Troubleshooting Checklist

If you are having issues running DCS World, I suggest running through the following check list.

This is new guide version of the original Troubleshooting Checklist:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/223750/discussions/0/864975249578683704/

Now with more pictures!

0. Requirements

Hardware requirements for running DCS World

Before going further verify your computer meets the minimum requirements.

Minimum requirements for DCS World 1.5.2:

• OS: 64-bit Windows with DirectX 11 support: 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, 10
  
• RAM: 8GB
  
• VRAM: 2GB
  
• DirectX 11 capable GPU

Important: you MUST have SP1 installed when using Windows 7.

For checking OS and RAM

• select Control panel -> System
  
• note "Installed memory (RAM)"
  
• note "System type"

For checking VRAM

• select Start -> Run
  
• enter: dxdiag
  
• select "Display" tab
  
• note "Approx. total memory"

Make sure you run 64-bit version of dxdiag to get correct information:

Save all information:


In the dxdiag information, look for VRAM information like below:

     Display Memory: 2795 MB
     Dedicated Memory: 3051 MB
     Shared Memory: 3840 MB

In case "dedicated" display memory is far below minimum (in a laptop) that is one source of problems.

Reverting to 1.2

In case hardware is not upto running 1.5 it is possible to revert to older 1.2 version.

For those that can't meet those requirements, i.e. do not have a DX11 capable card etc or 8GB RAM, then the plan seems to be:

- Got to Steam library in your Steam client, find DCS World entry
- Right Mouse button menu, select "Properties"
- Select tab BETAS
- Select option 'final-32bit-1.2.16 - The last 32-bit version'

You install will update and now stay at this DX9 version.

Note1: New or upcoming modules may not be compatible with v1.2.

Note2: The stand-alone version also allows you to install specific versions of DCS in separate installation locations. More info on that here: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=114030

1. Try direct launching

Start DCS World by bypassing the Steam launching process, i.e. rather than hitting Play in Steam, go to DCS installation folder and run directly the exe.

DCS World 1.5

For running DCS World 1.5, run DCS.exe directly in case of problems, for example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DCSWorld\bin\DCS.exe

DCS World 1.2

Try to run Launcher.exe instead of DCS.exe

For example:
X:\...\Steamapps\common\DCSWorld\bin\Launcher.exe

Default location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DCSWorld\bin\Launcher.exe

2. Make sure you are running as Admin

There are multiple ways of ensuring you are running game as administrator.

• Turn off User Account Control (UAC) in Windows (more about this later..)
  
• Check your user account is part of administrators-group in Windows
  
• In both Steam and DCS properties, select "Run this program as administrator"

To set user as administrator

There are multiple ways to make user have administrator rights.

You can do it by accessing local users and groups management tool as described here:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/7539-local-users-groups-manager-open.html

The hidden real administrator (disabled by default) can be enabled as described here:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

Depending on Windows edition some options might not be available.

To set Steam client to run as administrator

Making sure that Steam client runs as administrator can help with numerous other games and programs also.

• browse to Steam installation location (default is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam)
  
• right-click on Steam.exe, select "Properties"
  
• click on "Compatibility" tab and select "Run this program as administrator"
  
• click OK and restart Steam client

To set DCS to run as administrator

There are three programs in DCS: Run.exe, Launcher.exe and DCS.exe

• browse to DCS installation location
  
• right-click on exe, select "Properties"
  
• click on "Compatibility" tab and select "Run this program as administrator"
  
• click OK

Try a different user account on PC

You can also make another user account on the PC and try to run DCS with that: if this solves problems then the other account has some restrictions on permissions.

3. Delete old configuration

Rename or delete the DCS Wold folder configuration in your Users/Saved Games directory.
Don't worry, the folder will be recreated when you next start DCS.

Note that this will reset your game option settings.

4. Turn off User Account Control (UAC) / Limited User Account (LUA)

Turn off User Account Control (UAC) in Windows. In Windows 10 this is called Limited User Account (LUA).

UAC does multiple things that may cause problems: Windows registry settings and paths are changed and there are two different adminstrators (one "power user" and other the actual full-power administrator) that can cause various problems.

Fortunately there are ways to turn it off.

Following guide includes instructions for Vista, 7 and 8:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-user-account-control-uac-the-easy-way-on-windows-vista/

For 7 there is another guide:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4820/how-to-really-completely-disable-uac-on-windows-7/

After turning off UAC you should restart computer.

On Windows 10, you need to use regedit to actually turn it off.

• start -> run "regedit"
  
• open registry branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
  
• locate key: EnableLUA
  
• set value to 0
  
• reboot computer

Usually there is no downside to this: UAC was never designed to stop malware and it is easily bypassed when enabled. Main function is to limit user actions, not software actions.

