EVERY game crashes at launch

[panty vigilante]

Every single game worked fine until yesterday. Every game I try to launch on steam or battle.net crashes immediately or soon after launch. I do own one game from the microsoft store (Forza 7) and it seems to run fine, loading seems like it takes longer than usual but im not sure if thats just me. Would appreciate help, I've updated GPU drivers with no success.

[NiNjAkIa]

you probably need to renistall them to see if that helps it

[The Giving One]

Check for conflicting software, causing issues to the games. Yes, even if you have not installed anything lately.

Programs like antivirus and CCleaner (monitoring mode active) can cause issues. Make sure all security programs are ignoring Steam and games in real time.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9828-SFLZ-9289

EDIT..

After you resolve the issue, you need to verify the game files.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

[panty vigilante]

Verified file integrity, reinstalled a game, don't have CCleaner or any other programs that would fall under the categories on that list, except maybe windows firewall but I checked and they're all allowed through, no luck.

[The Giving One]

Do this please. Let's try to make sure there are no conflicts :

First post your full system specs. "Help" in the top of Steam, then "system information". Right click, select all, then copy and paste all that here.

Next, we need these :

1. Take screenshots of all of the programs you have installed on your computer. Control panel then programs/programs and features. (Windows 7,8,8.1) or "apps" (Windows 10 click "Start" (Windows icon on bottom left))

2. Click Windows Start and type in msconfig and run that resulting process. Go to the services tab and check the box on bottom "Hide all Microsoft services". Take screenshots of all that is left.

3. Then go to the startup tab on top of that same window (Task Manager in W10). Take screenshots of all that there also. Don't forget to scroll down if needed and get everything in the shots, please.

Post all the links to the above screenshots here, using a file hosting site such as imgur.com, which is free to use.

[panty vigilante]

Computer Information:
Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Form Factor: Desktop
No Touch Input Detected

Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: GenuineIntel
CPU Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz
CPU Family: 0x6
CPU Model: 0x5e
CPU Stepping: 0x3
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 4008 Mhz
8 logical processors
4 physical processors
HyperThreading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported

Operating System Version:
Windows 10 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0

Video Card:
Driver: AMD Radeon (TM) R9 390 Series
DirectX Driver Name: aticfx32.dll
Driver Version: 25.20.14007.1000
DirectX Driver Version: 25.20.14007.1000
Driver Date: 10 19 2018
OpenGL Version: 4.5
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 59 Hz
DirectX Card: AMD Radeon (TM) R9 390 Series
VendorID: 0x1002
DeviceID: 0x67b1
Revision: 0x80
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 20.91" x 11.77" (23.98" diag)
53.1cm x 29.9cm (60.9cm diag)
Primary Bus Type Not Detected
Primary VRAM Not Detected
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x

Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (Realtek High Definiti

Memory:
RAM: 16334 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: Undetermined
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 1067372 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 344682 Mb
OS Install Date: Dec 31 1969
Game Controller: None detected
VR Headset: None detected


Will get to work on the other steps.
Also should it be saying primary VRAM not detected? that doesn't seem right.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by panty vigilante:

Computer Information:
Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Form Factor: Desktop

Thanks and that was needed for other info, but we need this also. It's not your fault that Steam did not detect the system here, but we need the exact motherboard if custom built, or the exact model and model number if it is a prebuilt. So please identify the EXACT computer or board that you have.

Will wait for the other screenshots, so you can post that now or later, if you wish.

EDIT...........

Sorry, I missed this question.

Originally posted by panty vigilante:

Also should it be saying primary VRAM not detected? that doesn't seem right.

Is your Steam or games installed to an external hard drive by chance ? Or internal hard drive for Steam and games ?

This might be a driver issue, so that's one reason why we need the exact computer.

[panty vigilante]

still taking screenshots. I'll go find the box for my motherboard, haven't touched it since i built it, and steam and all games are on one of two hard drives i have inside the computer, one is a regular HDD and the other an SSD

[panty vigilante]

https://imgur.com/a/0lf81LP
should be everything

really appreciate you helping btw

[panty vigilante]

and motherboard is an ASRock z170m pro4s

[The Giving One]

Is that all from msconfig ? I don't see the startup tab (Task Manager) shots.

I do see an issue though. AMD External Events Utility. When you posted that you had an AMD GPU, this was my first thought, if you have this process and it is active.

And it is. Disable that, click "apply", then "Ok". Then restart the computer. Then verify the game files for one game, and try to launch that game from your Steam library using the "Play" button only.

[panty vigilante]

the startup tab was the 3rd and 4th from the bottom (with the little icons). Ill try that.

[The Giving One]

Ok sorry. I understand now. The headers are missing, so it's hard to tell what's what and I don't have Windows 10 so a bit unfamiliar. Please excuse me.

Also, most of the "utility" and "Updater" stuff you don't need running all the time. It just takes up resources and maybe causes issues. Make sure you check before you disable anything, and don't disable anything Microsoft or AMD or Intel or anything that is not really third party, if you know what I mean.

EDIT..Also, Micro Star is ASRock stuff, so that's fine.

[panty vigilante]

AMD events utility was disabled, restarted, verified files, still crashing right after startup

[The Giving One]

Ok. There are other AMD processes there, or at least one that I see.

AMD User Experience Program...whatever. When you install drivers, from download packages, it also might install useless junk like this in the installation package also, along with the driver, and you don't need this stuff.

But again, make sure of what it does before you disable it. It sounds like it's not needed, though.

If it's third party, and a "service" or "updater" or "manager" process, it's probably most often not even needed, and can be considered bloatware, honestly.

Make sure you are testing this with a non-modded game only. I see you have LOOT, but I also know you verified the game files so that "should" not be an issue, but I have to say it here anyway. Only test this with a totally vanilla game that you have installed and make sure it is a Steam game also.

I am looking at the downloads page, and it has Norton listed there, which scared me at first, but I don't see any Norton process on your system in the shots, to that's good at least.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z170M%20Pro4S/index.us.asp#Download

Are you sure you have Windows Defender totally ignoring Steam and games in real time ? Defender normally does not mess with Steam and games, but someone posted recently about it and maybe there is a new Windows 10 update that has made this relevant now. Not sure.

It won't hurt to make exceptions in Defender for games and Steam anyway. Windows Firewall included.

I have to ask this also : Was this an upgrade from a previous OS, or did you do a fresh and clean install from scratch of Windows 10 on a clean hard drive or partition ?

Have you fully ran Windows update to make sure all drivers and the OS are up to date ? Check your driver versions against what is on the download page.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z170M%20Pro4S/index.us.asp#Download

Scroll to the bottom for downloads under "support". From what has been posted, it honestly still sounds like a software conflict to me. Remember to verify the game files every time you change something, before playtesting a game.

[panty vigilante]

it was a fresh install on brand new drives about 2ish years ago. Haven't had any problems until now.