Upcoming Update of the Game Launcher

[LordBritain]

39 minutes ago, DarthCasus said:

Some of yall are doing a lot to just not move to Steam for the time being. 

Steam didn't work for me either.  Exactly the same problem.

[DarthCasus]

On 10/16/2022 at 1:51 PM, LordBritain said:

So, is it an AntiVirus program update that has caused the problem, or, a launcher update?  Personally, I'd be lead believe to a launcher issue, something has changed within that now triggers the AntiVirus systems.

59 minutes ago, LordBritain said:

Steam didn't work for me either.  Exactly the same problem.

Did you reach a definite conclusion on whether it was an antivirus-related issue or the launcher itself for your steam client? Because I have the game on Steam for 3 different computers and they all use Windows antivirus without issue. I had this sort of issue where I could not get past an initial startup phase for another game when Kaspersky (my antivirus at the time) was blocking it, and another set of software issues because I was using either AVG or Avast at the time on my secondary desktop. If you're having the same issue regardless of how you launch the game, I'd be more inclined to lean more toward it being related to the antivirus. The Steam client seems to be working for everyone else that's mentioned it in this thread too.

Mind you, I'm not saying its all dandy for me so it should be for you. Its clear this change to the launcher screwed something up for you folk, but I really don't understand the hesitancy expressed in this thread to using it and being done with this issue. 

[LordBritain]

Definitely the Avira Anti Virus it doesn't like.  Which is strange, as up until October 14 it was fine (I was deemed a worthy tester).

I turn the Real-time protection and Web Protection off whilst I launch the game.

Either BioWare made a change or Avira did. Adding the game to the Whitelists makes no difference.

[SwampHobbit]

Don't know whether this is related. Apologies if off-topic. Five times in the last nine days, the game updates itself. It is a huge download as well (35.5 gb). Then, when I get to the character screen, I get the loading screen bug, have to Alt-F4 out and proceed to get another update to the game, about half the size of the previous update. I'm not getting error messages and I can login after the second update. 

 

Any suggestions? 

[Nee-Elder]

8 minutes ago, SwampHobbit said:

Don't know whether this is related.

. Five times in the last nine days, the game updates itself. It is a huge download as well (35.5 gb). Then, when I get to the character screen, I get the loading screen bug, have to Alt-F4 out and proceed to get another update to the game, about half the size of the previous update. I'm not getting error messages and I can login after the second update.

Any suggestions? 

It's almost certainly related.   Questions:

1. Have you read thru  this thread yet  or more specifically  the OP here: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/924959-upcoming-update-of-the-game-launcher/  ...and the newer post from Jackie here: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/924959-upcoming-update-of-the-game-launcher/page/10/#comment-9725230
2.  Are you running  SWTOR as 'administrator' ?  (assuming you're on Windows PC )
3.  Do you have any  'anti-virus'  programs running?
4.  Is the  'repair' option available to you on your Launcher?
5.  Have you checked the EA 'tech support'  link yet for any potentials? --> https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Technical/bd-p/star-wars-the-old-republic-en

...  My unsolicited guess is maybe you're not in the newest 'version' .  Just a guess though.

[JackieKo]

On 10/26/2022 at 2:56 PM, Coirbidh said:

In case this helps anyone else here, or on the BioWare side of things (@JackieKo, @CommunityTeam, and/or @CommunitySupport), here is my host.developer.log:

It seems that there is an issue with localization. Can you set the launcher in English and see if it works? 

[-Fabien-]

@JackieKo

Excluding my linux OS, on my windows (10), I've no AV. After press play button, swtor.exe is run during ~10" and exit. No logs on /retailclient/swtor/logs

 

[Coirbidh]

10 hours ago, JackieKo said:

It seems that there is an issue with localization. Can you set the launcher in English and see if it works? 

@JackieKo, I can't even get the launcher to open so that I can do so—I click on the application, nothing happens for several seconds, then I get the error message that says "Host_WindowLoadTimeout."

[Szob]

Same problem with the launcher here. Since the update. In fact, I started having launcher 206 error back in early September.  Now, I have the incorrect game version error when I log into the game and I cannot enter any operation or group content. Can only run on planets. I am on old, unupdated Windows 7 Pro and I do not have ANY virus software, Windows Defender is OFF, firewall down, DNS set to Google's 8.8.8.8 and the launcher is refusing to patch to correct version. I also deleted the BitRaider folder and the game does the veryfing bit, but still launcher does not get updated. And also if I download the installer I get the host_IEVersionFailure, so I cannot (re-)install the game. I am stuck with the launcher which allows me to log in to a character, but I cannot do any group content, just run around the Fleet.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Szob

[-Fabien-]

Fresh install on Windows :

=> french : press play button | launcher closed, swtor process launch & exit ...

=> english : press play button | nothing happens. launcher remains open ... in launcher log

Quote

11/01/2022 18:56:44 CONSOLE - WorkflowManager - Event Complete - {"successful":false,"cancelled":false,"errors":["Launch_Error_UnknownCode"],"name":"launch","workflow":"51f7d11f54a408409df9184a5929490e","exists":true,"global":true}

=> retry french : now i've same problem as english

@JackieKoWe need a solution. Please provide a version on PTS to debug problem with more logs.

