Game Crashes on Launch

I’ve tried doing a fresh install of Windows,

  • cleared the Bnet cache in Program files
  • ran with all non-windows services disabled
    -verified no firewall issues/tried with it off
  • used DDU to do a fresh install of NVIDIA drivers
  • turned almost all settings off in NVIDIA Control Panel
  • Removed the overlay from NVIDIA Geforce Experience and the Windows Game DVR

I’m running out of ideas to try, system runs stable with Witcher 3, NBA 2k20, League of Legends all on max settings

I’ve posted by DXDIAG below:

Can’t provide links to pastebin yet but I can message it if required!

httpsDOT//pastebinDOTcom/cwWiyJwD

Appreciate any help in advance!

Have you tried running in comparability mode for Win7?
Have you tried DirectX11? you have DirectX12.
Locate your Documents/Heroes of the Storm folder and delete the variables.txt file located in this folder.

Please come back for further assistance if needed

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Try removing the documents folder from the One Drive synchronization list. Uninstalling One Drive will not work, the folder must be removed first.

This is not required. HotS is fully compatible with Windows 10 x86-64.

They have DirectX11, by nature of having DirectX12. That is how Windows 10 works.

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I’ve removed the variables.txt file and have also tried launching with -d3d11 parameters in the client.

I also do not have the documents folder as part of the One Drive synchronization list.

If it means anything, I am also crashing on Call of Duty: MW Warzone launches at startup as well.

Oddly enough Overwatch runs in the Battle.net launcher with no issues at all…

Try setting DPI to 100% (no scaling). Try turning off HDR mode on your display. Try lowering desktop/display resolution to 1920x1080.

Once the cause is found one can try to optimize around that or find a workaround which requires fewer compromises.

Gave both a try and removed the variables file as well as tried Direct X 11 with the same issue of crashing to desktop on launch. It sits on loading for about 5 seconds then goes straight to desktop.

Hey, OmarG! There was a hotfix driver released by Nvidia for DirectX11 games, which might be causing the crashes to desktop. Let’s update the drivers to 445.78.

If that doesn’t resolve the issue, Heroes of the Storm is receiving BEX errors which can be caused by other application conflicts or with the Data Execution within Windows. Could you try closing the background apps to see if this helps?

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Thanks for the reply, new 445.78 drivers clean installed and same crash.

I’ve attempted to close several background processes but same results.

I’ll try this when using a fresh Admin account to see if the results are different.
Tried the Admin account which has limited services running but the same issue.

Today during them maintenance the screen stayed up on Blizzard services are down for maintenance. So it doesnt seem like it crashes until it’s connecting to Blizzard services.

Does this help in identifying the issue?

Thanks for trying those suggestions out, OmarG! What’s the behavior of the crashes? Are there any error codes or messages when it crashes? Disconnections could be an issue depending on what’s happening with the game on launch.

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No error codes or messages at all during or after the crash. The game simply closes and I return back to desktop with the Play button once again available to press.

I was surprised my game stayed open today to only realize I wasnt connected to the Battlenet servers due to maintenance and once that was complete it was back to the crashing to desktop with no error message.

Today it seems different with the new patch where I crash after loading and it says Authentication Connecting… then finally crashes to desktop with no error message.

I’ve attached my Windows Error Reporting, looks like Hots was found in multiple…

httpsDOTDOT//pastebinDOTcom/aT1snwec

Hey, OmarG! Sorry for the delay, I was away for a few days. Thank you for all the details here, it definitely helped provide some insight to the issue :slight_smile: It seems some what like there’s a connection issue, but at the same time it’s showing the BEX64 application crashes continuously. It’s a bit of an odd case since it’s calling out the PCH which is fairly generic, but may be tied to the Visual C++ Redistributable or runtime.

Does Heroes of the Storm work when you run it directly from the executable? In the Blizzard Application, go to Options > Show in Explorer on the Heroes of the Storm tab. Open the Support64 folder, then find HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe. Launch Heroes of the Storm from here and try logging in.

