[Fix] Game not launching

[R3troSim]

Preface

Been seeing quite a few posts looking for answers to this issue (myself included!), so thought I'd post this to try to help anyone else out.

This isn't my fix, it's sourced from a post I saw from the user Oviregm on a discussion in this forum, so credit to them and everyone else who has added their input on that discussion.

PCGamingWiki also has an alternative solution which I have included below in this post. The original link (from the full "Resident Evil 4: Ultimate HD Edition" article) is here[www.pcgamingwiki.com]. I personally have not tested this method, but have posted in case the first solution doesn't work for you for whatever reason.

I will aim to update this post - and log such changes - as best I can, as and when required

Problem description

Try to launch Resident Evil 4, but the game closes almost instantly after flickering to a black screen* and then back to the Windows desktop.

Duplication steps

1. Launch Resident Evil 4.
   
   
2. Game executable ("bio4.exe") shows as running; Steam library shows game as "Playing".
   
   
3. Game does not launch properly; instead, a black screen* flickers momentarily, for a second or less.
   
   
4. Game has closed, and the executable ("bio4.exe") is no longer running; Steam library shows game as available to "Play" again.

*Black screen may not appear at all; the game might not load anything before the process closes.

Problem cause

As PCGamingWiki[www.pcgamingwiki.com] states:

Fullscreen mode defaults to 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.

Therefore, you need to force your screen refresh rate to 60 Hz in order to play the game in fullscreen.

I've read that changing the screen refresh rate in Nvidia Control Panel does not work; I cannot verify the same for AMD or Intel Graphics counterparts.

Solution #1 - Use Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz

Please note these are just the settings that worked for me; there may be a more "optimal" setup, and you potentially might need to tweak the settings in order for this to work for you.

This is just what worked for me, running a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 @ 144 Hz screen refresh rate.

**Bear in mind that the 60 Hz screen refresh rate profile you will create using the steps below will be applied to your entire system and running applications.

It's simple to revert back to your original refresh rate however; see after these instructions on how to do this.**

1. Download Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) mentioned in this forum post here[www.monitortests.com].
   
   
   
2. Once downloaded, extract the zip files.
   
   You can do this natively in Windows by right-clicking the "cru-x.x"zip" file, clicking Extract All..., and then clicking the Extract button. (Make sure the desired file path is entered in the above text field in the Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders window where these options are).
   
   
3. Open the CRU application (CRU.exe).
   
   
4. Check that your active monitor is correctly selected in the top dropdown box.
   
   
5. Under the Standard resolutions list field, click the respective Add... button.
   
   
6. In the Standard Resolution window, select the Resolution dropdown box, and then choose your correct screen resolution and aspect ratio.
   
   Then, make sure that the Refresh rate text field below is set to "60".
   
   If your screen resolution doesn't appear as a preset in the dropdown list, choose Other resolution item at the bottom of the dropdown list, and enter in your resolution and "60" Hz in the fields there.
   
   
7. Click OK in the Standard Resolution window.
   
   
8. Click OK in the main Custom Resolution Utility window.
   
   
9. In the same "cru-x.x" directory where you launched the CRU.exe application, open the restart.exe file. (x.x represents the version number as per the developer's version numbering system.)
   
   
10. Your screen should readjust to the new resolution/refresh rate profile you created in the Custom Resolution Utility.
    
    
11. In the prompt window (titled "Restart x.x"") that appears asking if you want to revert the changes, click Exit to close the window and confirm the changes.

Now Resident Evil 4 should run fine once you launch it.


If, however, it is not working still, try the following:

In the same "cru-x.x" directory where you launched the CRU.exe application, open the restart64.exe file. (x.x represents the version number as per the developer's version numbering system.)

Then follow steps 10 - 11.


If, however, it is not working still, try running Steam as administrator. Below are instructions on how to run Steam as administrator on a per-launch basis:

1. Make sure Steam is not running. Exit Steam if it is.
   
   
2. Click Start menu.
   
   
3. Navigate to Steam folder in Start menu programs list.
   
   
4. Click the Steam folder to expand it, then right-click Steam, then click More, and then click Run as administrator.
   
   
5. In the User Account Control window for Steam Client Bootstrapper, click Yes.
   
   
6. Once Steam has launched, try launching Resident Evil 4 again.

If Resident Evil 4 still isn't launching, try rebooting your computer with the 60 Hz screen refresh rate applied, and then try again, running Steam as admin if needed.


