Game won;t launch (Full Version)

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TheWombat_matrixforum -> Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:17:14 PM)

Just downloaded and installed. Vista 32 w/4GB RAM, updated drivers. When I select play from the autorun screen, it stops working and says Windows is looking for a solution. It also asks for admin rights when I click play but not when I use the shortcut itself. Running autorun as admin first doesn't help. I'm baffled.

EDIT: the file it asks UAC permission to run is A2526rez.exe. Tried to run that naked and it did nothing. Tried running the A2526.exe file and it said the sn was bad (clearly not the case).



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:28:16 PM)

Sounds like some kind of Windows permissions issue. First, did you allow the full installation to happen, including all the components?

Can you post a DxDiag please?

You can also try this - take the quick start (not the game menu shortcut, which points to the autorun.exe) shortcut, right click and choose properties, then in the compatibility tab choose "Run as Administrator" and see if that helps.

Regards,

- Erik



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:31:03 PM)

Already tried all of these. It asks for admin password when it installs, and again when it launches the launcher. What it won't do is run the A2526rez.exe file apparently. Here's the DxDiag. I've never had this sort of thing with a Matrix download before, so this is pretty unusual. I uninstalled and reinstalled as well, but no dice.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Sounds like some kind of Windows permissions issue. First, did you allow the full installation to happen, including all the components?

Can you post a DxDiag please?

You can also try this - take the quick start (not the game menu shortcut, which points to the autorun.exe) shortcut, right click and choose properties, then in the compatibility tab choose "Run as Administrator" and see if that helps.

Regards,

- Erik




Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:36:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheWombat
Already tried all of these. It asks for admin password when it installs, and again when it launches the launcher.


Are you actually logged in as an Administrator? Normally a password is not required for such actions. This game (as with many others) does require you to be on an Administrator account for both installation and execution.

quote:

What it won't do is run the A2526rez.exe file apparently. Here's the DxDiag. I've never had this sort of thing with a Matrix download before, so this is pretty unusual. I uninstalled and reinstalled as well, but no dice.


Right, that's the exe that checks the serial number and the security system. If you don't have administrator privileges, Windows doesn't want to allow it to launch that exe to check the game settings and registry, hence it does not allow the game to run properly.

The only time we've seen this on our Vista test systems is when there is no administrator-level access. It's worth noting that this is the same serial number/security system we've used in all our releases for three years now, there's nothing unusual about how it's setup in Armada 2526 vs. our previous releases. It may also happen on older Vista systems that are not updated and have strict security settings, but after that "finding a solution" it should work the second time. The other possibility is that some third party security software is also interfering here, but it sounds from your description like Windows is the issue.



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:37:47 PM)

As a side note, your sound drivers are quite old for Vista (2007) and you should install updated ones for better compatibility, but that has nothing to do with this issue and your DxDiag otherwise looks ok.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 5:52:26 PM)

I run everything on my system as a non-admin, with elevations getting the password as necessary. I've never installed any game from the actual admin account. Are you saying I have to actually log in to the computer on the admin account? That's NEVER been the case for ANY software I've owned.

When I install the game (and I've done this three times now), it asks for the admin password. I give it. It installs. When I run the autorun, it doesn't ask for the password. When I click play, it does. I've tried running the autorun with admin access and it makes no difference.

My guess is that somehow the libraries for .net or C++ or something are not being accessed. Dunno. What I do know is that I have purchased a lot of games from Matrix over the years and this had never happened, in all the time I've had Vista.



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 6:12:05 PM)

I have no idea why this would be unique to Armada 2526 if you've purchased other games from us recently. This is setup the same way all our games over the last three years have been.

Could you please try uninstalling, logging in as administrator, reinstalling and seeing if it runs for you that way?



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 6:14:02 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheWombat
My guess is that somehow the libraries for .net or C++ or something are not being accessed. Dunno. What I do know is that I have purchased a lot of games from Matrix over the years and this had never happened, in all the time I've had Vista.


It's possible that since you were not logged in as administrator when you installed, some of the components did not install correctly. But it sounds more to me like the admin permissions that should be being granted when you enter your password somehow aren't carrying over to the security executable. Please try installing and running while logged into an administrator account, I'm pretty sure that will clear this up.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 6:40:58 PM)

I tried this, and no go. I installed while logged in as the admin account, and it won't run there, either. I installed it for all users, and it won't run for either the admin or the other normal user, with our without the admin password.