5. Run Microsoft Visual C++ runtime install

There are multiple versions that should be installed side-by-side.

You can find these at DCS installation folder:
X:\...\SteamApps\common\DCSWorld\_CommonRedist\vcredist\

Default location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DCSWorld\_CommonRedist\vcredist\

DCS World 1.5

For DCS World 1.5 you need vcredist 2013 64-bit version (x64):
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40784

DCS World 1.2

There should be three folders: 2008, 2010 and 2012 with x86 and x64 installers in each of them. All six should be installed.

You can also download installers directly from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=BD512D9E-43C8-4655-81BF-9350143D5867

Normally installed programs should show multiple versions side-by-side like follows:

6. Run the latest DirectX installer

DCS 1.5

For DCS World 1.5 support for DirectX 11 is required.

You must have 64-bit OS with DirectX 11 support and sufficient GPU with enough VRAM (see hardware requirements).

Windows 10 users: try reinstalling DirectX 11. Multiple people have reported problems with DX11 not installing correctly. Reinstalling DX11 has fixed problem for them.

DCS 1.2

Verify that all necessary DirectX 9.0c files have been installed to your computer.

You can find DXSETUP.exe at DCS installation folder:
X:\...SteamApps\common\DCSWorld\_CommonRedist\DirectX\Jun2010\

Default location is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DCSWorld\_CommonRedist\DirectX\Jun2010\

Alternatively download installer from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34429
(Microsoft has changed download locations so double-check link is ok.)

Note: this must be installed "side-by-side" with newer versions such as DX10 and DX11.
In Windows 8 the older version is not supported by default and must be installed manually.

7. Graphics drivers and multi-GPU computers

If necessary, get new drivers directly from AMD or NVidia website.

In case PC has more than one GPU (such as a laptop with two different GPU) make sure the DirectX 11 supporting GPU is active and PRIMARY. Disable older/limited GPU in PC BIOS if necessary.

In SLI/Crossfire setup try with one GPU if there are problems.

A while back AMD had bug in driver installer and drivers were not fully installed due to that.
Reinstalling drivers helped then (I forget who reported this). It is worth trying to reinstall GPU drivers.

Recently driver for Intel integrated graphics had memory leak causing crashes of various games after a while: make sure you have upgraded drivers if using such GPU.

Driver settings

Some driver settings might not be compatible with different rendering methods.
Let me know if you come across something as particularly problematic.

8. Verify local files

Select "Library" in the Steam menu, right click DCS World and select "Properties".

A new window will appear, here select the "Local Files" tab and select "Verify Integrity of Game Cache".

9. Shut down interfering programs

PlayClaw 4

If you are running PlayClaw 4, shut down that program.

Avira

Avira is known to cause problems with "false positive" block on DCS. Either stop it, replace with another AV product or add exception to it (not sure if it allows that).

SweetFX, Reshade

For DCS World 1.5.0 BETA and 2.0 ALPHA remove mods like SweetFX and Reshade.

overlay software

Check for and disable other programs that might add overlay to game screen. Some video card drivers have integrated "features" which add overlay to game screen. These can cause collisions with Steam overlay or with the way different programs use graphics.

For example, MSI Afterburner software has overlay which has sometimes caused problems with Steam overlay.

Teamspeak-related overlay plugin seems to be incompatible with DCS 2.0 alpha.

BitDefender

When using Oculus Rift for VR, BitDefender might block program for running due to way OR SDK works.

Nvidia Shadowplay

Disable this if it is enabled: causes poor performance if enabled.

10. Run from internal harddrive

Make sure you are running game from internal harddrive instead of external drive.

External drives often don't work as well as internal drives and are much slower.

11. Refresh Steam-client data

If downloads (DLC modules) still are not downloading properly here's one thing to try.

Note that this is unverified if it has any difference regarding DCS installation.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3134-TIAL-4638&l=english

12. Opt out of Steam Client Beta

There have been reports that DCS DLC will not download unless you opt-out of the Steam client beta (as in not the DCS World beta channel, but the entire Steam.exe client beta program). Instructions on how to opt-out here:

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Betas

13. Other problem sources

There's various other sources of problems that can be more difficult to check.

Failing harddrive

Harddrive that is failing (near end of life) or has corrupted filesystem (files and directory information) can cause various unexpected crashes. Usually there is also high disk activity but low speed in reading/writing when monitoring disk performance.

Suggested is to try things like chkdsk from command line (may need reboot):

chkdsk /b /v /r /x c:

Failing power supply, insufficient cooling

If power supply is having trouble computer might turn off suddenly.

Overheating might stop computer in a number of ways. Temperature sensors might give different readings depending on position and component used.

