Startup Error

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 2:44 am

Hey all, got a bit of a situation...
I downloaded the demo of the game and was able to install it with no problems. However, when ever I try to launch the game (as in click on the icon for it to run), I get "Evochron Mercenary has stopped working" instantly...Haven't even made it to the title screen yet.

I run a Dell 64-bit laptop with Vista...got all of my drivers updated and tried reinstalling, downloading from mirror sites, and keep coming up with the same thing...If this problem is resolved and the game is all that it is cracked up to be, you got another sell from me.

Please and thank you, Vice.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 2:52 am

Check in the game's install folder for these 3 files:

mfc71.dll
msvcp71.dll
msvcr71.dll

If all 3 are not present, then download and run the installer from the starwraith.com link on the game's website, then try again.

If it persists, try launching the game as an administrator, right click on the desktop icon, then click on 'Run as administrator'.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:09 am

Wow...very fast reply. Kudos to all you do Vice.

As for my problem, all three of those files are present and I got it set so that it runs as administrator on default. However, it still persists. I've never seen this happen before with any of my games so this problem is completely foreign to me.

More specific info on my pc:

- DELL XPS M1536 - Windows Vista - Intel Core 2 duo

Anything I need to provide or anyway I can assist please let me know

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:11 am

If you click on Start > Run/Search > type in MSINFO32 and press enter > how much free physical memory is listed on the system summary screen?

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:25 am

Whoa...didn't know my computer could do that

The System Information page says I have 2.28 GB of Available Physical memory left out of about 3.58 GB...

don't know if this helps but I'm going to copy over the report it keeps giving me when I try to boot the game.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: EvochronMercenary.exe
Application Version: 1.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4b7840d9
Fault Module Name: StackHash_9cfd
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00007941
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 9cfd
Additional Information 2: aea2a0d7a408bfb90d70a40b35741536
Additional Information 3: add1
Additional Information 4: e86fd8f76207b04502fc8a8c6058a723

Again, anyway I can help...ask away. Help me, help you.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:31 am

Are you running Service Pack 2 for Vista, or still using vanilla or SP1?

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:49 am

Um...good question...I honestly have no idea. Is there a way to check?

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 4:53 am

This is probably the easiest way, click on Windows Update in the start menu. Check for critical updates, if there are any download and install those (then run the check again), if Service Pack 2 is listed, update to that.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:07 am

I'm looking through my update history and I see this:

The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2

I assume that's what you are refering to as I didn't see anything under my available updates. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:12 am

That's probably just SP2 for Office 2007. Do you have automatic updates turned on?

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:20 am

Yea...updates everytime I turn it off for the night. all the updates in the list are security updates...nothing about Vista Service 2 though.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:28 am

If you updated to one of the latest drivers from Nvidia, you may have the '256' set installed, which has some issues they are working on. Try rolling back to 197.X, then test. If it persists, run the DX web installer here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/d ... laylang=en

Also, is your desktop set to 32-bit color depth rather than 16-bit?

[Edited on 9-20-2010 by Vice]

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:41 am

ok...I managed to download and update the DX and problem still persists. I'm not sure how you roll back to an older version of Nvidia so if you explain how to do it, I will...

And yes, 32-bit is the default on this computer...

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:57 am

Lets try this first as I suspect the driver isn't related:

- Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Data Execution Prevention

If the setting is set to 'Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select', then change it to 'Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only'. Click Apply > OK, restart, then try launching the game again.

Another step to try:

- Temporarily delete the three files I listed above (mfc71.dll, msvcp71.dll, and msvcr71.dll) from the game's install directory, then try to launch the game. If nothing changes, restore the files.

[Edited on 9-20-2010 by Vice]

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:36 am

Ok...took me a while to find it, but the "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only" was already on.

I was able to remove the three files and temporarily put them in my recycle bin. Nothing changed when I launched the game. I still crashes one second after loading.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:25 pm

Hope this problem gets resolved...This game looks very promising. A space simulator with wonderful community and dedicated developer. I would buy the game right now but if I'm having problems with the demo, I'm scared it won't work for the actual game and I would have wasted my money.

So...very...conflicted

Post by **Vice** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:31 pm

Yeah, I wanted it to work for you too

It seems 'StackHash' errors like this did/do happen on Windows Vista periodically in a variety of software, both games and regular applications (even with Internet Explorer and other Microsoft programs). I've had a difficult time trying to find a solution, it seems the problem is rare enough, or maybe just obscure enough, to not have sufficient troubleshooting resources for it. It seems that updating to Service Pack 2 solved some of the errors while certain driver updates solved others. But there seems to be little in the way of consistency for those solutions. Still on the hunt...

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:34 am

Appreciate all the help Vice. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:24 am

Well I guess I might not be able to try this game. It's a huge shame because this game looked very promising to me. The whole space-sim premise is cool and everything but what drew me in was the the multiplayer portion and even though a relatively small number can play together at the same time...It was still a big leap in Space Simulations. I appreciate all the help Vice even though I couldn't find an solution to the problem...Don't know if I'll find a game with such a dedicated developer and multiplayer fanbase.

Fly safely (or not for you thrill junkies)

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:35 am

Sorry to hear. Did you try to run the game with DEP turned off? Also have you tried different graphic card display adaptor settings like 32 bit depth and screen resolutions, performance settings..versus quality.....DXT, tripple buffering....etc.....?

[Edited on 9-22-2010 by Maarschalk]

Post by **Vice** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:22 am

I'm willing to keep at this. Lets try a system file check and make sure things are ok there. Have your original Window Vista install disc handy, then click on Start > Run/Search > type in SFC /SCANNOW and press enter. Allow the check to complete and insert the disc when/if prompted. After that process completes, reboot your system, then immediately try to run the game to see if anything changes.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:36 am

Um...What is that program supposed to do? because when I executed the program...I got a little black window for a split second and then it disappears without doing anything else.

Post by **Vice** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 3:12 am

Did you include the ' /scannow' text? If so, it should open a small progress window as it checks your system files.

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 3:47 pm

It does open a window but it only displays it for a split second and it just disappears. Is the scan supposed to be that fast or is that not working either?

Edit: Yes, I literately copy and pasted from your post into the search bar.

[Edited on 9-22-2010 by thebarbarian09]

thebarbarian09 · Post by **thebarbarian09** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 4:20 pm

Update: Just downloaded Evochron Legends demo and it worked perfectly!

so I guess it's just Mercenaries that's screwing up. Until a solution is found, I guess I keep trying out this demo since the games are very similar to one another. Other than the station building/conquering of course.