Gears of War (PC) Issues & Solutions

[GearsHelper]

NOTE: Information on the contents of the most recent title update can be found on the following thread:http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=606288

NOTE: Before you begin troubleshooting please make sure you have the most recent Games for Windows – LIVE version installed. As of March 2008 the most recent version is December 2007 version and it can be downloaded from here: http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US...s/default.aspx

NOTE: The most current title update can be found here: http://gearsofwar.com/GearsPC. As of March 2008 the most recent title update is title update 2. Users playing the game using versions from North America, South America, and Western Europe must install Title Update 2 to enable Games for Windows – LIVE play for Gears of War for Windows.

NOTE: Uninstalling the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable can delete your saved games. You can uninstall or reinstall Gears of War for Windows without uninstalling Games for Windows – LIVE. Your saved game is linked directly to the profile on your computer so when that profile is uninstalled the saved game data is also lost.

NOTE: Playing Gears of War for Windows from multiple independent computers can cause your saved game to get out of sync between the two locations and end up causing dataloss.

NOTE: If you have a problem with the most recent title update (and ONLY the most recent title update) that is not addressed by any of these solutions please post in the troubleshooting thread located here:http://forums.epicgames.com/showthre...=604485&page=8

Please be sure to include the following information:
1. A description of the issue
2. Your PC specs (you can get this information by going to Run... and type in dxdiag)
3. Your OS information
4. Any modifications you've made in the .inis or any type of modification to any files in the gearsPC directory structure.
5. What version of the game do you have installed (English, French, Italian, German, Iberian Spanish, LATAM Spanish, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian)?
6. Where did you get the update from: via Windows LIVE or from http://gearsofwar.com/GearsPC/?

************************************************** *****

How to use this FAQ: Find your issue from the list below then search this page (CTRL+F opens a search dialog in many internet browsers) using the correct numeric identifier (i.e. "#1").

#1. "When I launch the game I receive and error message. In the title bar of the error message it says “The DVD-ROM could not be located.” The text in the error message is: “Please insert the correct DVD-ROM, click OK, and restart the application.”"

#2. “My game stutters a lot, was there anything in the title updates that fixes this?”

#3. “My saved games disappeared after installing the most recent update!”

#4. “When I start applying the Title Update a black DOS box comes up and my motherboard update program starts”

#5. “When I try to install the title update I get an error: ‘Old file not found. However, a file of the same name was found. No update done since file contents do not match.’"

#6. “I am not prompted to install a Gears of War for Windows update when I log into Games for Windows – LIVE.”

#7. “I seem to consistently crash just a minute or two after launching the game.”

#8. “I seem to consistently crash in <specific area> and I can’t progress through the game.” or: “I frequently experience crashes in WarGame-G4WLIVE.exe”

#9. “My graphics get garbled sometimes; especially when I enter the credits screen.”

#10. "I am running a version of Windows Vista and do not get a Gears of War for Windows icon group in my start menu when I install the game or any of the updates."

#11. “When I try to launch the game I get an error message that says “Failed to find launcher reg key!”

#12. “Did you make any changes to any of the gameplay or weapons with any of the updates?”

#13. “I’ve tried everything suggested and I still can’t get my game to run after installing the most recent title update.”

[GearsHelper]

#1. Problem: When I launch the game I receive and error message. In the title bar of the error message it says “The DVD-ROM could not be located.” The text in the error message is: “Please insert the correct DVD-ROM, click OK, and restart the application.”

Information: There are actually two unique errors that use this same text. The first error has a red “X” icon and the second version of the error has a yellow exclamation point ("!"). In a nutshell: for some reason Gears cannot find your DVD (or the completely wrong DVD is in the drive) or has found a DVD that doesn't look like it is the right Gears of War disc.

Resolution: This has most often been linked to an incompatibly between Gears of War and some virtual drive programs that could be running. A virtual drive program allows the user to use a portion of hard drive space to emulate a different drive or type of drive.

