Games For Windows Live

[marmoo]

Hey all

 

Here I am again, back with more problems because of GFWL!

 

I haven't been playing much GTA IV over the last few weeks but yesterday something very strange happened with has now become very annoying

 

I thought I would have a quick online race on GTA IV

when I launched GTA IV it came up with the normal GFWL login process as it was booting up GTA IV after the social club login but unusually, where as always I automatically sign in to GFWL, this time it said i was not logged in.

I logged in and it told me here was a GFWL update

Like a fool I did not shut down GFWL and GTA IV and check on this forum for a manual patch, i attempted to launch patch via GFWL

 

Everything appeared to download and install.

rebooted PC as instructed and thought i would quickly run cc cleaner to clean up the left over DLL's and obsolete keys

Well...not only did it have the old DLL's for the GFWL but there was also a multitude of other programs whose DLL's were apparently 'issues'

- Steam being one of these - I had completed no update's or removals of those programs at all

Also, I noticed that all of a sudden, my DVD drive would not recognise the disc's which i attempted to run

 

I have completed a system restore back to before I attempted this download of an update for GFWL and all appears now to be fine (including DVD drive picking up disc's )

 

quick question

 

Has there been a recent GFWL update and has anyone else had a few problems with it?

Before the update I was running on 1.0.7.0 patch (PC)

 

Cheers as always guys

Edited November 7, 2011 by marmoo

[EvilDog77]

There was an update yesterday. Mine installed from within GfWL with no issues. Lucky me. :-)

[orgcon]

Well I've got a bloody headache from GFWL not installing the updates, Automatically or Manually.

 

From a fresh install of the game I've tried installing the latest patch (7 on R*s patch page) including the maintenance patch from 2009, but no matter what I do I get this error;

 

 

[mkey82]

http://www.4shared.com/file/sHL0ym0_/GTAIV_patch_7.html

 

Extract this to the game directory and overwrite old files.

[orgcon]

After extracting the files into to dir. the game crashed on start up before it even got to the License splash screen, so I rebooted to make sure it didn't need finalising and it crashed at start up again saying the "DFA failed to initialise"

 

I could reinstall the game to make sure, but if there is another solution I'm all ears.

 

- To answer a question you are obliged to ask, 'YES I do have a legitimate copy of the game, I have the 4 disc Complete Edition'.

[mkey82]

Are you use you wrote the error correctly? I have to admit that's the first time I see that one. Post your system specification.

[radioman]

The easiest solution is to just use Xliveless, it bypasses Live and thus means you don't have to worry about it anymore...Just a friendly heads up.

[orgcon]

@ radioman. I use xLiveless anyway for mods, but if I wanted to play online (official) I need to update to patch 7.

 

@mkey82. I have no idea how I came across the 'DFA failing to initialise' error message, but I definatly saw it somewhere.

 

I have installed the game again and this time I didn't let the game try and autopatch, I just went from base installation to extracting your files into the Dir. and the same problem occurs, using the 'LaunchGTAIV.exe' it just crashes before the first splash screen. Just saying 'GTAIV has encountered a problem ..blah blah blah'

 

I don't know how my specs will help you but here they are from Speccy;

 

Operating System

MS Windows XP Media Center Edition Professional 32-bit SP3

CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz

Conroe 65nm Technology

RAM

4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 333MHz (5-5-5-15) (Corsair)

Motherboard

ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5B-TMX-GB-SI (Socket 775)

Graphics

1024MB GeForce 9600 GT (nVidia)

Hard Drives

244GB Seagate ST3250620AS (SATA)

488GB Seagate ST3500320AS (SATA)

Optical Drives

SONY DVD RW AW-G170A

Audio

Creative X-Fi Audio Processor (WDM)

 

 

I have Run Gta 4 fine in the past, but I uninstalled it to make HDD space available while I played EFLC, but now I've installed GTAIV again it keeps crashing or GFWL wont install updates past 1.0.4.0.

