Launcher issues

[Rad]

My launcher has been having a problem as of late....when it finishes checking for updates it likes to freeze up.  Rather that change the "UPDATING" button into "PLAY", the entire thing just freezes.  When I click anything it turns into a giant white window and I have to wait a couple of minutes before it will actually close. Is this a problem on my end, or just a buggy launchpad?

[Josgar]

vista or xp?

[Rad]

I'm running Windows XP.

[Kirianna1]

Having same problem here. No one else in my house is... It was fine last night... I'm baffled.

[Kirianna1]

My awesome husband fixed mine. I posted the issue here: <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=366573" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=366573</a>

[Gargamel]

<p>Same issue... got a virus/malware... ran cleaner and now launchpad CRAPS OUT.</p><p>I blame sony's reliance on BITS, but who knows...</p>

[Gargamel]

<p>Actually it seems to be an issue to .net</p><p>the .net upgrade is part of VISTA so it is inherent in vista, but applies to XP users who have updated to the most recent version.</p><p>Has to do with files analyzing other files on the local disks (like launchpad does), since what used to take 3 seconds is taking 30 minutes since I uninstalled .net 1.1 plus patches and installed 2.0 + upgrades.</p><p>It is also related to BITS, since that is no longer a running service, and was before I had issues.</p><p>I installed eq2 back in nov '04 and only started having problems after I got malware on monday and cleaned it yesterday.  NOthing touched sony files, so it HAS to be some dependance sony and launchpad has on windows systems or services.</p><p>Pissin' the f' off....</p>

[Tebos]

<cite>Gargamel wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Actually it seems to be an issue to .net</p><p>the .net upgrade is part of VISTA so it is inherent in vista, but applies to XP users who have updated to the most recent version.</p><p>Has to do with files analyzing other files on the local disks (like launchpad does), since what used to take 3 seconds is taking 30 minutes since I uninstalled .net 1.1 plus patches and installed 2.0 + upgrades.</p><p>It is also related to BITS, since that is no longer a running service, and was before I had issues.</p><p>I installed eq2 back in nov '04 and only started having problems after I got malware on monday and cleaned it yesterday.  NOthing touched sony files, so it HAS to be some dependance sony and launchpad has on windows systems or services.</p><p>Pissin' the f' off....</p></blockquote><p>Good ol malware...If infected correctly, you will find the LSL portion of the TCP/IP stack being altered. You could always run "repair" from the network properties which will create a new TCP/IP stack.</p><p>A good portion malware tese days can infect the registry and may require a good registry cleansing. I use RegVac for this. Some times malware gets so in-grained into the OS that it will require a complete wipe and redo of the operating system.</p><p>Internet Explorer and particularly the EQII Launchpad being dependant on proper functionality of I.E. can cause the game to malfunction from the get-go.</p>

[Gargamel]

<p>well I didn't do anything fancy... </p><p>I ran ad-aware which found 3 trojans... all infected from a simple web address (google spam bot result) from a simple web visit.</p><p>Cleared those out...</p><p>Ran AFTfix and Combofix and avast anti-virus...</p><p>now I can't play any of the SoE games I pay for.</p><p>If I run launchpad, I can get to the "play" screen on any game (after waiting 45min), but when I try to play (and an additional 15min) i get 'cannot verify subscription' error... eq2, and planetside.</p><p>Either way its [Removed for Content] POOR that sony is so reliant on systems out of their control.  I didn't putz with anything sony... just microsoft, they it totally BORKED all of sony's products on my PC... </p><p>Ironically... windows and all microsoft products are running much quicker and more smootly.. yet I can't get launchpad to run at all.</p>

[Tebos]