[GearsHelper]

#2. Problem: “My game stutters a lot, was there anything in the title updates that fixes this?”

Resolution: There is nothing in any of the title updates that addressing the stuttering issues some users have been experiencing. At this time there is no official resolution though a number of users have made some suggestions on these forums that may improve your experience.

NOTE: We appreciate the suggestions and optimizations posted by other users. However please note that these are unofficial and unsupported solutions.

[GearsHelper]

#3. Problem: “My saved games disappeared after installing the most recent update!”

Information: There was a change in the most recent title update that changed the way the Autorun launcher worked with user accounts especially when using a limited user account. If you launched the game by putting in the disc and choosing “Play” the game was launched as if you were the “Administrator” user regardless of the actual user ID. After Title Update 2 the Autorun now correctly launches the game with your login user ID.

Resolution: Verify saved games are not available by logging in as the “Administrator” user and launching the game.

NOTE: Playing Gears of War for Windows from multiple independent computers can cause your saved game to get out of sync between the two locations and end up causing dataloss. Additionally, if you uninstall the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable file you also risk losing saved game/progress.

[GearsHelper]

#4. Problem: “When I start applying the Title Update a black DOS box comes up and my motherboard update program starts”

Information: This seems to happen mostly with computers with ASUS motherboards where users have installed the ASUS GUI BIOS updater.

Resolution: Uninstall the BIOS updater, install the Gears of War for Windows title update, then reinstall the BIOS updater if desired.
More information can be found here: http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/sho...d.php?t=588880

[GearsHelper]

#5. Problem: “When I try to install the title update I get an error: ‘Old file not found. However, a file of the same name was found. No update done since file contents do not match.’"

Information: It is likely that you are attempting to install the update on a Russian or Eastern European version of Gears of War for Windows. The information regarding the compatibility of this update with those language versions was inadvertently not posted along with the patch. While the error message is a little unclear when it appears it means that the patch did not get applied and your Gears of War for Windows installation should continue to operate correctly.

Resolution:
1) Do not attempt to install the update on a Russian or an Eastern European language version of Gears of War for Windows. The game will continue to operate properly and there is no impact on the ability to play with any other Gears of War PC player from any region. The Eastern European versions of the game include the Polish, Czechoslovakian, and Hungarian language versions of Gears of War for Windows.

2) If you are getting this error message on a version of the game other than Russian or Eastern European it means the patch found some inconsistencies in the files that it is supposed to update so, rather than overwriting them it chooses to not install. It is possible your installation has become corrupted. A reinstall of the game should allow the update.

NOTE: Remember, you do not need to uninstall the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable if you uninstall the game prior to a reinstallation. Doing so may cause you to lose your saved game data.

[GearsHelper]

#6. Problem: “I am not prompted to install a Gears of War for Windows update when I log into Games for Windows – LIVE.”

Information: Either the update was already successfully applied or you are running the Russian or Eastern European version of the game. Games for Windows – LIVE knows that this update is not compatible with those versions so does not prompt to update your installation.

Resolution: You may attempt to manually install the title update by going to the following site and following the Title Update links to download the file located there. http://gearsofwar.com/GearsPC/
Once the file is downloaded simply execute the file.

NOTE: If you receive the following message: "Old file not found. However, a file of the same name was found. No update done since file contents do not match." The patch was previously successfully applied, your system is not compatible, or one or more of the files for your Gears of War for Windows installation has been corrupted or modified and is not recognized by the patch program. Reinstall Gears of War for Windows and attempt the update process again.

NOTE: Remember, you do not need to uninstall the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable if you uninstall the game prior to a reinstallation. Doing so may cause you to lose your saved game data.

[GearsHelper]

#7. Problem: “I seem to consistently crash just a minute or two after launching the game.”

Information: This is typically caused if you have not updated your system with the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable.

Resolution:
Download and install the latest Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=98609

NOTE: As of this writing the most recent redist is from December 2007.