To clarify, I uninstalled the game, rebooted into the admin account, installed it, installed all the DX and .net and C++ stuff, and then ran it from the short cut (and from the autorun.exe file itself). Same problem; clicking Play Armada 2526 from the menu screen immediately fails. This was all while logged in as administrator. I also switched users and tried it from the other account, to no avail.

I don't know what more I can do. I even updated the audio drivers, as you suggested.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheWombat
My guess is that somehow the libraries for .net or C++ or something are not being accessed. Dunno. What I do know is that I have purchased a lot of games from Matrix over the years and this had never happened, in all the time I've had Vista.


It's possible that since you were not logged in as administrator when you installed, some of the components did not install correctly. But it sounds more to me like the admin permissions that should be being granted when you enter your password somehow aren't carrying over to the security executable. Please try installing and running while logged into an administrator account, I'm pretty sure that will clear this up.




Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 6:48:53 PM)

This is extremely odd. Hang on, we will try to duplicate this here on our Vista test system, just to see if we can find something else that could cause it.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 6:55:56 PM)

Heh, I'm not going anywhere. It is a bit annoying, but it most likely ain't your fault, either. I have scads of Matrix games I've downloaded over the years and none of them have done this. The closest thing I've seen before like this is when the game for some reason can't access the libraries it needs. But I'm no coder so it's all FM to me anyhow.

EDIT: And thanks for the help; having bought a lot of stuff from you guys over the years I realize the last thing you want is someone not being able to play. I'm sure something will turn up to shed light on this, sooner or later :). Probably when I have to go back to work! [:)]



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 7:22:09 PM)

Here's a thought--may be off the wall, but what the hey, eh? The vcredistx_86 for the Visual C++ libraries that come with Armada are dated 1/29/09. The libraries I am using (updated for Dragon Age just recently) are dated...7/28/09. Is it possible Armada is not over-writing the newer libraries (necessary for Dragon Age to run) and thus not launching because it requires the older libraries? A long shot, but....



Andrew Loveridge -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 8:12:12 PM)

I recreated the issue. It appears that Visual C not having admin rights was the issue.

Try this;
While logged in as admin, go to the Control panel and then to Uninstall a program.
Uninstall Microsoft Visual C++ and Armada 2526.
Restart your computer and login as admin, again.
Then reinstall Armada 2526 letting Virtual C++ install.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 9:29:37 PM)

Before I do this, I do have one concern--the Visual C libraries that Armada installs do not seem to be the most up to date, and I have other games that seem to require newer libraries. I'm not a programmer so I don't know what will happen to my other games if I do this.


quote:

ORIGINAL: Andrew Loveridge

I recreated the issue. It appears that Visual C not having admin rights was the issue.

Try this;
While logged in as admin, go to the Control panel and then to Uninstall a program.
Uninstall Microsoft Visual C++ and Armada 2526.
Restart your computer and login as admin, again.
Then reinstall Armada 2526 letting Virtual C++ install.




Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 9:38:14 PM)

I believe the worst case is that you would have to uninstall them again and reinstall the newer ones (which may well work with Armada 2526 as well). This is a removable and reinstallable component, so it shouldn't cause any issues to uninstall/reinstall it.

Following Andrew's procedure fixed the issue here, it appears that installing those libraries from a non-Administrator account caused the entire problem.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 11:08:05 PM)

Hmm, that didn't work. I logged in as admin, uninstalled the game, uninstalled the 2008 redist of Visual C++, reinstalled the game while still logged in as admin, and it still does the same thing. Now, there are FOUR separate entries for the redistributable libraries when I look at the uninstall screen in the Control Panel:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 ATL Update kb973923 - x86 8.0.50727.4053
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 10/23/2009
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 11/9/09
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable -x86 9.0.21022

When I uninstalled I uninstalled the last one, as it was the one that had the current date on it (11/24/09). So I'm not sure what to do next.



Grunden -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/24/2009 11:59:25 PM)

I had the exact same problem, and the recommended fix did not solve the issue. *However* I was able the run the game by right-clicking on the shotcurt and selecting Windows XP compatability mode under the 'Compatability' tab.



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 12:18:41 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheWombat
Hmm, that didn't work. I logged in as admin, uninstalled the game, uninstalled the 2008 redist of Visual C++, reinstalled the game while still logged in as admin, and it still does the same thing. Now, there are FOUR separate entries for the redistributable libraries when I look at the uninstall screen in the Control Panel:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 ATL Update kb973923 - x86 8.0.50727.4053
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 10/23/2009
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 11/9/09
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable -x86 9.0.21022

When I uninstalled I uninstalled the last one, as it was the one that had the current date on it (11/24/09). So I'm not sure what to do next.


