Guild Wars 2

Hey guys!

Do you keep crashing while starting your game?
I know you do. I have that too. I have been rolling through forum and there are so many of us having the same issue. And it seems there is not a simple ‘working for all’ solution.

I will write down what I’ve tried so far from what is recommended to test on various websites. At first it will exclude already tested and at second maybe it actually works for somebody else.

So lets dive into this! And try out some suggestions.

How does it look like?

You launched your client and logged on acc. You pressed play and got to character selection. So far everything goes normally. Picked up anything and no matter which char or location – game crashes while loading.

When it started for me:

I was playing (pvp and in windowed mode) and watching some utube when window went black, I still heard music from game. After whole screen went black. Than resized solution to low – black screen – normal state. Still functioning utube and everything but game stayed blank and not answering.

Reports

After crash you are getting reports about an error which can look like this:

—Crash—
Exception: c0000005
Memory at address 09ab6000 could not be written
App: Gw2.exe
Pid: 4504
Cmdline:
BaseAddr: 00BC0000
ProgramId: 101
Build: 47232
When: 2015-04-06T01:25:09Z 2015-04-06T03:25:09+02:00
Uptime: 0 days 0:03:07
Flags: 0
…..etc…

What is this exception thingy?
Q: Exceptions: are classified as faults, traps, or aborts depending on the way they are reported and whether the instruction that caused the exception can be restarted with no loss of program or task continuity.

Faults: A fault is an exception that can generally be corrected and that, once corrected, allows the program to be restarted with no loss of continuity. When a fault is reported, the processor restores the machine state to the state prior to the beginning of execution of the faulting instruction. The return address (saved contents of the CS and EIP registers) for the fault handler points to the faulting instruction, rather than the instruction following the faulting instruction.

Traps: A trap is an exception that is reported immediately following the execution of the trapping instruction. Traps allow execution of a program or task to be continued without loss of program continuity. The return address for the trap handler points to the instruction to be executed after the trapping instruction.

Aborts: An abort is an exception that does not always report the precise location of the instruction causing the exception and does not allow restart of the program or task that caused the exception. Aborts are used to report severe errors, such as hardware errors and inconsistent or illegal values in system tables.

Stuff about computers are alient to me guys. This is not nb for gaming but it went just fine for years. Here is some basic info – maybe you can read something from it.

The troubled machine

Notebook: HP EliteBook 8730w

CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 @ 3.06GHz 38 °C
Penryn 45nm Technology

RAM: 4,00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 398MHz (6-6-6-18)

Motherboard: Hewlett-Packard 30EC (Intel Genuine processor) 47 °C

Graphics: 1920×1200@60Hz
256MB ATI Mobility FireGL V5725 (HP)

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit, SP2

Other things people are asking about on forums:
Antivirus: Avast software

More details attached.

Summary
Solved? Yes! It was a graphic card driver.
Suggestions tested: Repairing game, reinstallation of game, repairing after reinstallation, reinstallation under different folder, deleting local.dat and bin, deleting roaming data, exceptions in firewall and antivirus, running as administrator, window mode, low setting, updating software, defragmentation, windows update, windows defender scan, enabled or problems in system manager, turning off firewall and antivirus, running without background processed, power reset, checking drivers update, searching for virus or spyware, chkdsk, sfc scan, dxdiag, dns flush, int ip and winsock reset, clientports
Suggestions to test: reinstall drivers, RAM test
Suggestions I would rather not test yet: Updating BIOS, reinstalling OS, moving to Minecraft

What do people advice

Repair the game – some data may be corrupted

How to: Go to address of your Gw2.exe – for example C:\Games\Guild Wars 2
Click on Gw2.exe and drag it to create a shortcut.
Click on this shortcut and select Properties.
Under shortcut tab click on first field describing path and write -repair behind what’s already there.
It is a tab (blank space) and -repair.
It will look like this:“C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.exe” -repair
Run this shortcut and your game will repair itself.

Command line arguments: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments

Try to delete these files

Delete your local.dat, bin folder and Gw2.tmp.

How to: To delete local.dat file go to AppData\Roaming – for example C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Guild Wars 2\Local.dat
Do not worry about deleting this, it will be restored on next launch of game.
You can actually delete whole Gw2 folder under AppData, but you will have to set up your visual setting in game again.