[GearsHelper]

#8. Problem: “I seem to consistently crash in <specific area> and I can’t progress through the game.”

or: “I frequently experience crashes in WarGame-G4WLIVE.exe”

Information: This can be caused by a number of items:
1) Incorrect or old version of the Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable.

2) Many users have reported crash problems have disappeared after faulty RAM was detected and replaced.

3) A required piece video/graphics or audio content necessary for the next area the game is missing or corrupted.

4) The computer is running out of system resources needed to run the game.

5) Some users have found that the default paging pool size is not correct to run Gears of War for Windows.

Resolution:
1) Download and install the latest Games for Windows – LIVE redistributable: http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US...s/default.aspx

2) Please see the following topics to assist in troubleshooting issues with the system RAM:
http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/sho...51&postcount=1
http://forums.epicgames.com/showpost...2&postcount=68

3) Uninstall and reinstall Gears of War for Windows.

4) Ensure than no extra programs are running while you are playing the game.

5) Please see the following thread for information: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=584860

NOTE: Registry alterations can be very dangerous to the stability of your system. Other options should be exhausted before modifying the registry. Modifying the registry is not recommended or supported.

[GearsHelper]

#9. Problem: “My graphics get garbled sometimes; especially when I enter the credits screen.”

Information: This occurs on some hardware configurations but the core issue has not been completely identified.

Resolution: This is particularly common with DX10 running on Nvidia cards. While we don’t know the cause of this yet updating to the most recent drivers may solve the problem.
Additionally, users with Windows Vista have reported having a good luck solving this issue by disabling the Aero desktop. See the following thread for more information:
http://forums.epicgames.com/showpost...&postcount=119

[GearsHelper]

#10. Problem: "I am running a version of Windows Vista and do not get a Gears of War for Windows icon group in my start menu when I install the game or any of the updates."

Information: On Windows Vista we do not build a program group of icons for Gears of War for Windows. Instead we place an icon in the Windows Game Explorer. This is a requirement for any game to earn the “Games for Windows” or “Games for Windows – LIVE” branding on Windows Vista.

[GearsHelper]

#11. Problem: “When I try to launch the game I get an error message that says “Failed to find launcher reg key!”

Information: This occurs if the Gears of War registry entries are missing or have become corrupted. The registry entries are created during the setup process.

Resolution: Please reinstall the game from the DVD. The setup routine will recreate the registry entries.

[GearsHelper]

#12. Problem: “Did you make any changes to any of the gameplay or weapons with any of the updates?”

Information: No gameplay or weapons were altered with the Title Updates. For more information about changes made with the most recent title update please visit:
http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=606288

[GearsHelper]

#13. Problem: “I’ve tried everything suggested and I still can’t get my game to run after installing the most recent title update.”

Information: If you were able to play prior to installing the update but cannot get into the game after the update there is a way to revert back to the previous game state. This may help some of you return to a playable state.

CAUTION: If there are multiple versions of unpatch.bak make sure to use the most recent unpatch.bak file, using an older version may cause more problems with your Gears of War for Windows installation and possibly require a reinstallation of the game. You can find out which is the newest version by checking the time/date stamp.

CAUTION: While this solution will allow you to access the single player mode of the game it will impact your ability to connect and play games through Games for Windows – LIVE and should be considered as a last resort.

CAUTION: You should only perform these steps if your Gears of War for Windows game was working prior to installing the update.

Resolution:
1) Look in the directory where you installed Gears of War for Windows. If the update got applied there will be a directory named "BACKUP". Within that directory is a file called "unpatch.bak".
2) If there are multiple “unpatch” files look for the most recent and change the name to “unpatch.bat".
3) Double click the unpatch.bat file.
4) When the update is reverted you should be able to launch Gears of War for Windows.
5) NOTE: When you launch, if you log into Games for Windows – LIVE it will prompt you to update again. Decline the update. By declining the update you will be unable to connect to LIVE but you should be able to exercise any single player functionality.