Solution: How to make BioShock 2 work in windows 8

[Divine Devil]

Most people are unable to make BioShock 2 work with windows 8. The GFWL client which is installed first time you execute BioShock 2 is old and does not work with windows 8. This is what I did to make it work.

Note: This solution works with Windows 7 as well.


Step 1: Download the Games for windows client from this website http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/pc/downloadclient

Step 2: Install the client

Step 3: Start BioShock 2

[Gear]

Works perfectly. Thank you

[Homiesexual]

Didn't do a single thing.
"Securom launcher has stopped working."
Thats all I get every single time.

[NocteHora]

Thanks for this! i have the game running now, but i can only play for a few minutes before it crashes...im going to work on finding the solution and post for the others.

[pnmbastos]

Originally posted by Frosted Butts:

Didn't do a single thing.
"Securom launcher has stopped working."
Thats all I get every single time.

I have Windows 8 here, and it also fails with same error message. Strange thing is that when I tried the game for the first time it worked.

[Divine Devil]

Originally posted by pnmbastos:

Originally posted by Frosted Butts:

Didn't do a single thing.
"Securom launcher has stopped working."
Thats all I get every single time.

I have Windows 8 here, and it also fails with same error message. Strange thing is that when I tried the game for the first time it worked.

According to Securom support, you should install the latest version of .NET Framework 3.5
It should be available in windows update.

[Ovanos]

i installed the new GFWL and nothing happened, no error msg no nothing, BTW i didn't have any error msg before installing GFWL
i launch the game (through steam or through the folder) and i only get a loading cursor for a few seconds and then nothing
i even tried a workaround by putting the xlive.dll file in the game directory, but i get the same result
the game launcher isn't showing even in the task manager

[Svenster]

Win8 64 bit, launching BioShock from install directory in the steam folder, desktop shortcut or out of Steam fails.
Gets me a busy cursor for a few seconds, then nothing - no error notification, pop up, flat crashes after I click the "Play" button after the window with the key info.
Eventviewer application logs kindly confirm that the launcher has crashed with these lines :

Faulting application name: Bioshock2Launcher.exe, version: 0.1.0.8, time stamp: 0x00000000
Faulting module name: Bioshock2Launcher.exe, version: 0.1.0.8, time stamp: 0x00000000
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0011ec64
Faulting process ID: 0x1248
Faulting application start time: 0x01ce0316bfb8e005
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
Report ID: fdd7c80c-6f09-11e2-be7d-5404a6dc18b6
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

- System

- Provider

[ Name] Application Error

- EventID 1000

[ Qualifiers] 0

Level 2

Task 100

Keywords 0x80000000000000

- TimeCreated

[ SystemTime] 2013-02-04T20:32:28.000000000Z

EventRecordID 7964

Channel Application

Computer ASUS

Security


- EventData

Bioshock2Launcher.exe
0.1.0.8
00000000
Bioshock2Launcher.exe
0.1.0.8
00000000
c0000005
0011ec64
1248
01ce0316bfb8e005
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
fdd7c80c-6f09-11e2-be7d-5404a6dc18b6


Windows Error Reporting provides this bit (No XML to be found in the \appdata folders of the user account ID)


