not have other PDX games to test it. Oh, wait, I have CK3. I'll install it and see how it works.

Edit: CK3 — no freezes.

 

[AndrewT]

Interesting, this is the second installation of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC I've seen this week with problems with our games , I'm not sure I even knew that edition of Windows existed before! I did see it falls out of support this month, and that it gets many fewer Windows patches than a normal consumer edition of Windows; it's apparently intended for "stable" situations like hospitals and so on. I'm sure our games and patches are never tested on it.

Were you at all considering going to Windows 11 ? If so this might be a great time!

Meantime you could try the latest driver for that AMD video:

https://www.amd.com/en/support/apu/amd-ryzen-pro-processors/amd-ryzen-3-pro-4000-series-desktop-processors/amd-ryzen-3-pro

THEN 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, refresh rate 60.

Is that any better?

 

[Rindera]

THEN 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, refresh rate 60.

Yes, I updated driver to the "optional" version, set display mode to fullscreen, vsync off and refresh rate to 75 (my default), Now it works fine. THANK YOU! I like to play in windowed fullscreen mode for instant alttabs, good thing that Stellaris minimizes instantly anyway.

Also, still works fine without the "disable fullScreen optimisations" setting.

Were you at all considering going to Windows 11 ? If so this might be a great time!

I've been on Windows 7 for many years and hesitated/refused to move to a later version until now. My old laptop died and I thought that the time has come. Now I will sit on the more stable Windows 10 (in comparison with 11) and will move to the next version ten years later, maybe