Edited November 1, 2022 by -Fabien-

[JackieKo]

4 hours ago, Szob said:

I am on old, unupdated Windows 7 Pro and I do not have ANY virus software, Windows Defender is OFF, firewall down, DNS set to Google's 8.8.8.8 and the launcher is refusing to patch to correct version. 

We highly recommend that you update Windows as that can be the root cause of your current issue. 

[SteveTheCynic]

5 hours ago, Szob said:

I am on old, unupdated Windows 7 Pro and I do not have ANY virus software, Windows Defender is OFF, firewall down, DNS set to Google's 8.8.8.8

You are asking for as much trouble as the Internet can give you.  In spades.

[RaulTheConquerer]

I'm a sub. Longtime player from years past.  The new launcher does not play well with PC.  Tried installing the game on multiple PC's with different configs running Windows 10.  All were fully updated, all are modern hardware with good specs.  Does not download the game, only hangs showing the animated loading symbol.

Solution: Install SWTOR through Steam.  Works without issues.  The game also runs very well performance-wise. Just as well as stand-alone client.

[Szob]

21 hours ago, SteveTheCynic said:

You are asking for as much trouble as the Internet can give you.  In spades.

I meant for the purpose of trying to help the launcher to patch itself.  To no avail. And don't worry, this is my gaming PC and there is nothing of worth on it other than SWTOR game and some music of mine (which is backed on my Linux laptop). So, other than playing SWTOR and watching YT I do not check any mails on it nor go to questionable websites to catch some virus or troyan. I got 6 years like this and no issues. I am still behind a router with a good firewall.

[Szob]

On 10/31/2022 at 3:04 PM, JackieKo said:

It seems that there is an issue with localization. Can you set the launcher in English and see if it works? 

So, this is your solution? Force me to run a 2 hour long PAYABLE system upgrade to fix launcher issue your developers caused? Seriously!?

Have you read the thread answers? People with Windows 10 report the launcher not working either. Also reporting having installer not working with the same error as mine on Windows 10. So, I should trust you and spend money and time on a new OS only to discover I cannot use the installer either? Nope. No dice. I got like 3 weeks left of my sub and if I cannot play this game then after 10 years of being a sub, I will not extend my subscription.

[Szob]

On 10/27/2022 at 4:58 PM, LordBritain said:

Steam didn't work for me either.  Exactly the same problem.

What system are you on? Windows 7, 10 or 11? I got Win 7 Pro and I am thinking to go steam, but if it fails I will have no way of going back since the installer does not work either. I do not need Windows 10 with its constant forced updates on my gaming PC.

[Szob]

Ok, In developers' log I found this:

>A newer version of Internet Explorer is required to run (8 != 9)
>DEBUG - Failed to localize (Host_IEVersionFail)

So, I got IE8, while they want 9. At least I know why the SWTOR installer is not starting. I can still download IE11 from MS website and install a bunch of updates along with it, but at least I should be able to get the installer to work to re-install the game.

Now in the process of removing the BitRaider. This will force game re-download. See if it helps.

[-Fabien-]

Play on Linux, it's "good" from steam but not for standalone version after the new launcher version. I hope a fix (because i've same problem on my windows partition) & i hope @JackieKo & bioware team could help us by a PTS version with more logs or other solution to investigate problem.

[Szob]

45 minutes ago, Szob said:

Ok, In developers' log I found this:

>A newer version of Internet Explorer is required to run (8 != 9)
>DEBUG - Failed to localize (Host_IEVersionFail)

So, I got IE8, while they want 9. At least I know why the SWTOR installer is not starting. I can still download IE11 from MS website and install a bunch of updates along with it, but at least I should be able to get the installer to work to re-install the game.

Now in the process of removing the BitRaider. This will force game re-download. See if it helps.

Ok, removing the BitRaider did not fix the issue and the launcher did not re-download the game.

But on the flip side, I downloaded the Internet Explorer 11 from Microsoft website and at first it failed to install due to missing updates, but the installer took me to a help page which listed the updates required to install IE11 including the links to download the updates. I downloaded 5 small updates, installed them on my Win7 Pro 64bit and lo and behold, the Internet Explorer 11 was successfully installed. Then I went to the SWTOR installer and yeap, it started successfully and I will be able to remove and reinstall the game from scratch (backing up my settings from AppData naturally).

So for the users on Windows 7 who want to re-download the game and get the host_IEVersionFail error: go install Internet Explorer 11 and you can then remove and install the game again.