Hm. Since we were able to duplicate the issue on our side on a completely clean system only by installing the C++ redist without Admin privileges, I'm guessing the array of Redistributables you have installed above may also play a role here. Did you reinstall the C++ redist that comes with the game while reinstalling as Administrator? Just wantto make sure as that was not clear from wat you wrote above.



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 12:20:59 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Grunden
I had the exact same problem, and the recommended fix did not solve the issue. *However* I was able the run the game by right-clicking on the shotcurt and selecting Windows XP compatability mode under the 'Compatability' tab.


Thanks for the tip, Grunden. Was this the Quick Start shortcut or the Game Menu (desktop) shortcut that you made this change to? What are your system specs, especially OS specs? Did you install the game with an Administrator level account?

Just to be clear, we tested this on clean installation of Windows XP, Vista 32-bit, Vista 64-bit and Windows 7, in each case installing and running with an Administrator-level account and had no need for work-arounds or compatibility settings on any of those, so I'm curious about what could be the cause for this.



Stardog -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 1:07:42 AM)

I have the same prob game falls to launch??

Dell Pent 4 2.66 1.00 GM ram Win XP

never had any prob's with this before??

WM



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 1:20:25 AM)

Yep, did it just they way y'all asked. Quite a stumper, ain't it!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins


quote:

ORIGINAL: TheWombat
Hmm, that didn't work. I logged in as admin, uninstalled the game, uninstalled the 2008 redist of Visual C++, reinstalled the game while still logged in as admin, and it still does the same thing. Now, there are FOUR separate entries for the redistributable libraries when I look at the uninstall screen in the Control Panel:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 ATL Update kb973923 - x86 8.0.50727.4053
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 10/23/2009
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable 11/9/09
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable -x86 9.0.21022

When I uninstalled I uninstalled the last one, as it was the one that had the current date on it (11/24/09). So I'm not sure what to do next.


Hm. Since we were able to duplicate the issue on our side on a completely clean system only by installing the C++ redist without Admin privileges, I'm guessing the array of Redistributables you have installed above may also play a role here. Did you reinstall the C++ redist that comes with the game while reinstalling as Administrator? Just wantto make sure as that was not clear from wat you wrote above.




Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 1:33:53 AM)

Stardog,

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stardog
I have the same prob game falls to launch??
Dell Pent 4 2.66 1.00 GM ram Win XP
never had any prob's with this before??


I'm going to need more information to go on please. It may not be the same issue at all.

Can you start a new thread please and post your DxDiag there for us aswell as more info on exactly what you do (or don't) see when you try to launch the game?



Grunden -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 1:53:42 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Thanks for the tip, Grunden. Was this the Quick Start shortcut or the Game Menu (desktop) shortcut that you made this change to? What are your system specs, especially OS specs? Did you install the game with an Administrator level account?


This was Vista 32-bit. I was experiencing the exact same symptoms as Thewombat. My main user is an admin, but just to be sure I uninstalled both the game and the VC++ redistributable under the built-in Administrator account and then reinstalled; same problem, and 'Run as Administrator' on both the Launcher shortcut and running A2526rez.exe directly didn't change resolve the issue.

I changed to 'Windows XP (Service Pack 2)' compatability mode on the Launcher desktop shortcut, which surprisingly worked. I would normally expect to have to enter compatability mode on the application itself, but that did the trick.



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 2:00:29 AM)

Thanks for the additional info. Just FYI, running A2526rez.exe directly will never work. But it's curious that the desktop "Game Menu" shortcut responded to that compatibility setting. I have to think that's a separate issue - we'll try to duplicate that here as well.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 2:14:27 AM)

Yeah, the compatibility fix didn't work for me, sadly. Good idea though.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/25/2009 10:14:11 PM)

Just curious, any more info on this issue? (I'm guessing not, doh!, otherwise there'd be a post!).



Erik Rutins -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/27/2009 8:33:22 PM)

I don't have more on this yet, unfortunately. We are going to spend more time trying to figure this out on Monday since the solution we found did not help in your case.



TheWombat_matrixforum -> RE: Game won;t launch (11/27/2009 10:42:38 PM)

Okies, thanks.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

I don't have more on this yet, unfortunately. We are going to spend more time trying to figure this out on Monday since the solution we found did not help in your case.




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