To revert back to your monitor's original settings:

1. Open the reset-all.exe file in the same directory as the CRU.exe file.
   
   
2. Click Yes in the "Reset All x.x"" window that appears.
   
   
3. Click OK.
   
   
4. As advised in the previous window, either reboot or run the restart.exe or restart64.exe file to restore original settings.

More details and instructions available at the original forum post here.[www.monitortests.com]

Solution #2 (from PCGamingWiki) - Use Special K to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz

Original passage copied from PCGamingWiki.[www.pcgamingwiki.com]
Fullscreen mode defaults to 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.

1. Set screen refresh rate
   
   
2. Install Special K by following the Special K Unofficial Guide. Manual local installation may work better.
   
   
3. Start the game once and close it to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
   
   
4. Open

   <path-to-game>\Bin32\d3d9.ini

   or

   %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Mods/SpecialK/Profiles/bio4.exe/SpecialK.ini

   depending on the installation method you used.
   
   
5. Change

   RefreshRate=-1

   to

   RefreshRate=0

   under

   [Render.FrameRate]

   .

• See here[www.pcgamingwiki.com] for how to navigate to "<path-to-game>" in step 3.
  
  For example, if installed on your C:\ drive, the path would be here:
  

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Resident Evil 4\

  
  
• See here[www.pcgamingwiki.com] for how to navigate to "%USERPROFILE%" in step 3.
  
  It can be located here:
  

  C:\Users\(Username)\

  (Where "(Username)" is the name of your Windows user[docs.microsoft.com] folder.)

If, however, it is not working still, try running Steam as administrator. Below are instructions on how to run Steam as administrator on a per-launch basis:

1. Make sure Steam is not running. Exit Steam if it is.
   
   
2. Click Start menu.
   
   
3. Navigate to Steam folder in Start menu programs list.
   
   
4. Click the Steam folder to expand it, then right-click Steam, then click More, and then click Run as administrator.
   
   
5. In the User Account Control window for Steam Client Bootstrapper, click Yes.
   
   
6. Once Steam has launched, try launching Resident Evil 4 again.

If Resident Evil 4 still isn't launching, try rebooting your computer with the 60 Hz screen refresh rate applied, and then try again, running Steam as admin if needed.

Solution #3 - Connect PC to 60 Hz display screen

It might be worth adding that you can simply connect your PC to a 60 Hz display (e.g. an older monitor or TV screen) and use this display instead.

1. Connect your PC to a 60 Hz display (e.g. older monitor, or TV screen).
   
   NOTE: HDMI connection is probably most common connection type for TV screens.
   
   
2. Use Windows key + P to open the Project menu (to choose display projection type) and choose from one of the following options as desired:
   
   • Duplicate
     Duplicate / mirror the same display to both screens (i.e. same screen for both PC display and other display). Therefore game will appear on both displays.
     
     
   • Second screen only
     Display the screen only to your second screen. Therefore game will appear only on your other display that you are connected to.
   
   See this Microsoft Support article[support.microsoft.com] for more details.
   
   
3. Launch Resident Evil 4.

Post update log

1. 27/03/2023 @ 09:03 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Added alternative step to try for Solution 1 if original steps not working:
     

     If, however, it is not working still, try the following:
     
     In the same "cru-x.x" directory where you launched the CRU.exe application, open the restart64.exe file. (x.x represents the version number as per the developer's version numbering system.)
     
     Then follow steps 10 - 11.

     
     
   • Updated instructions on reverting the graphics settings set in CRU, as per above fix in this edit:
     

     As advised in the previous window, either reboot or run the restart.exe pr restart64.exe file to restore original settings.

   
   
2. 23/04/2021 @ 06:53 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Solution 1; removed direct download link to latest specific CRU application at time of first writing of post. Changed references to file names and other references.
   
   
3. 31/05/2020 @ 04:58 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Added step on how to run Steam as administrator in Solution 1 and Solution 2 for better clarity.
   
   
4. 29/05/2020 @ 05:02 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Added fix update for when adjusting screen refresh rate using Solution 1 or Solution 2 alone doesn't work. You might need to run Steam as administrator and / or reboot your PC after applying the initial solution steps; instructions added for both sections.
     
     Credit goes to SGB Haseo's post detailing on running Steam as admin - thank you!
   
   
5. 26/05/2020 @ 01:15 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Rewrote "Solution #3 - Connect PC to 60 Hz display screen" section. Created step-by-step instructions.
   