[SAM_KOTOR]

Hi All
Just decided to play the game today after a month or so, and woops...
First the launcher updated itself (I hope it did), and now I'm seeing endless rotation of the blue cog on the right of the Launcher
Rebooted PC twice, restarted launcher more than ten times - same result. I'm subscriber and on W10.
Any ideas what I should do?
update:
there are two errors in launcher.log, I believe it can be related to the issue:

• 2022-11-02 18:09:02 ERROR unknown group (patcher2022_migration)
• 2022-11-02 18:09:02 ERROR patching file to same version?

update 2:
it seems it can't login to somewhere, it shows same behavior even after I put some gibberish instead of my password,,,

update 3:
Tried to start the game today, 9:53 local time. Now 10:45, cog still spinning, nothing more happens.
But it uses more and more memory, 9-57 and 10-48

@JackieKo Hi! I see you're from Bioware. Maybe you will be able to help...

Edited November 3, 2022 by SAM_KOTOR

[Szob]

Ok, so here is the update on re-installing the game after upgrading to IE11.

Basically, no dice. The installer starts OK, but as it starts the installation it fails to download the game and returns the same network connection issue as the launcher.

So, I removed the game entirely and was not able to reinstall it on my Win7 Pro. But I had the repair package for the launcher. I basically extracted it and I was able to start the launcher and to my surprise the launcher started to download the entire game. It took less than 1 hour and the entire 50G game was downloaded and I was able to log in to it. But the same patching error is still there and I am on the old launcher and it seems my game assets are from June 2022, not from October/November 2022. So, when I log in to the game I get the same version mismatch and I cannot enter any instance, just run on the Fleet or open planets.

So, now I went to my laptop where I have a recent copy of the SWTOR (version before the launcher update). I started the launcher and it initiated the update and once it updated corrected it went to re-download 40G of the game. It took around 40 mins and the game upgraded itself and no issues with the launcher and it starts and runs OK.

I reviewed the game folder and there are a lot of new files there due to the new launcher. So, I decided to copy the entire game (51,4G) to my external HDD and put it on my PC with Windows 7.  This is the only way I see it will work. I will let you guys know if putting the current version of the game manually on the HDD works for Win7 users. If it works, then future patches should theoretically work if the new launcher is up and running.

But as suggested, I have the old SSD drive patched up to my gaming PC and I will wipe it and install Linux on it and then use the Steam to get the game running on it.

Can't help but have a feeling the EA is trying to force people to drop older Windows versions in favour of Windows 10+. This all looks too much like a deliberate error to me. The game was being developed since 2006 still starting on XP, then Vista and in 2009 Win7 came along. When they launched it in 2011 I think Windows 8 was not even around. There is no reason why this game with its old engine should not work on Windows 7.

UPDATE1: I transferred the copy of SWTOR folder from Windows 10 to Windows 7 and the launcher started, looked for available updates for some 30 seconds and did not return any errors and allowed me to log into the game.  But in the 2nd stage where you have the button PLAY, it first showed a prompt Checking for updates on the bottom left and after some 30 seconds it returned the error. The message read: Launcher error: code 987 - RepositoryFileCheck_Error_MetaFile and the PLAY botton never got active. So, copying the game with an updated launcher does not solve the issue. It looks like some network connection problem. I disabled the firewall to see if this helps but 2nd login was a failure. I could type in my password, but the laucher never actually logged in and moved to 2nd stage. It just stayed on the login page and never moved to stage 2. So, a total disaster. I will get now get Steam on Windows 7 and see if getting the game via Steam solves the issue. If SWTOR on Steam does not work on Windows 7 it surely looks like they want to drop Windows 7 support.

UPDATE2: I installed the Steam, downloaded the SWTOR in some 45 mins and after I started the game I got a Certificate verification failed error. So, Steam SWTOR under Windows 7 does not launch either. I read on Wine forums it is related to some invalid certificates. I downloaded 2 old ones that the game needs, installed them and still the same error. So, seems for now SWTOR is out of my playing list till they resolve the issues.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Szob

[-Fabien-]

6 hours ago, Szob said:

Can't help but have a feeling the EA is trying to force people to drop older Windows versions in favour of Windows 10+. This all looks too much like a deliberate error to me. The game was being developed since 2006 still starting on XP, then Vista and in 2009 Win7 came along. When they launched it in 2011 I think Windows 8 was not even around. There is no reason why this game with its old engine should not work on Windows 7.

In fact, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so there is no reason to Bioware to do

[SAM_KOTOR]

1 minute ago, -Fabien- said:

In fact, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so there is no reason to Bioware to do

And I'm on W10 and still can't run the game - unless they try to push me forward to W11

[Szob]

17 hours ago, -Fabien- said:

In fact, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so there is no reason to Bioware to do

Yet, when I was installing the Steam version, the game description says Windows 7 in system requirements. Windows 8, 10 and 11 is not even mentioned there. So, why mislead people?

[Szob]

17 hours ago, SAM_KOTOR said:

And I'm on W10 and still can't run the game - unless they try to push me forward to W11

Yeah, I am sorry for that mate. My Windows 10 on my laptop works fine, but I do not want to play on a much slower computer when I have a dedicated gaming PC, even though the laptop is 8 cores with a decent NVidia and loads of RAM. It still runs slower than my i7 desktop. Now I have 2 copies of the game, 1 standalone and 1 from Steam, neither of them working.