To delete bin folder go to address of your game (Gw2.exe) – for example C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\bin

You will find Gw2.tmp at same folder as your Gw2.exe – example C:\Games\Gw2.tmp.

You are not running as administrator

Right click on the Gw2.exe or shortcut and try to run it as administrator this time.

Try to run different game

Check if your other games are working correctly.

Change graphic settings

While in character selection screen change setting to the lowest details.

Play in window mode

How to: Same thing like with -repair.
Go to address of your Gw2.exe – for example C:\Games\Guild Wars 2
Click on Gw2.exe and drag it to create a shortcut.
Click on this shortcut and select Properties.
Under shortcut tab click on first field describing path and write -windowed behind what’s already there.
It is a tab (blank space) and -windowed.
It will look like this:“C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.exe” -windowed
Run this shortcut and your game will start i window.

Command line arguments: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments

Tech team’s post: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Black-Screen-Issues-1

You don’t have GW in exceptions

Check if Gw2.exe and CoherentUI_Host.exe are in exceptions for firewall and antivirus.
Path can look like this: C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.exe
CoherentUI_Host.exe is inside the bin folder right above Gw2.exe – for example C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\bin\CoherentUI_Host.exe

If you reinstaled the game and changed path check them once more.

or simply

Firewall (antivirus) is blocking you

Temporarily stop both and launch without them to try it out.

Just reinstall the game

Remove existing game at add/remove section in control panels.
Delete leftovers from AppData and Documents folders and restart pc.

It is the ‘Program Files’ issue

If you are going for reinstallation try to change the path this time and create new folder at same tree branch as Program files. For example Games (C:\Games). Some people say instalation inside Program Files causes problems with GW.

If you got a problem during installation and it didn’t complete you might get an option to skip the rest. Choose to skip and rest will be downloaded later via launcher, it will just take longer time.

If you can not install the game open Start and write into search field or hold windows key +R and write msconfig. Go to Services tab and tick Hide all processes from Microsoft company. Disable all other services and restart pc. After this try to temporarily turn off antivirus and firewall and run Setup as administrator.

Can’t start the installation but can open the disk files? Copy GW2Setup.exe from disk into final destination. For example C:\Games\. Rename GW2Setup to GW2.exe. Run this as administrator. It should download whole game. I didn’t try this but people say it works.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Installing-GW2-w-CD-stuck-at-login-launcher
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Game-Wont-Install-2

If 1 file remains to download try to change language.

Tech team’s post: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/PC-Install-Issue-No-Connect-Download-Fail

Problems with connection/DNS

Try to setup DNS

This DNS flush will interupt your connection. To make it work again go to Control Panels\Network and Internet\Center of Networks and use the ‘diagnose and repair’ option.

How to: Open a cmd.exe application. Either click Start and use Search field or hold windows icon + R on keyboard. Write cmd. Run that as administrator.
(Path to this is in Windows\System – for example C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe)
Once you opened the cmd write: ipconfig /flushdns
Repair your connection.

Int IP\Winsock

More to try with cmd.exe

How to: Open cmd as administrator once more.
Write these:
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset
Restart your computer.
I didn’t need to repair connection after this.

Try -clientport 80 or 443
How to: Another command line argument minigame. Create new shortcut of Gw2.exe.
Go to address of your Gw2.exe – for example C:\Games\Guild Wars 2
Click on Gw2.exe and drag it to create a shortcut.
Click on this shortcut and select Properties.
Under shortcut tab click on first field describing path and write -clientport 80 behind what’s already there.
It is a tab (blank space) and -clientport 80.
It will look like this:“C:\Games\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.exe” -clientport 80
Run this shortcut.

Try to do the same with -clientport 443.

Command line arguments: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments

Scan deeply dear Watson – let’s run various scans

Scans to try:

Deep antivirus scan
Deep Windows Defender scan – it is in Control Panels\Windows Defender
Checking DirectX – dxdiag
How to: Click on Start and write into search field or hold windows icon + R and write dxdiag. Run as administrator. Tick to check digital signs option. Once it’s done walk through each window if everything is alright.

Before next step back up your registry and system.

Do a Power reset.
How to: Turn your pc off and unplug it from electricity. Turn it back on and wait until it drains electricity out. When it turns off again by itself try to turn it on again few times. If not responding plug it back.

