UPlay UAC prompt when starting a game.

[Easy_Gamer82]

Hi Ubi,

Please remove the need for an UAC prompt every single time when starting any UPlay game.

I understand it's needed when installing/uninstalling a game and when you start the game for the very first time but, for all other situations, this is simply not necessary and it´s unacceptable.

Until then, no UPlay gaming for me.

Cheers.

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Here i found this from a 5 second google search.

https://forums.ubisoft.com/showthread.php/1901086-How-can-we-avoid-the-UAC-prompt-on-launch

The reason i don't see it is because i turn off UAC as the first thing in a fresh install of windows. It's so annoying popping up all the time.

[Easy_Gamer82]

The thing is...one shouldn't need to turn off the UAC. After all, it serves as fail safe in case you double-clicked that possibly unsafe .exe by accident.

The problem here is that UPlay forces it each time you start a game. Steam doesn't do it; Origin doesn't do it; Battle.Net doesn't do it; Rockstar Social Club doesn't do it; Epic Store doesn't do it and GoG most certainly doesn't either. So why in all that is holy would UPlay do it?

Turning off the UAC facility or using the Windows 10 Assessment and Deployment Kit is not a solution.

So, Ubisoft, get crackin'!

[GuRu Asaki]

Originally posted by Easy_Gamer82:

The thing is...one shouldn't need to turn off the UAC. After all, it serves as fail safe in case you double-clicked that possibly unsafe .exe by accident.

The problem here is that UPlay forces it each time you start a game. Steam doesn't do it; Origin doesn't do it; Battle.Net doesn't do it; Rockstar Social Club doesn't do it; Epic Store doesn't do it and GoG most certainly doesn't either. So why in all that is holy would UPlay do it?

Turning off the UAC facility or using the Windows 10 Assessment and Deployment Kit is not a solution.

So, Ubisoft, get crackin'!

Probably for the same reason, STEAM requires an Added Address Field for Payments, but no other Platform Requires it...

Ya, you forgot about that already?

UPlay is not the only blame here, & yes it should not be there at all, I agree...

[Meove]

imagine ask help about Uplay problem to Gaben

[Easy_Gamer82]

Ok. Figured what the problem is regarding the UAC prompts when starting an UPlay game:

Apparently, UPlay tries to brute force install a game's dependencies (DirectX, VC, .NET runtimes) every single time, should any of these fail to install. Therefore, unless the UPlayService.exe successfully installs all the dependencies for a given game, it will always try to install the one(s) that failed. Even if the game runs fine, regardless.

My advice for Ubi is for the UPlayService.exe install script to be less rigid. In other words, the Install Script should run only once and, if the game starts - even if one or more of its dependencies had failed to install -, the Install Script should run no more for that game. Effectively, the next time you start the game, it will jump straight into the game.

I managed to fix this for Anno 1404 - History Edition (it was failing to install an old VC C++ 2015 version). Uninstalled the versions I had, allowing UplayService to install the one included with the game.

Unfortunately, this didn't work with Assassin's Creed - Black Flag. Apparently, it doesn't install the .NET Framework 4 Client as this is already imbued with Windows 10. Therefore, the game's Install Script cannot complete itself. Bummer.


Ubisoft should fix UPlay games' Install Scripts as this is an unnecessary nuisance.

[↑↑↓↓←→←→BASelect]

I now get after buying far cry new dawn for 5 bucks now every time i start the game uplay shows me did this program install correctly. No uac prompts since i have that turned off. But now i get did this program install correctly.

[agu]

ok I will

[Easy_Gamer82]

Oh, happy day. Found the fix so to bypass the pesky UAC prompt.

This only applies to UPlay-activated/bought games. Probably has a parallel to other game clients, like Steam, Origin and so on...I don't know.


So, if you've started a game more than once but that Windows UAC prompt just keeps nagging you, it's because UPlay is trying to install a Support Runtime for that game and, failing miserably at it. You can check which Runtime program is causing the problem - after running and exiting the game - by scrolling to the bottom of the 'service_log.txt' file found in the 'logs' folder on your UPlay install location.

Once you determine the runtime that is causing the issue, go to that game's install directory.

In that folder, you should see a small file named 'uplay_install.state' Open that file with a text editor - I recommend Notepad++.

