2 stage Problem; a) Game wouldn't start, then b) wouldn't update after un/re-installs

[Crashbangwallop]

Looking for help here with an escalated - hopefully not terminal - problem

 

1^st prob -

A recurrent problem since the very end of last year - 31^st Dec 2024.

 

As usual, as I have done for years on end, I clicked shortcut to initiate game. Got launcher with black band (check for updates?) > clicked Red band 'Play' to launch, and immediately got a panel showing 'System... The system cannot find the file specified' with a large list of system.Windows files and a bos_updater. Restart etc > same result.

 

!st Jan 2025. Uninstalled, and reinstalled > game opened >'Play' worked, and I got a few days of game.

 

Then it happened again a few days later - 4^th Jan – so I uninstalled/reinstalled and got my game back. Relieved, but now very cautious about pressing 'Play'

 

2^nd prob -

Then it happened again on the 12^th Jan. Immediately uninstalled/reinstalled, and left it to get on with itself. Came back after a couple of hours, and the red panel showed 'Failed to update'.

 

Uninstalled immediately, and started the reinstall process yet again. Monitoring the process more closely this time, the red Download panel went as normal, then the duly changed to black 'Extracting packed files', with normal progress of the panel from black to red. Then, with just a sliver of black left at the right, the process stopped with 'Failed to update'.

 

Situation just now – downloaded files, almost 'Extracted' and I'm unwilling to waste more time uninstalling etc again.

I'm now absolutely stuck, and not a little frustrated as to why a brand-new download 'fails to update'.

 

I saw that the initial problem – the 'System.. cannot find the specified file' was a problem flagged up recently on the Tech Issues forum by =SB=Turkish https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/90172-game-doesnt-start/ on 16^th Dec 2024, and Have_Gun_Will_Travel https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/90042-not-starting-up/ on 30^th Nov 2024. Their screenshots of their 'System.. cannot find the specified file' reaction panel of files appearing the same as mine. There's no result follow-up on their posts, so I don't know how or even whether their situation worked out.

 

I now have a game which won't function after today's un/re-installs, and have nowhere to go. I will draw this to the attention of support – later, maybe tomorrow when I have more time – but in the meantime it would be useful to know whether anyone else has had the same problem, and the more serious secondary development I've just experienced.

 

I've been playing Il2 BoS etc since it came out. I've never used mods, and all previous updates and a change of computer some years ago worked perfectly. No new software has been added over December. I am mystified as to why or how this has happened, and am eager to hear of any solution to enable me to continue playing this game.

[jollyjack]

If you use mods? Uninstall them first. Then rename or delete the updates folder.

DISABLE your Virus killer temporarily (seems Windows Defender is OK however), and launch the Launcher.

it will check the system required files then. Success granted?

 

PS You could uninstall all dead USB drivers in windows with USBdeview.exe, a free tool you can find on the internet.

Also in device manager turn off USB hubs under properties "allow the computer to turn off ...etc".

Edited January 13 by jollyjack

[Crashbangwallop]

22 hours ago, jollyjack said:

If you use mods? Uninstall them first. Then rename or delete the updates folder.

DISABLE your Virus killer temporarily (seems Windows Defender is OK however), and launch the Launcher.

it will check the system required files then. Success granted?

 

PS You could uninstall all dead USB drivers in windows with USBdeview.exe, a free tool you can find on the internet.

Also in device manager turn off USB hubs under properties "allow the computer to turn off ...etc".

 

Thanks for your fast response jj.

 

Never used mods myself, and - being very non-tech - the idea of turning off the antivirus gives me the cold shivers. I didn't even know that USBs had drivers to turn off!    Just submitted my message to Support. Hopefully the support guys will give me simple heads up on how to go about sorting this.

 

Wow, really missing this game now that it's not working...

[Monksilver]

@Crashbangwallop  I've had similar problems.

 

I first got that message on 9 December, so I did a fresh install and all worked fine. Then around 16 Dec I got it again so uninstalled but when I tried to re-install I found it wouldn't and I got the failed to update message. I made at least 4 attempts to install all with the same result each time even when I disabled firewall and antivirus. I tried again on 21st Dec and it installed correctly despite having changed nothing. I play pretty much every day and everything was then going fine until last Saturday when I got the same error message page on trying to start up. Rather than uninstall I did a new install to a different folder, no problems with the download and installation and the game has worked fine since.

 

I've no idea what is causing the problem. I don't have any mods and I didn't mess with anything between using the game on Friday and trying to on Saturday. I've logged a ticket with the support desk so they can look into the issue as with you there are now 4 of us who have been getting this and I suspect I will get it again.

 

As regards your install problem I can only suggest you keep trying and hopefully you will get lucky like I did. Good luck.

[Monksilver]

And on starting up this evening I find my latest install is now also broken with the same error message. So I've now had this message on 4 different installs.

 

 

[jollyjack]

Again, it was a tip from IL2 support: DISABLE YOUR ANTIVIRUS before you install game up dates or removed the updates folder !

 

IMO the newer antivirus stuff is getting so intrusive that it screws op any download.

I had the same with DCS once.

[Crashbangwallop]

Following up on developments – resolved (for now anyway...)

 

Happily - as of yesterday morning, and so far - following IL2 support's advice has got me up and running. They had me run a few scary Windows Command things which 'restored health' to some files – presumably deep in Windows somewhere – and then persuaded me to turn off my Anti-Virus (Avast) for the downloading and reinstalling. They couldn't be 100% sure what was causing the problems but my uneducated feeling is that the 'files not found' was maybe a Windows prob, and the 'failed to update' an anti-virus one.

 

Looks like you were right about the anti-virus, jollyjack – worth noting

 

One thing. Having got the game working, I thought I'd do a restart (is that generally a healthy thing to do anyway?). When the game was loading after that, a wee Windows Defender Firewall panel opened up blocking the IL2.exe and asking me to allow it. Wasn't expecting that as I'd seen it was listed as OK with Defender prior to that. I freely admit to being not particularly clued-up on computery stuff, so maybe this was normal. Anyway, that was my experience. I wish anyone else currently or in the future going through the same trouble an easy way out of it – and many thanks to the IL2 support folk, they were great.

 

Hoping strenuously that some time when I'm feeling relaxed and happy-go-lucky about having a quick flight that I don't suddenly get confronted by that 'files not found panel again'... 

 

Edited January 17 by Crashbangwallop