PCO Won't Start

[Beany]

Hi Guys,

Finally downloaded the game after about 9 hours (original download via Firefox failed after 7 hours but suggested download manager worked). Installed game but when I click on play I get the message "Panzer Command: Ostfront has stopped working. Windows is checking on a solution".

I am running Vista Home Premium on a Quad Core Intel Q8300 with 4GB of RAM and 512Mb Nvidia GeForce 9500 GS video card. Not sure why the game won't start. I can start the map maker and a few of the other options on the game menu but can't start the game nor the configuration option.

Any assistance and advice would be greatly appreciated as I would love to get started on the game.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chorlto,

Sorry to hear you are having problems getting the game to run. We have to start by gathering some information.

Could you please post a DxDiag file and the text of the most recent file that is in the /Log sub-folder of your installation folder?

Are you logged in with an administrator-level account?

Did you allow all the .NET and DirectX components to install and if so, did you choose to "restart later" and allow the rest of the installation to finish when prompted by the .NET installers?

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I'll start from the last question. I did let both the .Net and DirectX components install before allowing the PC to restart. I actually have had the demo installed on the PC and had been playing it so was surprised when the full game did not start.

Pardon my ignorance but what is a DxDiag file and where do I access it (I assume it has something to do with DirectX)?

The only file in the Log folder is Placeholder and it has no data in it. It is a blank notepad file. I do have a log file in my Demo folder for the 11/5/11 but I doubt this has any relevant info.

Thanks for your help with this.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chorlto,

Interesting. Let's pursue this a bit further. Does the demo still work fine? Did you install the game in its own separate location or in the same location where the demo is? Can you try uninstalling the demo to see if that makes any difference (it doesn't here, but here both work fine on our test systems).

Are you logged in with an administrator-level account? The main game has a serial number check and the demo does not. The serial number check requires administrator-level access to the game files and the registry. That may be causing the issue here. Do you have any anti-virus or security software running that may be preventing the game accessing the registry?

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I'm logged in as administrator (I'm the only account on the PC). I have uninstalled the demo but the demo and the full game had installed to separate folders on the C: drive. The demo folder is still present with the log folder but nothing else. I did not try to play the demo before trying to play the full game. (sorry about that)

I'll turn off the anti-virus software (its Norton 360 ver 4) and see if that helps.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Chorlto
I'll turn off the anti-virus software (its Norton 360 ver 4) and see if that helps.

Ah, Norton - that has been the source of many similar issues in the past, depending on the settings. I know there is a way to tell it to completely ignore Panzer Command. That's what you want to do, if disabling it doesn't solve the problem (in some cases, it doesn't fully disable itself when it says that it's disabled). It makes logical sense that the one difference between the demo and the main game, the serial number check, is where the problem is if the demo did work.

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Have just turned off the anti-virus software and tried to play PCO. No go. I can get the screen with all the options to come up but once I press the Play option I get the PCO has stopped working message. Upsetting!!

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

Messages passed each other in the Ether!! How can I get Norton to ignore PCO?

Thanks heaps for your help and advice.

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I have attempted to have Norton ignore PCO but the game still won't load. What is interesting is that the only other options that don't load are Configuration and Map Scene Editor as well as Play. All other options actually load. That is I can access the manuals and the map editor and the campaign editor but not the play option.

Thanks in advance for your advice.[&o]

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chorlto,

We don't have Norton 360 here, but here are some suggestions:

Double-click the 360 icon, go into settings, then choose "virus and spyware protection", file exclusions tab. You're better off doing the actual file name and not the extension because you could end up allowing a virus to slip through the protection. The actual file name is PCOstfront.exe which if you chose the default path is installed in C:\Matrix Games\Panzer Command Ostfront

If that doesn't exactly correspond to your version of Norton 360, look around and see if you can find something similar in the settings for your version.

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I reinstalled PCO with Norton turned off and then attempted to have Norton ignore PCO as per your instructions (ver 4 is a bit different but I think I achieved the same result). Tried to start the game after reinstall and still no success. What is doubly frustrating is that I can run the game on my laptop which is running Win 7 Home Premium with Trend Microsystems Anti-virus. The processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo with an Nvidia 1Gb video card.

Any thoughts as to what I can do? I really would like to be able to play PCO on my desktop as the screen is larger than that on my laptop.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chorlto,

Thanks for trying. We have had some experiences in the past with Norton and McAfee where those exceptions did not work. Can you look around and see if there are any other areas where you can add PCOstfront.exe as an exception to the various security scanners?

If that still doesn't work, may I ask if you are willing, just as a test, to temporarily uninstall Norton, uninstall and reinstall the game and see if it works? It would be good to confirm 100% that Norton is the issue and not something else we may have missed.

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I've tried most options in Nortons (I think!). I will uninstall Nortons and see what happens. I will need to back up a few things first so it might not be for a day or two before I get back to you with the results. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Regards,

Mark

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

I contacted Norton on-line support and they remote controlled my PC. They unistalled Norton and PCO would not start after it was uninstalled and the PC had restarted. Same problem reared its ugly head "Panzer Command: Ostfront has stopped working." Not sure what to do now. Bit upsetting as I have been waiting for this game with huge anticipation and frustrating not to be able to run it on my PC particularly when the demo had run and wetted my appetitie.

Regards,

Mark C.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chorlto,

With Norton uninstalled, please try one more thing. Uninstall and Reinstall PCO, just to make sure Norton did not prevent it from configuring itself when it installed. If that still doesn't do the trick, we'll have to look further.

Regards,

- Erik

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

The tech person at Norton reinstalled Norton whilst they had control of the PC and given they have installed the newest version I'm not sure I could reinstall it after I uninstalled it. I realise that this won't allow us to determine if Norton was the problem but I don't want to have my PC unprotected.

Regards,

Mark C.

[Beany]

By the way Erik, Don't you sleep?

[Beany]

Hi Erik,

Any thoughts as to a cure? I am bitterly disappointed that the demo would work on my PC but the full program won't. To be honest I'm beginning to feel that I have been forgotten here after I have taken notice of your advice without any success.

Regards,

Mark C.

[junk2drive]

Maybe it's dinner time.

I think what the tech person should have done is uninstalled the game and Norton, then installed the game and .Net and DX then see if the game works. Then reinstall Norton.

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Chorlto

Hi Erik,

Any thoughts as to a cure? I am bitterly disappointed that the demo would work on my PC but the full program won't. To be honest I'm beginning to feel that I have been forgotten here after I have taken notice of your advice without any success.

Regards,

Mark C.

Well, it is Sunday. Sometimes people have things to do on a Sunday.

You're not forgotten.

Good Hunting.

MR