Windower Crashes Upon Launch

Hi,

When I launch the game/POL, Windower crashes. If any, my issue is exactly the same as this person, except that her/his solution did not work for me.

Further possibly relevant information:

• My OS is Windows 7 64-bit
• Game works perfectly without Windower when run through Steam

Please advise. Thank you in advance.

Can you post the crash.log file from your Windower directory?

Can you post the crash.log file from your Windower directory?

Sure, it is as below:

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
[ 4.2.5564.39855 ] 2015-11-22 04:37:21.6389697 UTC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The system cannot find the file specified
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=q$pww7u7a8E5KBZ87oKIoig==(String #=qoOfmmNOMqhuJULvaMcWu2w==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=quTc0RVW0C2_5GERaxMw4LQ==, Boolean #=qhFOX1aUHv3mgiXMa34qGNQ==, TimeSpan #=qFEzHGxyOne7p37rEWbV8$w==)
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=qsKKl1l0g1HURDWit8B79Fw==(String #=qqKTShJx7xnazuWOpJ6ZDeg==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=qiV1cyIFi8uzxd23Z9RTz8A==, Boolean #=qvxtyf2yqPR87sOWe96PA4A==)
   at #=qvticlh8sdG9urHCodAc05R$Pt$DrlamfeVITJje_ohY=.#=qxA0hzrjWSVf3wZHstSp6qA==()
   at #=q4ao$U6CJ_ca3wGsQbteYRInNOUKn7px0EZirpC9v2dQ=.#=qRSqZ29WH0ZYrlsLq$sgMxA==(#=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog== #=qhFHi0z6eBl3jv5Ev3xCTig==)
   at #=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog==.#=q1GDlKxdSu3j9WeEYkyufMQ==()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

It looks like Launcher wasn't able to find pol.exe at the location that the registry says it should find it.

How can I direct the launcher to the pol.exe then?

There is a way, but you should fix your registry instead. I assume at some point you had multiple FFXI versions installed? (Like EU and NA or some other combination.) If you have since uninstalled one of them you should delete it from the registry (although the uninstaller should have done that itself, so do this only if you're sure you know what you're doing).

Otherwise you can select the region in the Windower Launcher. Start Windower.exe and then select the profile you want to start from. Click the "Edit" button (the pen icon). There you can select the Region. The default is "Auto-detect", which may fail if you have an invalid registry entry, since that is how it detects it. Instead select the region you want to start with below.

There is a way, but you should fix your registry instead. I assume at some point you had multiple FFXI versions installed? (Like EU and NA or some other combination.) If you have since uninstalled one of them you should delete it from the registry (although the uninstaller should have done that itself, so do this only if you're sure you know what you're doing).

I tried both (Auto-Detect and Europe), neither worked. 

That sounds like a bug with the Windower launcher then, assuming your EU registry entry is correct.

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/ there should be "PlayOnlineEU" and maybe others like "PlayOnlineUS" for the NA version or just "PlayOnline" for the JP version. You can delete whichever ones you're sure you don't need anymore, but before you do it, can you check PlayOnlineEU/InstallFolder/ and see if the paths specified for 0001 and 1000 are correct? If they're not, that would explain it. If they are, Windower might be at fault here, somehow.

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/ there should be "PlayOnlineEU" and maybe others like "PlayOnlineUS" for the NA version or just "PlayOnline" for the JP version.

As you can see here, there is no PlayOnlineEU but PlayOnlineUS.  Also, this is the windower settings of my Windower.

playonlineeu is right above PlayOnlineUS in your screenshot; registry keys are not case-sensitive.

playonlineeu is right above PlayOnlineUS in your screenshot; registry keys are not case-sensitive.

It is indeed, so sorry for that, I overlooked it.

As for this:

The path is correctly set as seen here.  If any, this is the contents of the PlayOnlineUS InstallFolder

So is it safe to delete the PlayOnlineUS and InstallFolder from the registry?

Yes, looks like it's safe to delete it. It's still weird that Windower doesn't work right if you select EU explicitly, as the EU paths seem correct (from what you say). Can you see if it works after deleting the PlayOnlineUS entry?

System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The directory name is invalid
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=q$pww7u7a8E5KBZ87oKIoig==(String #=qoOfmmNOMqhuJULvaMcWu2w==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=quTc0RVW0C2_5GERaxMw4LQ==, Boolean #=qhFOX1aUHv3mgiXMa34qGNQ==, TimeSpan #=qFEzHGxyOne7p37rEWbV8$w==)
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=qsKKl1l0g1HURDWit8B79Fw==(String #=qqKTShJx7xnazuWOpJ6ZDeg==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=qiV1cyIFi8uzxd23Z9RTz8A==, Boolean #=qvxtyf2yqPR87sOWe96PA4A==)
   at #=qvticlh8sdG9urHCodAc05R$Pt$DrlamfeVITJje_ohY=.#=qxA0hzrjWSVf3wZHstSp6qA==()
   at #=q4ao$U6CJ_ca3wGsQbteYRInNOUKn7px0EZirpC9v2dQ=.#=qRSqZ29WH0ZYrlsLq$sgMxA==(#=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog== #=qhFHi0z6eBl3jv5Ev3xCTig==)
   at #=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog==.#=q1GDlKxdSu3j9WeEYkyufMQ==()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

I am having the same issue. I have US and EU installed. both work with ######, but only US works with windower. when I try to use EU it loads up my xiloader and after user/pass it closes. and this is the error in the log.

