Cannot start the game - Could not open file for writing: save/settings.conf

[Astolfo]

EDIT: Solution found, see the bottom of this post!

Hello,

I've looked around a bunch and it seems I'm not the only person to have had this issue but none of the solutions I've found have solved my problem. I have been gifted the game but have been unable to start it even once; after selecting my settings in the initial launcher window I am greeted with the following error: "Could not open file for writing: save/settings.conf".
This makes me effectively unable to play.

-Originally I had the game installed on a separate SSD as with every other game, called E:\
Uninstalling the game from E:\ and installing it onto C:\ did not fix the issue.

-There are no files in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[ID]\228380\local\wreckfest, and the entire userdata folder is in read & write permissions.

-Starting Steam as well as the game in admin mode did not solve the issue.

-My documents are under a separate drive named D:\. Under D:\My Games, there is no Wreckfest folder.
I fear the problem might be that my documents are under a different path than C:\users\my_username, but I am not moving all my documents back to C: for a single game.

Please help, I really want to play this game.
Is there maybe a launch option to make everything save in AppData or in the game files or something?

----------------------------

Solution found!

Originally posted by Astolfo:

Okay, I have found the solution for my issue. This may not be a universal solution but it did it for me!

I had to use a little tool called procmon to analyse what the Wreckfest process was doing, or failing at doing. Here's a step-by-step(ish) that might help if you're in the same situation as me.

1. Download Process Monitor[docs.microsoft.com] if you do not have it.
2. Open procmon.exe, in the Filter tab, go into "Filter..."
3. Leave everything as it is, and add the following filters: "Process Name" "begins with" "wreckfest" then "include" and click add.
4. Add a second filter that says "Operation" "begins with" "CreateFile" then "include".
5. Add a third filter that says "Path" "contains" "settings.conf" then "include".
6. Now keep procmon open, start Wreckfest, and start game in the configuration launcher. The game will give you error. In procmon, a line should have appeared that lists the exact path of folders, including the unique number ID, where it tried to create its config file and failed.
7. Create the folders manually, and create settings.conf manually (inside the folder that's a bunch of numbers) then start the game again. It should start properly now.

At least this worked for me!

[Purple44]

Wreckfest want to make this folder to put the save files in:

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\Documents\My Games\wreckfest\7656119833977****

Something stopping Wreckfest from doing it or stop Wreckfest from finding the folder.

Some have made new user account that set up a new \YOUR USER NAME\Documents\ folder and logged into that account to get pass this issue.

You have read through this thread for other possible ways of fixing this problem?

https://steamcommunity.com/app/228380/discussions/0/1696095260993334390/


It unfortunate that players are having to hop through these hoops to get Wreckfest to run with this new save folder Wreckfest now uses. :(

[Astolfo]

I've gone through that thread, yeah. I feel like the problem is that my Documents are located on D:\ but the game tries to create my profile in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\wreckfest\ (which doesn't exist, because %USERPROFILE% redirects to the profile under C:\Users and my documents aren't there.)

If that really is the source of the issue, the game should base itself on the registry value for Documents path (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Personal, which correctly lists the Documents location even if they've been moved onto a different drive) and not a hardcoded path like %USERPROFILE%\Documents.

[Astolfo]

After using procmon to check what wreckfest64.exe does when it fails, it seems it DOES try to CreateFile at the proper path: D:\my games\wreckfest\[bunch of numbers]\settings.conf with result PATH NOT FOUND. So I'm not sure what actually causes it to fail.

[Astolfo]

Okay, I have found the solution for my issue. This may not be a universal solution but it did it for me!

I had to use a little tool called procmon to analyse what the Wreckfest process was doing, or failing at doing. Here's a step-by-step(ish) that might help if you're in the same situation as me.

1. Download Process Monitor[docs.microsoft.com] if you do not have it.
2. Open procmon.exe, in the Filter tab, go into "Filter..."
3. Leave everything as it is, and add the following filters: "Process Name" "begins with" "wreckfest" then "include" and click add.
4. Add a second filter that says "Operation" "begins with" "CreateFile" then "include".
5. Add a third filter that says "Path" "contains" "settings.conf" then "include".
6. Now keep procmon open, start Wreckfest, and start game in the configuration launcher. The game will give you error. In procmon, a line should have appeared that lists the exact path of folders, including the unique number ID, where it tried to create its config file and failed.
7. Create the folders manually, and create settings.conf manually (inside the folder that's a bunch of numbers) then start the game again. It should start properly now.

At least this worked for me!

[clem6251]

Originally posted by Astolfo:

Okay, I have found the solution for my issue. This may not be a universal solution but it did it for me!

6. Now keep procmon open, start Wreckfest, and start game in the configuration launcher. The game will give you error. In procmon, a line should have appeared that lists the exact path of folders, including the unique number ID, where it tried to create its config file and failed.
7. Create the folders manually, and create settings.conf manually (inside the folder that's a bunch of numbers) then start the game again. It should start properly now.

At least this worked for me!

How do I/we create this manual folder and settings.conf you're suggesting? Some of us aren't too computer savvy. Can you give an example please.

[Astolfo]

Originally posted by clem6251:

How do I/we create this manual folder and settings.conf you're suggesting? Some of us aren't too computer savvy. Can you give an example please.

Ok so, when you used procmon as indicated there should be a line with a full string of folders that appears when the game crashes. For example, let's say that in your case, it gives you C:\users\[your username]\Documents\My Games\Wreckfest\[a bunch of numbers]\settings.conf

You simply create the folders manually. Go to your documents, if "My Games" exists, go in there, if it doesn't, create it (right click > new > folder). Then in My Games, create Wreckfest with the same method, then in Wreckfest, create the folder with all those numbers (they need to be the exact same numbers). Then finally in the numbers folder, you right click, new text file, name it settings.conf, and that should do it.

[brunop]

Originally posted by Astolfo:

Okay, I have found the solution for my issue. This may not be a universal solution but it did it for me!

I had to use a little tool called procmon to analyse what the Wreckfest process was doing, or failing at doing. Here's a step-by-step(ish) that might help if you're in the same situation as me.

1. Download Process Monitor[docs.microsoft.com] if you do not have it.
2. Open procmon.exe, in the Filter tab, go into "Filter..."
3. Leave everything as it is, and add the following filters: "Process Name" "begins with" "wreckfest" then "include" and click add.
4. Add a second filter that says "Operation" "begins with" "CreateFile" then "include".
5. Add a third filter that says "Path" "contains" "settings.conf" then "include".
6. Now keep procmon open, start Wreckfest, and start game in the configuration launcher. The game will give you error. In procmon, a line should have appeared that lists the exact path of folders, including the unique number ID, where it tried to create its config file and failed.
7. Create the folders manually, and create settings.conf manually (inside the folder that's a bunch of numbers) then start the game again. It should start properly now.

At least this worked for me!

THANK YOU! IT FINALY WORKED!

[Astolfo]

Glad it helped!