<cite>Gargamel wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>well I didn't do anything fancy... </p><p>I ran ad-aware which found 3 trojans... all infected from a simple web address (google spam bot result) from a simple web visit.</p><p>Cleared those out...</p><p>Ran AFTfix and Combofix and avast anti-virus...</p><p>now I can't play any of the SoE games I pay for.</p><p>If I run launchpad, I can get to the "play" screen on any game (after waiting 45min), but when I try to play (and an additional 15min) i get 'cannot verify subscription' error... eq2, and planetside.</p><p>Either way its [Removed for Content] POOR that sony is so reliant on systems out of their control.  I didn't putz with anything sony... just microsoft, they it totally BORKED all of sony's products on my PC.</p></blockquote><p>Hopefully you can restore the damage done and get back to playing some of the SoE based games. I have a sticky up top that you can follow in hopes that it could eliminate what else maybe infected on your system.</p><p>I do recommend that you google for McAfee SiteAdvisor. It will install and "snap-in" to Internet Explore or Firefox and allow you to determine what are safe site's to click on and what are not safe site's. It would be a great pro-active measure on your part to do so.</p>

[Gargamel]

<p>Its looking like a total reinstall is the only thing that will fix it at this point.</p><p>How cute though... a simple web url that can cause a re-install... because sony are jerks.</p><p>Windows was able to fix itself and work well... but I guess sony is behind the curve, or MS isn't nice though to share the fix.</p><p>Either way... its lame.  Guess I'll have to cancel my sub until I can save enough to get Vista... hellova upgrade strat on MS part IMO... <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Gargamel]

<p>Since I'll prob be gone for a while I guess I"ll share the symptoms (though MS pushed a security fix for .net today so they might be aware and I was just unlucky)</p><p>Thing was nasty... would hijack iexlplore.exe and initiate outgoing requests and send data.  </p><p>Literally would hear audio from a webpage even without having any instance of ie open.  </p><p>Would manifest in form of a dozen executables, but the main one was the dreaded "printer.exe" which would download additional helpers.  (secondary was koos.exe in windows/system32)</p><p>Had several 0 byte (root-kit) entries in registry, 2 picked up with adaware, 5 more with avast and 6 with combofix (some from earlier).</p><p>After all the cleaning, computer is running much better and faster, but the process of fixing it broke launchpad... /shrug</p><p>Good luck to any others that fall fate to sony relying on microsoft like I have... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></p><p><img src="http://i24.tinypic.com/zmjo7n.png" alt="" width="815" height="557" border="0" /></p>

[Tebos]

<cite>Gargamel wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Since I'll prob be gone for a while I guess I"ll share the symptoms (though MS pushed a security fix for .net today so they might be aware and I was just unlucky)</p><p>Thing was nasty... would hijack iexlplore.exe and initiate outgoing requests and send data.  </p><p>Literally would hear audio from a webpage even without having any instance of ie open.  </p><p>Would manifest in form of a dozen executables, but the main one was the dreaded "printer.exe" which would download additional helpers.  (secondary was koos.exe in windows/system32)</p><p>Had several 0 byte (root-kit) entries in registry, 2 picked up with adaware, 5 more with avast and 6 with combofix (some from earlier).</p><p>After all the cleaning, computer is running much better and faster, but the process of fixing it broke launchpad... /shrug</p><p>Good luck to any others that fall fate to sony relying on microsoft like I have... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src=" width="15" height="15" />" width="15" height="15"></p><p><img src="http://i24.tinypic.com/zmjo7n.png" border="0" alt="" width="815" height="557" /></p></blockquote><p>Yes...the game was coded to run on a Windows platform! What else is new?</p>

[Gargamel]

<p>Working on windows is one thing... relying on windows backend services, that even windows can run without was the mistake.</p><p>Like I said... windows runs fine... waaaay better than before the fixes.  Only Sony's launchpad is BORKED.</p><p>Even I I try to bypass launchpad and access the client directly... loads fine (though planetside complaines launchpad didn't call it and fails, and eq2 will be borked on the next update)</p><p>Its like a webpage that won't load if you don't have javascript enabled... sure it makes sense to use it, but really unacceptable to let it be broken without, esp for a company the size of SOE.</p>