Windows 10 Alan Wake crashes silently on startup?

[Omninano]

Odd thing is happening. I built a new computer and installed Alan Wake but cannot get it to play off of Steam because it just shuts itself off after the Remedy logo clip plays (to see what the startup is supposed to look like, watch this). No message that says it stopped working, no freezing, it just terminates. The weird thing is, I went back and tried launching the game on the laptop I beat it on originally (and on which the game was running fine a few months ago) and it does the exact same thing! Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?

Things I've tried already are restarting my computer, re-installing the game (with and without Steam saves synced), disabling the Remedy logo video clip by renaming the file, "checking the integrity of the game files" via Steam, running the game in compatibility mode for Windows 7, running the game as Administrator, turning off my antivirus, installing the DirectX web installer from their website, installing the DirectX files that come with the game in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Alan Wake\thirdparty\DirectX\DXSETUP.exe, disabling Vsync for the Alan Wake application, changing the monitor resolution, and creating a new Windows log in that was local to the machine (not linked to a Microsoft account) that had no special characters in the password.

Windows is logging the crashes in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive in some WER files. It is also logging them in some .dmp files. However, I am not experienced enough to make heads nor tails of the information these files provide me. Could any more Windows-savvy person look at the file contents and tell me the reason the app crashing? My .wer contents can be found here. However, reading my .dmp files with WINDBG just tells me "This dump file has an exception of interest stored in it. The stored exception information can be accessed via .ecxr." I don't know what that means or how to fix it.

I'd really, really, like to be able to play this game again Thank you so, so, much for any help!

 

[nmsuk]

Try installing the directx web installer

 

[Omninano]

Try installing the directx web installer

Oh, sorry, that's what I meant when I said I installed DirectX again from their website. The web installer said I had an equivalent or newer version of DirectX already installed.

Do you know how to decode those .WER files or access the .dmp files?

 

[nmsuk]

I can have a look at them. I checked the wer and couldn't see anything but shall have a look again. I'm also installing it here. See if it works here and if not, it gives me a reason to find a fix.

 

[nmsuk]

Have you reinstalled the VCredists included with the game.

 

[Omninano]

Where would I go to specifically download those from the time of its release? I couldn't find a VCredists installer in the game files stored on my computer.

Also, could this have to do with a Windows update? Since nothing has really changed about the computer that was running the game fine a few months ago, there must be some reason it stopped working at the same time as this new computer is not running it?

 

[nmsuk]

You can find the redists on the Microsoft site. It could be the update but as it works fine here. I doubt it. You could reinstall your GPU drivers. Some have found that fixes it. I'd uninstall and clean with ddu before reinstalling them. May also be a good idea to open an admin command prompt and do a SFC /scannow and a dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth to rule out any OS corruption.

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[Omninano]

I hit the checkmark labeled for "Clean Installation" when I re-installed the drivers using GeForce Experience. Anyway, doing both the driver re-installation and using sfc with /scannow and dism with /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth didn't seem to get any different results when trying to load the game.

 

[nmsuk]

Another thing to try. Locate the Alan wake folder in your documents and delete it.

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[Omninano]

Someone suggested to me that it might be another program I have on my computers that isn't playing well with Alan Wake and is preventing it from starting up. So I've decided to see if I can narrow down which program it is that is causing this. I did a full image backup of my laptop (the computer that originally ran the game fine) on an external drive and then wiped the machine clean. I'll re-install only Steam and Alan Wake, and then see if the game wants to run at that point. Assuming it does, I'll start adding programs back one by one that I have on my new desktop PC and then see after which one it stops loading the game up.

I'm still in the process of wiping right now, it is taking a few hours for Windows to do it.

 

[Omninano]

Wow! So I completely wiped my laptop computer and installed only Steam and Alan Wake on it. The only other programs it has are the default Windows 10 apps. To my surprise, though, it is still is having the same issue of crashing itself after the logo! What could be causing this??

 

[Omninano]

Any ideas on what could be the cause of it crashing on a completely new install of Windows 10?

