Fix L.A. Noire Crashing At The Launcher

I made this guide because the thread I posted to the community forum seems to have helped a lot of people. With this information in the form of a guide I'm hoping that it serves as a better source of knowledge on what the fix consists of and how to perform it. I sincerely hope that this guide helps and that you're able to enjoy this game once again!

If you're worried these files might contain a virus, see for yourself here:
https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/28410f7b1b4fa6d343a9aa0c9c4f6c062b63f4362802dc59efa107ff2181fc18/analysis/1469240654/

UPDATE 4/8/24:

This issue seems to be resolved on Valve's end because I recently installed L.A. Noire and didn't need to do any of this. So this guide is likely obsolete, but I'm leaving it up because Valve reintroduced the problem in a Steam client update in the past (see previous update). In the event that happens again (let's hope not) we might need this guide in the future.

UPDATE 6/22/18:

Well, the issue had been fixed by Valve in a past Steam update but some time a couple months back the issue resurfaced; it looks like this workaround is once again necessary for some people. There's no indication that Steam is working to resolve this for L.A. Noire, but if enough people report it perhaps they'll fix it (again). Now, if it stays fixed...that's another story, so I'll probably leave this guide up indefinitely.

P.S. - This is not a Rockstar issue, so if you open tickets with them, it'll just be wasting their time and yours.

UPDATE 7/30/16:

The official fix is finally ready. It's not a Rockstar fix though; it involves an update to the Steam Client Beta. For anyone that wants to uninstall the registry entires from this unofficial fix, there is a "How to Uninstall" section included in this Guide. See below for the Steam Client Beta details:

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta#announcements

" Windows
- Fix installation of some older games where install scripts were not correctly writing default values to the registry.

- Updated We released a small update to this beta that resolves a compatibility issue in the upcoming Windows Anniversary Update."

What problem does this guide address?

The Steam version of L.A. Noire is currently broken; it allegedly stopped working after a recent Steam update. The issue this guide addresses is the problem when the Launcher closes and the game won't launch. There is no ETA from Steam or Rockstar on an official fix. The suggested fixes from Rockstar don't seem to resolve the issue for anyone.

What does this "fix" involve?

This fix is unofficial and involves adding a few entires to your Windows registry, but is perfectly safe. You don't have to edit the registry manually, you simply need to run a few reg files to have them added to your registry. Doing so will enable you to launch the game on the next attempt. 

Step-by-step

1. Browse to the link I've provided in the next section and download the file. It will be called "L.A. Noire Error Handler Reg Updates.zip" in your download directory.

2. Open the ZIP folder. You will notice that it contains the following four .reg files:


3. Double-click the file entitled "Error Handler.reg" and if prompted, click "Yes" to allow it to run. Doing so will bring up the following dialog box:


4. Click Yes so that the registry key can be added to your local Windows registry. Doing so will display this dialog box:


5. Perform steps 3-4 on the next file entitled "Error Handler 2.reg". At this point the game may actually work so you can attempt to launch it.

6. If the game still does not launch, perform steps 3-4 on the remaining two files and then launch the game once more.

That's it, you're done! If none of these files do the trick on your first attempt, please refer to the "Troubleshooting" section.

Of course, there are bound to be other bugs and issues not related to this particular problem that this may not resolve. However, I truly believe this will fix the vast majority of the current launching problems.

Link for the fix

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pce4tzf7n5q289a/L.A.%20Noire%20Error%20Handler%20Reg%20Updates.zip?dl=1

Troubleshooting

VERIFY THE FILE PATH:

There have been a few people report that this fix has not worked for them and I believe that to be related to the directory in which they have the game installed. No need to mess around with installing it on a different directory though, simply try this:

If you open the .reg files in Notepad, you will notice paths referenced, for example: "codebase"="file:///D:/dev/LANoire/depot/Shared/Code/LANoire_Tools/ErrorHandler/ErrorHandler/bin/Debug/ErrorHandler.DLL"

In that case, "D:" is the drive letter, which is commonly used to install games. If this fix isn't working it's probably because you have L.A. Noire installed on another partition, perhaps, C:, E:, or any other letter. With Notepad still open, change the drive letter to the drive that you have L.A. Noire installed on. For example, if it's on the C: drive, change "D:" to "C:" (just after file:///). You will need to do that in a couple of places for each .reg file. Save the .reg files that include your customizations, and attempt the fix again.

DIRECT X:

If you notice that the Launcher is set to utilize DirectX 9, try switching to DirectX 11. There have been a couple of people report that the fix didn't work; switching to DirectX 11 was the only thing that worked for them.

SOCIALCLUB.DLL ERROR:

If you encounter a fatal error referring to socialclub.dll when attempting to run the Launcher, run it again as Administrator. Right click it, go to Compatibility and check "Run this program as an Administrator". Thank you to Wintermute for discovering this solution.

FAQ

Q: How does this work, why does it fix the game? 

A: It works by updating the registry, allowing the Launcher to locate references to dll files required to launch the game. Without these registry entries, the Launcher crashes because references to critical dlls can't be found. The Steam installation of the game should add these registry entries, but it doesn't for some reason, which is the root problem. 

Q: Is this legal, and can I get banned? 

A: It is perfectly legal, assuming you legally own the game to begin with. This is not a "crack", nor does it give anyone the ability to steal the game. The launch of the game still has to pass through Steam DRM and performing this tweak is not a breach of Steam's Rules and Guidelines. You're simply updating your system to be able to get Rockstar's faulty Launcher to succeed at launching the game. As far as Steam is concerned, you're running the game that you paid for, the same as you would normally. 

Q: Will the game run well, i.e. will there be any frame drops? 