   
6. 23/05/2020 @ 17:37 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Appended information on how to navigate to directories required in "Solution #2 (from PCGamingWiki) - Use Special K to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz" section.
   
   
7. 18/05/2020 @ 00:24 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Moved and edited the warning notice regarding your screen refresh rate changing across the whole system for the "Solution #1 - Use Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz" before the instructions as a clearer notice and disclaimer.
   
   
8. 15/05/2020 @ 18:30 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Changed post title from "[Fix] Game not launching (black screen, and then closes)" to " (black screen, and then closes)" to better summarise problem; not everyone experiences a black window popping up.
   
   
9. 10/05/2020 @ 01:33 (UTC+01 (BST))
   
   • Major update: altered the "Solution #1 - Use Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz" method. Now advise to add a "standard resolution" rather than "detailed resolution" in the CRU application. Reason being is that it is simpler, slightly quicker to configure, and has less room for error than the initial method. The solution remains effective with this new method.
     
   • Noted that the black screen might not appear for all in the "Problem description" > "Duplication steps" section.
     
   • Added "(UTC+01 (BST))" (i.e. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) / British Summer Time (BST)) to clarify the timezone for post update log changes (see Wikipedia[en.wikipedia.org] for more details.
     
   • Added the "Restart 1.4" window title name in step 11 of the "Solution #1 - Use Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to force screen refresh rate to 60 Hz" method.
     
   • Added extra instructions regarding resetting back to your screen's default refresh rate.
   
   
10. 27/04/2020 @ 08:38 (UTC+01 (BST))
    
    • Changed post title again from "[Fix] Resolve crash on startup (black screen, and then closes)" to "[Fix] Game not launching (black screen, and then closes)" to address the recent influx of likely screen refresh rate issue threads.
      
    • Reversed order for post update log list, so that newest changes are listed first, i.e. sorted by date/time, descending.
      
    • Added list bullet points for each numbered bullet point so each change is itemised for readability.
    
    
11. 21/04/2020 @ 14:25 (UTC+01 (BST))
    
    • Changed post title (again... yes, I'm indecisive!) from "[Fix] Resolve game not launching (black screen, and then closes)" to "[Solution] Resolve crash on startup (black screen, and then closes)" to hopefully clarify the problem more succinctly.
    
    
12. 21/04/2020 @ 10:42 (UTC+01 (BST))
    
    • Changed post title from "[Solution] Resolve game not launching (i.e. game launches, then shows black screen, and then closes)" to "[Solution] Resolve game not launching (black screen, and then closes)" to better summarise problem, and so text isn't cut off in title summary in discussion list.
    
    
13. 21/04/2020 @ 00:29 (UTC+01 (BST))
    
    • Added "Solution #3 - Connect to 60 Hz display" section to explain that that issue can be resolved by connecting your PC to any 60 Hz monitor and playing from that display screen instead. Not ideal, but does work!

[R3troSim]

Please forgive me for the self-endorsed bump, but threads have been pouring in recently about RE4 not launching (and likely being because of the screen refresh rate issue).

Pushing this back up so that anyone who does actually look to see if someone had the same issue before (rather than just posting first!) can now see a fix for themselves

Anyway, I'm halfway through composing a guide for this, so that might help too.

For the existing discussions out there... Remember folks to mark posts as solutions so others can see.

For people who have a game issue (well, it's a bit late me saying this here, but, oh well)... Remember to have at least a quick browse and search of the existing posts to see if that can help you, and post there to say if it did or not!

[Feng's Bath Water]

Wow dude, I tried so many different things from running in Admin, messing w the INI files even creating a custom resolution in NVIDIA control panel to change my 75hz panel to 60hz. So I thought, why would this CRU program make a difference?

I was at an impasse when I decided to just try it, and lo and behold the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ program launched. Thanks a bunch!

[R3troSim]

Originally posted by Gooby Pls:

Wow dude, I tried so many different things from running in Admin, messing w the INI files even creating a custom resolution in NVIDIA control panel to change my 75hz panel to 60hz. So I thought, why would this CRU program make a difference?

I was at an impasse when I decided to just try it, and lo and behold the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ program launched. Thanks a bunch!

Glad it helped! Appreciate the feedback, it helps too

Honestly, I couldn't tell you why the CRU program works but the Nvidia Control Panel doesn't... Seems bizarre, but then so are computers!

I'm actually going to try out the Special K method myself and see if that is perhaps a "better" option than the CRU method; reason being is that having to force your screen refresh rate across the entire system is a bit excessive, and it looks like the Special K program might avoid doing that, instead only affecting RE4 specifcally.