Version=1
EventType=APPCRASH
EventTime=130044835488972120
ReportType=2
Consent=1
UploadTime=130044835489622216
ReportIdentifier=fdd7c80d-6f09-11e2-be7d-5404a6dc18b6
IntegratorReportIdentifier=fdd7c80c-6f09-11e2-be7d-5404a6dc18b6
WOW64=1
NsAppName=Bioshock2Launcher.exe
Response.BucketId=04d8a4ed7868bd67b7045147a370872a
Response.BucketTable=1
Response.LegacyBucketId=1705339919
Response.type=4
Sig[0].Name=Application Name
Sig[0].Value=Bioshock2Launcher.exe
Sig[1].Name=Application Version
Sig[1].Value=0.1.0.8
Sig[2].Name=Application Timestamp
Sig[2].Value=00000000
Sig[3].Name=Fault Module Name
Sig[3].Value=Bioshock2Launcher.exe
Sig[4].Name=Fault Module Version
Sig[4].Value=0.1.0.8
Sig[5].Name=Fault Module Timestamp
Sig[5].Value=00000000
Sig[6].Name=Exception Code
Sig[6].Value=c0000005
Sig[7].Name=Exception Offset
Sig[7].Value=0011ec64
DynamicSig[1].Name=OS Version
DynamicSig[1].Value=6.2.9200.2.0.0.256.103
DynamicSig[2].Name=Locale ID
DynamicSig[2].Value=6153
DynamicSig[22].Name=Additional Information 1
DynamicSig[22].Value=88db
DynamicSig[23].Name=Additional Information 2
DynamicSig[23].Value=88db1a17bf6f65e37dfaa07ef7d82e37
DynamicSig[24].Name=Additional Information 3
DynamicSig[24].Value=b724
DynamicSig[25].Name=Additional Information 4
DynamicSig[25].Value=b7243f1e0b7413dd6cef30133c8d0299
UI[2]=C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
UI[3]=SecuROM Launcher has stopped working
UI[4]=Windows can check online for a solution to the problem.
UI[5]=Check online for a solution and close the program
UI[6]=Check online for a solution later and close the program
UI[7]=Close the program
LoadedModule[0]=C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
LoadedModule[1]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
LoadedModule[2]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\KERNEL32.DLL
LoadedModule[3]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\KERNELBASE.dll
LoadedModule[4]=C:\Windows\system32\apphelp.dll
LoadedModule[5]=C:\Windows\AppPatch\AcLayers.DLL
LoadedModule[6]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\msvcrt.dll
LoadedModule[7]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\USER32.dll
LoadedModule[8]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\GDI32.dll
LoadedModule[9]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\SHELL32.dll
LoadedModule[10]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\SHLWAPI.dll
LoadedModule[11]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\OLEAUT32.dll
LoadedModule[12]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\MPR.dll
LoadedModule[13]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\SETUPAPI.dll
LoadedModule[14]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\sfc.dll
LoadedModule[15]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WINSPOOL.DRV
LoadedModule[16]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\RPCRT4.dll
LoadedModule[17]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\combase.dll
LoadedModule[18]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\CFGMGR32.dll
LoadedModule[19]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\DEVOBJ.dll
LoadedModule[20]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\SspiCli.dll
LoadedModule[21]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\sfc_os.DLL
LoadedModule[22]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\CRYPTBASE.dll
LoadedModule[23]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\sechost.dll
LoadedModule[24]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\bcryptPrimitives.dll
LoadedModule[25]=C:\Windows\AppPatch\AcSpecfc.DLL
LoadedModule[26]=C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_5.82.9200.16384_none_bf100cd445f4d954\COMCTL32.dll
LoadedModule[27]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\mscms.dll
LoadedModule[28]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ADVAPI32.dll
LoadedModule[29]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ole32.dll
LoadedModule[30]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WINMM.dll
LoadedModule[31]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\DDRAW.dll
LoadedModule[32]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\USERENV.dll
LoadedModule[33]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\COMDLG32.dll
LoadedModule[34]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\IMM32.dll
LoadedModule[35]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WS2_32.dll
LoadedModule[36]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\dwmapi.dll
LoadedModule[37]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\msi.dll
LoadedModule[38]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WINMMBASE.dll
LoadedModule[39]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\DCIMAN32.dll
LoadedModule[40]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\profapi.dll
LoadedModule[41]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\SHCORE.DLL
LoadedModule[42]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\MSCTF.dll
LoadedModule[43]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\NSI.dll
LoadedModule[44]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\CRYPT32.dll
LoadedModule[45]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WSOCK32.dll
LoadedModule[46]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\VERSION.dll
LoadedModule[47]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\MSASN1.dll
LoadedModule[48]=C:\Windows\system32\uxtheme.dll
LoadedModule[49]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\IPHLPAPI.DLL
LoadedModule[50]=C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\WINNSI.DLL
State[0].Key=Transport.DoneStage1
State[0].Value=1
FriendlyEventName=Stopped working
ConsentKey=APPCRASH
AppName=SecuROM Launcher
AppPath=C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BioShock 2\SP\Builds\Binaries\Bioshock2Launcher.exe
NsPartner=windows
NsGroup=windows8

[Ovanos]

did you post that to the official Bioshock 2 forum?

[khior]

Thank you! Worked great with my Win 8 64 bit!

[Ovanos]

Originally posted by khior:

Thank you! Worked great with my Win 8 64 bit!

before, did it not launch at all? or just got the endless loading of games for windows live??

[Tanq08]

Thank you!

[Syrvinda]

Thanks, I have Win 8 64-bit. Game works now.

[Astro]

This "solution" does not work. I have tried almost everything to fix this game on my Windows 8 64bit PC and not one thing has changed. I downloaded the latest version of GFWL, I reinstalled the game like 20 times.. Nothing but errors. I get the error [2000] 0x000002E4 when I try to launch it from steam. I deleted the local content, installed GFWL, the error still pops up. Note, this error only pops up when I have Service Pack 2 or 3 as the compatibility settings. When I set the compatibility at any newer OS like Vista or Win7 no error even shows, it just doesn't open. I spent $20 on this game so it can pretty much just sit there in my Steam library. Figures.

[Divine Devil]

Originally posted by SynergyProtocol:

This "solution" does not work. I have tried almost everything to fix this game on my Windows 8 64bit PC and not one thing has changed. I downloaded the latest version of GFWL, I reinstalled the game like 20 times.. Nothing but errors. I get the error [2000] 0x000002E4 when I try to launch it from steam. I deleted the local content, installed GFWL, the error still pops up. Note, this error only pops up when I have Service Pack 2 or 3 as the compatibility settings. When I set the compatibility at any newer OS like Vista or Win7 no error even shows, it just doesn't open. I spent $20 on this game so it can pretty much just sit there in my Steam library. Figures.

Can you upload a screenshot of your error.

[⎛⎝Brewbinks⎠⎞]

So as of now, has anybody been able to fix this ongoing issue for windows 8?