A: The game will run as well as your system has the ability to run it. It will run the same as if the Steam version was working right now; it doesn't modify any files. It's just a little Windows tweak to be able to get past a spot that errors out in the launching of the game.

How To Uninstall This Fix

Although leaving this fix implemented will not harm or degrade your system in any way, if you're finished with L.A. Noire you can remove these registry entires easily by running this automated solution. This will also come in handy for when Rockstar release the offiicial fix so that you can verify everything works as intended.

LINK:

https://app.box.com/s/6xhtnz6uigqp9ttj2ta8vsrct1yyu6c3

1. Download the batch file I have provided using the link above. It will be entitled "Delete L.A. Noire Reg Keys.bat" in your download folder.

2. Right click on the .bat file and select "Run as Administrator". Otherwise, you may get an "access denied" error. Doing so will open a cmd prompt and the following message will be displayed.


3. Press any key, as instructed. The next registry key will then be deleted, and so on. For the last couple of registry entries you may get an error stating that the key could not be found, which simply means they were never there in the first place. The final prompt will look like the screenshot below.


4. Press any key one final time and the cmd window will close. You can delete the .bat file or save it for your records. Should you ever need to use this fix to run L.A. Noire in the future, simply follow the Step-by-step section again.

Special thanks

I'd like to thank the following members for their assistance with this guide:

-3xA'Lu©κy - For helping with the format and features. This guide is much more informative and streamlined for it.

Wintermute - For suggesting the guide in the first place. Without the suggestion, I wouldn't have thought to make it. And also, for providing the Russian translation!

Russian translation

Credit: Wintermute

Проблемы с запуском L.A. Noire? Попробуйте это решение!

Я написал этот путеводитель, т.к. запись на форуме сообщества, которую я сделал, похоже помогла многим людям. Представляя эту информацию в виде путеводителя, я надеюсь, что она послужит лучшим источником о том, из чего состоит решене и как его выполнить. Я искренне надеюсь что путеводитель поможет вам и вы сможете снова наслаждаться игрой.

Беспокоитесь насчет вирусов? Не бойтесь!

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/e8fab021ecf2fef5bef5c97685985b13386bf4076333dffdb710e00b6bf0b5f2/analysis/

О каких проблемах говорится в данном путеводителе?
Steam-версия игры L.A. Noire на данный момент не работает - судя по всему, она перестала работать после последнего обновления системы Steam. Проблема, о которых говорится в этом путеводителе - когда программа-загрузчик игры закрывается, но игра не запускается. Steam или Rockstar не говорят, когда будет официальное решение проблемы. Решения, которые предлогает Rockstar, похоже не решают проблему для кого-либо.

Что включает в себя данное решение?
Решение неофициальное и включает в себя добавление нескольких записей в системный реестр Windows, но оно вполне безопасно. Вам не придется редактировать реестр вручную, просто запустите несколько .reg файлов чтобы добавить их в реестр. Сделав это, при следующей попытке игра запустится.

Пошаговые инструкции
1. Во-первых, вам понадобится архиватор - что-то вроде WinRAR или WinZip. Я пользуюсь программой WinRAR. Большинство архиваторов бесплатны либо имеют пробные версии.

2. Перейдите по ссылке, которая в следующей секции путеводителя, и скачайте файл. Название файла - "L.A. Noire Error Handler Reg Hacks.rar", она будет в папке скаченных файлов на вашем компьютере.

3. С установленным архиватором, откройте файл. Вы заметите, что он содержит 4 файла с расширением .reg:

4. Распакуйте файлы в любую папку, потом откройте ее.

5. Откройте файл с названием "Error Handler.reg". откроется следующее окно:

6. Нажмите Yes ("Да" в русских версиях Windows), чтобы записи были внесены в реестр. Откроется следующее окно:

7. Повторите шаги 5-6 для файла "Error Handler 2.reg". С этого момента игра может начать работать - попробуйте ее запустить.

8. Если игра все еще не запускается, повторите шаги 5-6 для двух оставшихся файлов, а потом запустите игру.

Вот и все! Ни один человек еще не жаловался, что решение не работает. Конечно, другие баги и проблемы, не связанные с этой проблемой, это может и не решить. Тем не менее, думаю, это решит большинство проблем с запуском игры, которые сейчас наблюдаются.

[waff]

this didnt work i tried verifying files, running steam as admin, downloading and doing fixes, closing windows defender i click play and then rockstar launcher open up then closes in a few seconds

[☽⋆˖Nightbreed˖⋆☾]

@Onyx - You are welcome! I agree, Steam screwed the pooch on this one! It was once fixed in a Steam client update, but they reintroduced the bug and never fixed it again. Pitiful!

[ßαsταrÐ]

shit. i actually purchased this game a little while back and then refunded, spitefully, after it refused to do so much as open past the fucking splash screen.

i have no idea why this didn't show up one of the half dozen or so times i searched for a solution or some kind of documentation of it previously happening. but still, thanks. this game is great and the last thing it deserved was to be desecrated this way.

[rumple goocher]

If this isn't working for any of you, try restarting steam as admin before launching the game - fixed it for me.

[dex]

Didn't work for me...

[Dr Livesey]

Thank you it worked.

[☽⋆˖Nightbreed˖⋆☾]

Yes, it should work with any build of W10. It's not OS or OS version specific, but rather, game specific. If the game is compatible with the OS then this fix should work.

[Delta.K]

Hello my friend,
Did it work vith the W10 version 2004 buidl 19041.1319 ?
Thank you if you could respond me.

[Tarapunka]

Sorry bro. Nothing helped me.

[mattvl73]

holy s--t i think it worked. thanks bud.