System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The directory name is invalid
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=q$pww7u7a8E5KBZ87oKIoig==(String #=qoOfmmNOMqhuJULvaMcWu2w==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=quTc0RVW0C2_5GERaxMw4LQ==, Boolean #=qhFOX1aUHv3mgiXMa34qGNQ==, TimeSpan #=qFEzHGxyOne7p37rEWbV8$w==)
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=qsKKl1l0g1HURDWit8B79Fw==(String #=qqKTShJx7xnazuWOpJ6ZDeg==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=qiV1cyIFi8uzxd23Z9RTz8A==, Boolean #=qvxtyf2yqPR87sOWe96PA4A==)
   at #=qvticlh8sdG9urHCodAc05R$Pt$DrlamfeVITJje_ohY=.#=qxA0hzrjWSVf3wZHstSp6qA==()
   at #=q4ao$U6CJ_ca3wGsQbteYRInNOUKn7px0EZirpC9v2dQ=.#=qRSqZ29WH0ZYrlsLq$sgMxA==(#=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog== #=qhFHi0z6eBl3jv5Ev3xCTig==)
   at #=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog==.#=q1GDlKxdSu3j9WeEYkyufMQ==()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

I am having the same issue. I have US and EU installed. both work with ashita, but only US works with windower. when I try to use EU it loads up my xiloader and after user/pass it closes. and this is the error in the log.

No, this is a completely unrelated problem; open a new thread please.

 Can you see if it works after deleting the PlayOnlineUS entry?

After deleting the entry, it still crashes, plus when running FFXI directly, i.e. when booting POL, this error came up: Class Not Registered

Also, the crash log entry is identical to the previous:

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
[ 4.2.5564.39855 ] 2015-11-30 09:05:27.2371204 UTC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The system cannot find the file specified
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=q$pww7u7a8E5KBZ87oKIoig==(String #=qoOfmmNOMqhuJULvaMcWu2w==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=quTc0RVW0C2_5GERaxMw4LQ==, Boolean #=qhFOX1aUHv3mgiXMa34qGNQ==, TimeSpan #=qFEzHGxyOne7p37rEWbV8$w==)
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=qsKKl1l0g1HURDWit8B79Fw==(String #=qqKTShJx7xnazuWOpJ6ZDeg==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=qiV1cyIFi8uzxd23Z9RTz8A==, Boolean #=qvxtyf2yqPR87sOWe96PA4A==)
   at #=qvticlh8sdG9urHCodAc05R$Pt$DrlamfeVITJje_ohY=.#=qxA0hzrjWSVf3wZHstSp6qA==()
   at #=q4ao$U6CJ_ca3wGsQbteYRInNOUKn7px0EZirpC9v2dQ=.#=qRSqZ29WH0ZYrlsLq$sgMxA==(#=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog== #=qhFHi0z6eBl3jv5Ev3xCTig==)
   at #=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog==.#=q1GDlKxdSu3j9WeEYkyufMQ==()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

That "Class Not Registered" error means there is a serious error with your install, completely unrelated to Windower. Critical game components haven't been installed correctly or may have even possibly been removed, and there's no way you could have caused that particular error by deleting the PlayOnlineUS registry key. You may be able to fix it manually using regsvr32, but it's probably going to be a lot less of a headache to just uninstall PlayOnline Viewer and Final Fantasy XI completely and start over with a clean slate before reinstalling.

That "Class Not Registered" error means there is a serious error with your install, completely unrelated to Windower. Critical game components haven't been installed correctly or may have even possibly been removed, and there's no way you could have caused that particular error by deleting the PlayOnlineUS registry key. You may be able to fix it manually using regsvr32, but it's probably going to be a lot less of a headache to just uninstall PlayOnline Viewer and Final Fantasy XI completely and start over with a clean slate before reinstalling.

Reinstalled, error gone. Windower (after update) still crashes. Log:

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
[ 4.2.5564.39855 ] 2015-12-02 00:50:27.9570134 UTC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The system cannot find the file specified
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=q$pww7u7a8E5KBZ87oKIoig==(String #=qoOfmmNOMqhuJULvaMcWu2w==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=quTc0RVW0C2_5GERaxMw4LQ==, Boolean #=qhFOX1aUHv3mgiXMa34qGNQ==, TimeSpan #=qFEzHGxyOne7p37rEWbV8$w==)
   at #=qPVzKPXreBMK$G_TScC8d1Ctb_fGj44I1J70nspZgfgc=.#=qsKKl1l0g1HURDWit8B79Fw==(String #=qqKTShJx7xnazuWOpJ6ZDeg==, #=qdWKs2YH5SnFgXJPCF1szgPXoHSmmSh4DrfoUED_SDBo= #=qiV1cyIFi8uzxd23Z9RTz8A==, Boolean #=qvxtyf2yqPR87sOWe96PA4A==)
   at #=qvticlh8sdG9urHCodAc05R$Pt$DrlamfeVITJje_ohY=.#=qxA0hzrjWSVf3wZHstSp6qA==()
   at #=q4ao$U6CJ_ca3wGsQbteYRInNOUKn7px0EZirpC9v2dQ=.#=qRSqZ29WH0ZYrlsLq$sgMxA==(#=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog== #=qhFHi0z6eBl3jv5Ev3xCTig==)
   at #=q9gJgdStyyOZoRfONVWltog==.#=q1GDlKxdSu3j9WeEYkyufMQ==()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Bizarre, can you post your settings.xml file?