I'll post my findings of course, and add them to an upcoming guide too because I think one is due.

In the meantime, anyone reading can try any one of the above three solutions as they do all work

[Twisted Experiments]

Yeah it helped me out cause I tried so many fixes to get it to work but I'm glad you helped me out with this fix thanks :D

[oddbear]

The 60Hz fixed it for me.

[Lydgane]

yah me too.

[Blyye]

Even after changing my refresh rate, I'm still seeing the same issue of Steam library showing the game as running for a couple of seconds, and then dying. I don't get the black screen, however. Any ideas?

[R3troSim]

Originally posted by Blyye:

Even after changing my refresh rate, I'm still seeing the same issue of Steam library showing the game as running for a couple of seconds, and then dying. I don't get the black screen, however. Any ideas?

Not sure... Have you tried running it in windowed mode? Could be worth a try. See this post, except make sure that, in step 3, the "fullscreen" value is set to "0".

Failing that, and probably not helpful, but there's this post with a list of suggestions, most of it for in-game crashes and slowdowns though. Point 7 in that list is regarding running an older version (i.e. v1.0.2) which might do something.

Last thing I'd suggest is to uninstall, reboot, and then reinstall.

[Blyye]

Originally posted by MKS | R3troSim:

Originally posted by Blyye:

Even after changing my refresh rate, I'm still seeing the same issue of Steam library showing the game as running for a couple of seconds, and then dying. I don't get the black screen, however. Any ideas?

Not sure... Have you tried running it in windowed mode? Could be worth a try. See this post, except make sure that, in step 3, the "fullscreen" value is set to "0".

Failing that, and probably not helpful, but there's this post with a list of suggestions, most of it for in-game crashes and slowdowns though. Point 7 in that list is regarding running an older version (i.e. v1.0.2) which might do something.

Last thing I'd suggest is to uninstall, reboot, and then reinstall.

That gave me a little progress. Now the window is staying open as a black screen, with the game running. If I press buttons I can hear the game playing in the background, I just can't see it, lmao.

[R3troSim]

Originally posted by Blyye:

That gave me a little progress. Now the window is staying open as a black screen, with the game running. If I press buttons I can hear the game playing in the background, I just can't see it, lmao.

Have you jinxed me too lol :')

Literally since yesterday I'm encountering the same issues as you, despite having been running the game with this fix fine until then.

Tried various tweaks in CRU though that's had no effect.

Tried uninstalling, rebooting, and then reinstalling.. No effect either.

Gonna try the Special K tweaks and see if I have any luck there, I'll keep you posted.

[Blyye]

Originally posted by MKS | R3troSim:

Originally posted by Blyye:

That gave me a little progress. Now the window is staying open as a black screen, with the game running. If I press buttons I can hear the game playing in the background, I just can't see it, lmao.

Have you jinxed me too lol :')

Literally since yesterday I'm encountering the same issues as you, despite having been running the game with this fix fine until then.

Tried various tweaks in CRU though that's had no effect.

Tried uninstalling, rebooting, and then reinstalling.. No effect either.

Gonna try the Special K tweaks and see if I have any luck there, I'll keep you posted.

Let me know what happens for sure, lol.

[hyp3rspace0utlawz]

I hate to sound narcissitic here but can anybody please go to my post beneath this and help me I've died 30 times, restarted the level and am still having trouble.

[R3troSim]

Originally posted by Bento Boxx:

I hate to sound narcissitic here but can anybody please go to my post beneath this and help me I've died 30 times, restarted the level and am still having trouble.

Bro just had a look, glad you fixed it.

Dya mind following discussion etiquette and keeping it relevant to the original post and discussion please tho; someone somewhere would've looked at your post and helped you out.

[R3troSim]

Originally posted by Blyye:

Let me know what happens for sure, lol.

Ok, bad news unfortunately.. Tried the manual method of Special K for RE4: same result, game not launching.

Made sure it was setup correctly as well, so don't think I made any errors.

[gemega]

I tried solution 1 and 2 and they don't work for me.

CRU doesn't change anything. I've tried standard and detailed resolution. No go.

I've tried manual local specialk installation (ver 0.9.0). No go.

Unfortunately I don't have spare monitor or TV to hook on to.

Is there anything else to try? I just want to play RE4. I'm on verge of "getting" old version of RE4 (not HD one) and maybe it will work?