Bad RAM chips

To check that RAM chips and CPU cooling works you can stress computer with a free tool like memtest: http://www.memtest.org/

Windows update installation problems

Sometimes updates can be broken by installation problems, harddrive bad sectors, power loss while writing disk, buggy installers and so on.

Especially after upgrading to Windows 10 there can be broken files remaining.

So open command line and run:

sfc /scannow

You may need reboot after that.

See more information about system file checker tool:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/929833

Overclocking

Overclocking may cause problems in two ways: there's the cooling and power supply stability but also the way timing works in CPU. Always check with standard clocking if problems appear.

Xbox One controller

Xbox One gamepad is known to cause problems with keyboard bindings.
Disconnect this gamepad.

14. 'Content encrypted' error from Steam

It sounds like your Steam client download is either corrupted or your disk is full. This isn't specifically a DCS World issue, more a Steam one. There aren't any DCS modules set to preload or be encrypted, so it's an error.

Opt-out of Steam beta if you haven't yet.

If you shut down Steam (check your task list or just reboot) and then find and rename the following file:

[Drive]Steamlibrary\Steamapps\appmanifest_223750.acf

..and restart Steam and the download then that might do it. If it doesn't then it might be worth a ticket to Steam support.

Note: usually default location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\
but [Drive] can be any other if you have installed to another location.

DCS World login/multiplayer issues

Starting with DCS World 1.5 login is asked already at main menu: this is used to log into multiplayer servers. If not done already, create a free account at: http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/

Note that this login is NOT same as Steam login or forums login.

In case there are no servers visible in multiplayer server search make sure firewall/router is not blocking connections needed for this functionality.

Activation problems

First thing with module activation is to check that firewall/router/AV software is not blocking internet connections during activation.

When upgrading PC hardware modules should be deactivated before changing hardware.
Reactivate after upgrade to ensure things go smoothyl.

In case PC hardware was changed without deactivating first:

- clear old activations:
http://en.wiki.eagle.ru/wiki/Problem_with_Activation

- then reactivate all modules

Contact official support if above does solve the problem:
http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/

Support information

If your problem persists, you should consider opening a support ticket that also includes your crash log file. With that, we may be able to better disagnose your problem: http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/

C:\Users\ [yourusername] \SavedGames\DCS\Logs there should be crash logs and game logs.

A much more extensive support forum can be found here where you may find a solution: http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=185

[MOZZIE]

hey i want to ask how to fix that long loading times in the multiplayer because i have no problems in singaplayer but when i try to join the server i get 5-10min loading times i tryed to look up about this problem but it was useless information

[Flodino]

Along with pretty much every other .exe in the steam folder, I've tried running DCS.EXE as admin.
Same thing.... nothing happens.
I reset the game to an earlier beta (the only one available) and now I can start the game, but ofcourse that version doesn't have HTC Vive support.

[kazereal]

Yes, Launcher.exe is not in DCS 1.5
You can run DCS.exe directly.

Steam information about which program to run seems to have trouble sometimes..

[Flodino]

I'm suffering from the "nothing happens when I start the game" bug.
I've tried everything I can think of but the biggest problem is the Launcher.exe DOESN'T EXIST!?
Not only is it not in the DCS/bin folder, it doesn't exist on any of my drives.

Just to be safe, I have:
Win10
i7 CPU
Radeon R9 290triX
Latest GPU drivers, DirectX, MS Visual C++.
No "idiot-software" like MS Office and so on...
32GB RAM
Full admin rights
No UAC

[PEANUTBUTTER]

This guide is very lengthy and detailed. The fault is not with the guide, it's with the game. I've put a good deal of time into DCS, and enjoyed it until one of the updates killed it. Then I spent even more time going through troubleshooting guides, and sending emails to support.

I guess I'm just frustrated.

It may even be that I repeatedly missed some small detail, or I'm just don't have the skills to fix it. I may just have to find a way to delete it from my library, so it doesn't piss me off every time I see it.

Anyways, it's good that you are trying to help people. Sorry to bother you.

[kazereal]

Any computer software can have problems if conditions for running are not met.
For example, there are plenty of horror stories regarding MS Office and other large pieces of software..

[kazereal]

Of course if people bothered to search the forums there would be no need to repeat the questions or have a guide like this but we've seen that doesn't happen..

[kazereal]

If it does not work, problem is with your computer: we can't know what is wrong there so you need to find the problem and fix that. That is why this guide is here.

For example, if you don't have recent drivers it is your task to install newer ones.

Having this in a guide will save everyone time by not repeating same things whenever someone new comes along with a same problem in their computer.

[PEANUTBUTTER]

Why do I need to preform rocket surgery to get this game to work?

[kazereal]

There's still other reasons why problems might happen.

If activation of a module did not work for some reason, for example.