Game crashes prior to main menu loading

[Mr.Bucket]

I have scoured all 19 pages, of 277 open topics and see many related if not identical issues, to the one i'm having. I launch the game, the title cards for all the developers play, i get to a default loading screen, prior to the main menu appearing and the game repeatedly crashes without fail. None of the posts/threads here seem to contain a working solution. The last time I can for certain say that I played this game, was in 2019, on this same computer. I have tried Verifying, Re Installing (On the same and also different drivers), Restarting the rig, launching with steam cloud active and deactivated, attempted launching in several different compatibility modes, Move all the .dll files to another folder, etc. (every possible solution posted on this thread i have attempted.) What i'm hoping some person smarter than me will be able to solve is decoding the error report, from the Event Viewer which follows:

Faulting application name: Dishonored.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x620eae07
Faulting module name: MSVCR90.dll, version: 9.0.30729.9625, time stamp: 0x5db2747f
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0003af78
Faulting process ID: 0x52dc
Faulting application start time: 0x01db533a858b40f9
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dishonored\Binaries\Win32\Dishonored.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.vc90.crt_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_9.0.30729.9625_none_508ef7e4bcbbe589\MSVCR90.dll
Report ID: d2f201b0-ad4d-45c7-b123-3476df2c59e6
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

I also haven't been able to find an unofficial patch that matches the NON-definitive edition of dishonoured (that doesn't look sketchy).

Will i find hope and a solution? Who knows. This serves as my last ditch attempt before i waste a coveted 6$ on the definitive edition (which may or may not work ((i'm out of other ideas)). Thanks in advance for any tips or solutions.

[firedragon12999]

i have the same issue

[cheshirm]

I have win 11 recently upgraded from 23H2 to 24H2 and the game still runs.

MSVCR90.dll appears to be in Microsoft visual C++ 2008
go to the steam game folder then the Binaries\Redist folder
run the vcredist*.exe files with admin permission
then steam verify game files then try game again

[firedragon12999]

Originally posted by cheshirm:

I have win 11 recently upgraded from 23H2 to 24H2 and the game still runs.

MSVCR90.dll appears to be in Microsoft visual C++ 2008
go to the steam game folder then the Binaries\Redist folder
run the vcredist*.exe files with admin permission
then steam verify game files then try game again

what?

[cheshirm]

update .... game still works on my win 11 version 24H2 desktop even after several windows and graphics card driver updates in the last month.

game does NOT work on my 2011 win 10 desktop - msvcr90.dll error
game used to work on the old machine up until a month ago.

tried the usual verify game files, repairing visual c++, uninstalling/reinstalling the game
running the game in windbg locks up the machine

many forum posts going back years about the same issue
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/846960628301248383/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/405692758723146762/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/630802979063833942/
https://www.gog.com/forum/dishonored_series/crash_fatal_error_dishonored_definitive_edition
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/864948938192202817/

no game updates and no graphics card driver updates since it last worked.

I have no windows restore points on my old machine and its one game so do not wish to reinstall windows on that old, very slow machine at this time. so there are two options to try.

and finally ..... steam cloud is off on my old machine.
turned steam cloud on and the game now works.
turned steam cloud OFF and the game STILL works.

I have no idea what a 2008 msvcr90.dll library has to do with uploading/downloading game files in steam or why starting/stopping steam cloud fixes the error. no windows library/game files changed. steam cloud was off for the last 3 years on my old desktop and the game worked and msvcr90.dll worked and is working again. so this is perhaps a steam update issue?

[ChildofGaia]

Same.

[Ando]

Happend to me too

[Arctic Circle Pit]

This game used to work fine for me and now? Now I have the same issue. Lovely.

[Zak]

It runs for me on Windows 11 23H2. However, it was crashing at first before going to the main menu too.

It turns out, like what cheshirm said above, this game *requires* Steam Cloud for some bizarre reason on the first launch. So, if you have Steam Cloud disabled globally in Steam settings you will have to enable it. You can disable it for your other games, per game or just play Dishonored until first quick save and then you should be able to disable Steam Cloud again.

[Micah Militant]

Im having the same issue ive literally tried everything i have absolutely no idea what to do i just need someone to guide me through the steps on how to play this master piece of a game

[cheshirm]

if you read the other posts above,
if steam cloud is on for this game, turn it off, try the game, turn cloud back on, try the game.
if steam cloud is off for this game, turn it on, try the game, turn cloud back off, try the game.

otherwise check windows event viewer and also windows reliability history.
might be a game crash event or system related errors. in the past month I have had windows hardware errors from an nvidia driver update and a damaged visual studio c++ 2015 x86 library. yet all my games worked.

[Micah Militant]

Yeah i did all the stuff and im still getting no luck anything else i could try?

[cheshirm]

without an error msg, could be 100 things. turning cloud save on/off fixed it on my machine.

maybe create a new vanilla windows account. logout.
login with the new account.
turn off windows one drive and controlled folder access (they are ON for new accounts, at least they were on my machine).
start steam then try the game again. maybe a windows setting in your account.

there is a window setting Address space layout randomization (ASLR) that some app turns on that causes some games to fail
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/3104564981117813232/

could also look in content_log.txt file in folder
...\steam\logs
lines with appid 205100 are for this game
might be something helpful in there

[Doom Sayer]

Originally posted by cheshirm:

update .... game still works on my win 11 version 24H2 desktop even after several windows and graphics card driver updates in the last month.

game does NOT work on my 2011 win 10 desktop - msvcr90.dll error
game used to work on the old machine up until a month ago.

tried the usual verify game files, repairing visual c++, uninstalling/reinstalling the game
running the game in windbg locks up the machine

many forum posts going back years about the same issue
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/846960628301248383/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/405692758723146762/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/630802979063833942/
https://www.gog.com/forum/dishonored_series/crash_fatal_error_dishonored_definitive_edition
https://steamcommunity.com/app/205100/discussions/0/864948938192202817/

no game updates and no graphics card driver updates since it last worked.

I have no windows restore points on my old machine and its one game so do not wish to reinstall windows on that old, very slow machine at this time. so there are two options to try.

and finally ..... steam cloud is off on my old machine.
turned steam cloud on and the game now works.
turned steam cloud OFF and the game STILL works.

I have no idea what a 2008 msvcr90.dll library has to do with uploading/downloading game files in steam or why starting/stopping steam cloud fixes the error. no windows library/game files changed. steam cloud was off for the last 3 years on my old desktop and the game worked and msvcr90.dll worked and is working again. so this is perhaps a steam update issue?

Its had this issue for years. Since like 2016 or earlier.

[GalaxySchmoove]

I think Dishonored was a free giveaway on GOG a while ago, and that version works without a hitch, for some reason