 

[nmsuk]

More than likely a video driver issue, missing vcredist or directx.

 

[Omninano]

Yikes. So I've already re-installed DirectX multiple times, including using the installers found hidden in the game files. I've reinstalled my most recent GeForce drivers. What else should I try for making sure I'm getting a non-issue install of drivers?

P.S. I think I'm going to try installing the game on a Windows 7 machine and see if it has the same issues there as well.

 

[nmsuk]

enabled directplay in programs and features?

 

[Omninano]

Interesting! I just re-installed it and tried it on my old Windows 7 machine (that it used to work on) and got the same issue! It crashes after the logo, although on Windows 7 it gives an error message that "Alan Wake.exe has stopped working".

So I wonder if this issue is related to my Steam account? Maybe somehow I have a corrupted copy of it or something, because the Windows 7 machine is about 10 years old.

I will contact Valve next and see if they can identify a problem with my account that would prevent me from playing the game.

And DirectPlay is indeed turned on in "Turn Windows Features On or Off". Doesn't seem to be helping out.

 

[nmsuk]

I can't see it being a steam problem, have you posted in the games discussion on steam?

 

[enes simsek]

Odd thing is happening. I built a new computer and installed Alan Wake but cannot get it to play off of Steam because it just shuts itself off after the Remedy logo clip plays (to see what the startup is supposed to look like, watch this). No message that says it stopped working, no freezing, it just terminates. The weird thing is, I went back and tried launching the game on the laptop I beat it on originally (and on which the game was running fine a few months ago) and it does the exact same thing! Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?

Things I've tried already are restarting my computer, re-installing the game (with and without Steam saves synced), disabling the Remedy logo video clip by renaming the file, "checking the integrity of the game files" via Steam, running the game in compatibility mode for Windows 7, running the game as Administrator, turning off my antivirus, installing the DirectX web installer from their website, installing the DirectX files that come with the game in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Alan Wake\thirdparty\DirectX\DXSETUP.exe, disabling Vsync for the Alan Wake application, changing the monitor resolution, and creating a new Windows log in that was local to the machine (not linked to a Microsoft account) that had no special characters in the password.

Windows is logging the crashes in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive in some WER files. It is also logging them in some .dmp files. However, I am not experienced enough to make heads nor tails of the information these files provide me. Could any more Windows-savvy person look at the file contents and tell me the reason the app crashing? My .wer contents can be found here. However, reading my .dmp files with WINDBG just tells me "This dump file has an exception of interest stored in it. The stored exception information can be accessed via .ecxr." I don't know what that means or how to fix it.

I'd really, really, like to be able to play this game again Thank you so, so, much for any help!

I had the same problem and I fixed it. Windows runs the game with "integrated graphic". It must start with the main graphic card. So you have to do it manuel.

Solution:

1- Find the location
2- Right click on Alan Wake.exe
3- Go to "Run graphics proccessor"
4- Choose the main card. (Nvidia or AMD)

PS: if it still crashes than choose the "integrated".

After you can change the resolution in the game. It will start as 1024x768.

 

[Omninano]

I had the same problem and I fixed it. Windows runs the game with "integrated graphic". It must start with the main graphic card. So you have to do it manuel.

Solution:

1- Find the location
2- Right click on Alan Wake.exe
3- Go to "Run graphics proccessor"
4- Choose the main card. (Nvidia or AMD)

PS: if it still crashes than choose the "integrated".

After you can change the resolution in the game. It will start as 1024x768.

The "Run graphics processor" option does not appear for me in the right-click context menu. I have a GTX 1060, and the only software compatible with it is the GeForce Experience, not NVIDIA Control Panel.

I can't see it being a steam problem, have you posted in the games discussion on steam?

I have posted this to the game's Discussion Forum on Steam (I actually did it before posting here). Someone friendly on the forum has recently popped up to help me there, but there was no activity for a long while.

 

[bochane]

If the NVidia Control Panel is installed you will find it by right clicking somewhere on the background.
You can select the graphic processor for your wake.exe in the 3D options section.
Hope this helps