If that doesn’t work, try it while the Blizzard Application is fully closed. Make sure to close the processes on the Task Manager (Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC).

If it does persist after all of that, does the same problem happen on an alternative connection by chance?

Just so we can take a deeper look into this quickly, let’s gather an MSINFO file. Do not post this file on the forums. Please email the MSINFO file to me at techinfo@blizzard.com with the subject ATTN: Caterpepi - Heroes Crash [35945]. Once it’s sent, let me know on our thread here :slight_smile:

Please note: This inbox is not monitored and will not send responses. It’s used to collect information for Technical Support to assist in troubleshooting.

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Thanks for continuing to assist Caterpepi!

So I gave both a try:

Manually launching with BNET open - no luck, it brings to to the authentication screen, says connecting then freezes after 3-4 seconds and crashes to desktop (similar crashes as before)

With BNET closed - I could sit at the login screen for several minutes with no crash but same issue the moment I tried to login, which ends with a crash after authenticating/connecting

I tried the hotspot with my mobile device off my WiFi and same issues as before when manually launching or using the Battlenet application

I’ve sent over the MSINFO file, my guess is it seems to have issues when authenticating/connecting since I had no problems sitting at the login screen for HOTS

EDIT: As a test I’ve left HOTS at the login screen on for an hour and it hasnt crashed

Thank you for sending over the file, OmarG! It’s definitely a weird issue. With a fresh install of windows being done, the firmware or hardware being a cause is a definite concern.

I’m wondering if this may be related to the Ryzen 3600 processors and MSI motherboards. Here’s an AMD thread about the discussion. With one of our other games World of WarCraft, I’ve seen the same BEX error codes as we’ve seen with Heroes here. I wasn’t able to check the BIOS version, but it any versions after the AGESA 1.0.0.3abb or 1.0.0.3ab has been causing a handfuls of issues such as game crashes, BSODs, and etc. I’d recommend to check with the motherboard manufacturer to check on the BIOS version and if there’s any firmware issues.

This is not something we can recommend or assist with, but if you wanted to search around a bit to test. Disabling the Data Execution Prevention is a way to test if it’s tied to some issues with the BEX64 errors. It does pose a risk on the system with this disabled, however. If disabling DEP does help, I recommend to contact Microsoft to see if there may be any further recommendations.

Hopefully, this information helps out a bit with a workaround or solution to the issue :slight_smile:

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Hey Caterpepi, the V32 1.0.0.3ab BIOS did it! I’m able to launch all BNET games with no issue now!

Happy to see it wasnt exactly hardware related and I appreciate all the assistance you provided!

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Glad to hear, OmarG! Sorry I missed this the first round! It’s the first time I’ve seen this with Heroes, but I’m getting this notated on our end :slight_smile: Hopefully a fix will be pushed by MSI/AMD on this issue!

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Sorry to bump this thread again, OmarG! Our team is looking into this issue to replicate the problem on our end, along with working on this issue with other companies on the BIOS issues we’ve been seeing.

If you do have the time, could you provide us with what you were doing until it lead up to the crashes (if you recall any details)?

Much appreciated as always :slight_smile:

Sorry for the late reply, I did upgrade from a Ryzen 1700 to Ryzen 3600 and changed motherboards from a STRIX B350-F to MSI Tomahawk Max B450.

I did not test any Activision blizzard games after the upgrade and simply did a drive clone to a new SSD. Previously I had no issues with launching any games like Overwatch or HoTs.

When trying to launch these games again, I had the crashes at startup and tried all the troubleshooting tips in the thread.

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Just to hopefully add to the discussion, I have the same B450 Tomahawk Max w/ Ryzen 3600. I have been getting game crashes on game launch, entering matches, during matches, and occasionally full system crashes w/ BSOD.

The newest BIOS update seems to have sorted all this out and I thank you both so much for helping to end my suffering.

Thank you, OmarG! I’ll get this information added to our tracking for our team :slight_smile: Appreciate the report, InfuzeYou! I’m getting this report sent up to our team as well!

This worked for me, thanks