Turn on the safe mode.
How to: By clicking on start icon and search field or hold windows icon + R and write msconfig. Run it as administrator. Choose safe mode at first page. Restart your pc.

Check the disk – plan the disk control scan. This one takes long time to complete.
How to: https://askleo.com/chkdsk_what_is_it_and_how_do_i_run_it/

Sfc.exe scan – repair system windows files
How to: Open a cmd.exe application. Either click Start and use Search field or hold windows icon + R on keyboard. Run that as administrator.
(Path to this is in Windows\System – for example C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe)
Once you opened the cmd write: sfc /scannow
If this test found a problem it will be under Windows\Logs\CBS – for example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Once done open msconfig as administrator again and return to normal mode. Restart pc.

Also, set In game Character Model Limit to Medium or Low. Memory errors tend to be related to that setting. The more characters drawn, the more memory your GPU uses.

I’ve never had this crashing issue you speak of, and that’s with two completely different mobos, CPUs, memory and RAM.

Exception: c0000005 Is caused by a problem with your video driver the best solution is to completely remove your video driver and reinstall the latest driver.

Sirsquishy: Thanks, good point. I tried that.

Feirlista Xv: Thanks, I will definitely try to reinstall drivers.

I’m having the exact same problem. A few days ago I went and re-installed the game in attempt to fix my incurable Guild chat bug. That’s when it started happening to me [I’ve been playing since almost launch with no major problems].

All previous installs have been from the physical copy, without any problems. My recent re-installs have been from the digital copy on the gw2 website. I’ve tried everything listed here in attempt to fix this. As well as removing+installing my video driver. Nothing works.

I was running the game just fine like 10 minutes before I did the re-install of the digital copy. So it’s pretty obv what the problem here is.

My dvd drive is inoperable right now [the reason I resorted to the digital copy] so I’m ordering a new one and will install the physical copy since the digital copy has been the biggest pain.

Drivers

YES! It was the graphic card driver, thanks again Feirlista.

But I am not sure it is solved yet.

Once upon a time… there was a Nvidia Quadro home inside a machine. But it broke and had to be replaced in service. And because it was problem to get same card I took ATI Mobility FireGL V5725, which driver was from 2009.

I backuped drivers and registry again.
Went to System manager and uninstaled old driver.
When I restarted nb, Windows started configurating new-old driver and process could not be canceled on desktop nor in process manager.
So I went to safe mode which stopped auto configuration.
Downloaded AMD autodetecting tool.
It responded that there was nothing found, there is probably not version fitting to my setup.
I downloaded Catalyst but system shutted down during instalation.
So I downloaded GPU-Z and selected the Lookup option which showed me ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670. http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/1622/mobility-radeon-hd-3670.html
Opened dxdiag and looked if parameters correspond. It seemed so.
At amd.com I manualy selected description. Notebook Graphics/MobilityFireGL Series/All Mobility FireGL Products/Windows Vista – 32 bit
It does offer only Radeon drivers. http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/737-28041SupportforATIMobility.aspx
I downloaded the upper one over here. http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=legacy2&os=Windows+Vista+-+32

I repaired internet connection for case I needed some guidance.
Then came the deep cleaning. Catalyst tool could not be removed in control panel only repaired but CCleaner removed it.
Uninstalled leftover apps for Nvidia which were left there even tho I had replacement in service.
Deleted ATI folders in Program files and AppData. Checked Program Data and Documents folder.
Deleted what was inside Temp and Prefetch folders under Windows folder.
Opened regedit and deleted ATI folders under CURENT_USER and LOCAL_MACHINE.
Cleaned registry, emptied recycle bin and restarted nb.
Installed new driver for Radeon.
Installation completed except sound driver HDMI which was in the package.
Opened msconfic and selected normal mode and restarted.

Game is working now.

Dxdiag is now showing that I have ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670. In notes saying that ATI files are not digitaly signed and I should get driver tested by Microsoft.
So I guess if something goes wrong and I would uninstall current driver Windows would rollback to previous FireGL driver from 2009.

So the question is: Should I keep this one? Will it be working correctly in long term?

Edit: Reinstalled to hopefully correct version. Everything seems to be working well.