Now, you should see mostly gibberish. That's fine, as it won't matter. Search for the line with the name of the troublesome Runtime and delete that line. Once you do so, save the file and close the text editor.

That's it. Just run the game and you'll notice the UAC prompt will no longer show up...ever.


First-World problem solved.

[wickedaverage]

Originally posted by Easy_Gamer82:

Oh, happy day. Found the fix so to bypass the pesky UAC prompt.

This only applies to UPlay-activated/bought games. Probably has a parallel to other game clients, like Steam, Origin and so on...I don't know.


So, if you've started a game more than once but that Windows UAC prompt just keeps nagging you, it's because UPlay is trying to install a Support Runtime for that game and, failing miserably at it. You can check which Runtime program is causing the problem - after running and exiting the game - by scrolling to the bottom of the 'service_log.txt' file found in the 'logs' folder on your UPlay install location.

Once you determine the runtime that is causing the issue, go to that game's install directory.

In that folder, you should see a small file named 'uplay_install.state' Open that file with a text editor - I recommend Notepad++.

Now, you should see mostly gibberish. That's fine, as it won't matter. Search for the line with the name of the troublesome Runtime and delete that line. Once you do so, save the file and close the text editor.

That's it. Just run the game and you'll notice the UAC prompt will no longer show up...ever.


First-World problem solved.

Just writing to confirm that these steps work! I had this exact issue and it was driving me nuts. Thanks!

[Easy_Gamer82]

Originally posted by wickedaverage:

Originally posted by Easy_Gamer82:

Oh, happy day. Found the fix so to bypass the pesky UAC prompt.

This only applies to UPlay-activated/bought games. Probably has a parallel to other game clients, like Steam, Origin and so on...I don't know.


So, if you've started a game more than once but that Windows UAC prompt just keeps nagging you, it's because UPlay is trying to install a Support Runtime for that game and, failing miserably at it. You can check which Runtime program is causing the problem - after running and exiting the game - by scrolling to the bottom of the 'service_log.txt' file found in the 'logs' folder on your UPlay install location.

Once you determine the runtime that is causing the issue, go to that game's install directory.

In that folder, you should see a small file named 'uplay_install.state' Open that file with a text editor - I recommend Notepad++.

Now, you should see mostly gibberish. That's fine, as it won't matter. Search for the line with the name of the troublesome Runtime and delete that line. Once you do so, save the file and close the text editor.

That's it. Just run the game and you'll notice the UAC prompt will no longer show up...ever.


First-World problem solved.

Just writing to confirm that these steps work! I had this exact issue and it was driving me nuts. Thanks!

Awesome. Glad it worked.

[Devsman]

Originally posted by Meove:

imagine ask help about Uplay problem to Gaben

I dunno, this might actually be more effective.

[MinionJoe]

Originally posted by Devsman:

Originally posted by Meove:

imagine ask help about Uplay problem to Gaben

I dunno, this might actually be more effective.

Seems to be effective.

I'm just surprised the work-around still works after 2 years.

[PREY]

Sorry to dig out this old thread, but I found another solution:

* Open the file "C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\logs\service_log.txt"

* You should see a line like this:

Dependency installation failed: process C:/.../Far Cry 4/Support/Software/VCRedist/vcredist_x64.exe exited with code 5100.

* When you run the mentioned vcredist_x64.exe manually, you will see a message that a newer version of the redistributable is already installed. This is the meaning of error code 5100.

* Download the latest version of vcredist_x64.exe from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170

* Rename the file vcredist_x64.exe in the folder to something else and copy the downloaded version into the folder

* Run the game and confirm UAC (consent.exe) one last time

* After that, you will see something like "INFO UplayService.cpp (1277) VCredist... is installed. " in the service_log.txt

* There will be no further UAC prompts

[Easy_Gamer82]

@PREY

Thank you.

Further solutions to this matter are always welcome.

[Carighan]

I mean, in a lot of ways this is everything working as designed.

UAC is a fail-safe against malicious software for end users.

You are trying to launch a game by Ubisoft.

You get UACed.

Sounds like it's trying to ensure your well-being by making absolutely sure you are okay with launching software that would make you sad and hopeless.

(but jokes aside, this is annoying as ♥♥♥♥ and really just serves to illustrate how bad a piece of software UPlay really is)