 

I distinctly remember patch 1.0.5.0 disabled the RGSC.exe and just initialised it into the game startup feature to save on memory but, I was wondering if patch 7 through GFWL had an issue with RGSC still being active at base installation and it causes errors or something.. So maybe if someone has a patch 1.0.5.0 I could install to jump past the error, then install patch 7 over it (just an idea)

[mkey82]

Do you have this installed GFWL update ?

[orgcon]

Yes I do.

 

Although the Marketplace brings up an error when I try to log in. But I don't use it so its not a problem. I can still log into GFWL.

[mkey82]

Does the game show the RGSC applet or not? Try using xliveless to temporarily disable GFWL and RGSC.

[orgcon]

It shows this;

 

 

Then as soon as I click play or Play(offline) it crashes, and xLiveless didn't do anything same problem occured.

[mkey82]

Do you have any mods in this installation? Try to delete game settings.

[orgcon]

Nope, fresh installation (excluding xLiveless which I put in there to test.)

 

And there isn't a GTAIV folder in \Local settings\AppData\Rockstar Games, there is just a RGSC folder with my user details in it.

[marmoo]

so in the end it was only me and orgcon who have had the problems - very strange

 

In the end i bit the bullet and formatted PC and reinstalled operating system and all programs including GTA IV

reinstalled the update and this time, no problems

must have been some kind of corruption for me

[orgcon]

Its still not working for me but TBH its taken so long to get no where that I'm not actually interested in playing GTA4 anymore, and reformatting just isn't an option. I could whack it on a partition but like I said I'm just not interested anymore.

 

If GTA V turns out to be as equally BALLACHING to install and update, then I might just have to stop buying R*'s games [Fullstop]

 

And if Windows Live continues to require that all games made for its platform have to go through it in order to work (and take up runtime with unneccesary background programs) then ppl are going to be more encouraged to pirate games rather than be put off.

 

Whinge over!

[mkey82]

I foresee many issues with the new installment; same engine, same dirty port.

[radioman]

 

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz

 

 

That right there could be part of the problem-your processor does not meet minimum for the game, as according to the box the game comes in, the minimum is a 2.4GHZ Dual core processor...Recommended is a 2.4GHZ Quad/2.1 Phenom X3-also according to the box the game came in...Just a friendly heads up.

[marmoo]

 

I foresee many issues with the new installment; same engine, same dirty port.

 

Too true Mkey...too true

 

Decided to have this on PS3 - will wait and see what happens with PC version before i decide to buy it on that platform

[orgcon]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz

 

 

That right there could be part of the problem-your processor does not meet minimum for the game, as according to the box the game comes in, the minimum is a 2.4GHZ Dual core processor...Recommended is a 2.4GHZ Quad/2.1 Phenom X3-also according to the box the game came in...Just a friendly heads up.

Well that sir, is where you are wrong!

 

Just because you saw a bunch of numbers that don't match the SO CALLED "required" specs. It doesn't instantly mean the game wont run.

 

If you had also taken into account the fact that I have a 9600GT with 1Gb of GPU RAM available, 3.5Gb of System RAM (not 4Gb because of XP) and a 250Gb Seagate OS HDD for plenty of Virtual mem. You would know that I can run the game on full settings no problem.

 

It might be a prototype CPU released way before the full Quad-core became available, but its a pretty durable little bugger, and its lasted me 6 years so far with no sign of giving up!!

 

Which just goes to show that system specs aren't an accurate representation of whats actually needed!

 

There are even ppl out there with expensive Hardware, so far in advance that the game wont even run because it doesn't recognise the drivers. Yeah you can run Crysis on full, but I'd like to see you get GTA IV to work ..at all!

 

Just some friendly advice

[mkey82]

ALL system memory stacks up. 32 bit system can only map 4GB of memory addresses, including RAM, VRAM, system devices and some reserved memory space.

[orgcon]

Which is probably why I could only play on full settings for a about 5 mins before the BSOD kicked in!

 

Anyway I've needed a new PC for ages, but the idea of upgrading to W7 on this old heap is laughable.

 

I may install a 5 finger discount version of W7 just to see if its worth buying for this though, it could improve things, but it might not...