Launcher still won't patch, like yesterday afternoon

Aashiana · November 2022

I'm having the same problem that occurred yesterday, where the (non-Steam) launcher won't even get to updating the patch. It just hangs on "Checking for invalid game files..." immediately after opening it. The work-around yesterday was to go to the folder with game executable and launch it directly. Obviously that won't work today as far as getting the new content downloaded.

Was a fix ever found for this? I didn't see one reported on that bug thread.

Note, I can't use game repair since the launcher never gets that far. Yesterday there was really nothing wrong with the game, because upon launching using the executable file it worked normally. Today there are obviously other issues but the game launcher is still broken, so I can't even get that far.

ZOS_Bill · November 2022

@Aashiana

Do you get the option to run a repair through the ESO launcher?

LadyJohanna · November 2022

Launcher is Checking invalid game files, no option to even access a repair to run.

ZOS_Bill · November 2022

@LadyJohanna

If your launcher is stuck at updating or checking files, the issue could be anti-virus related.

Create an Anti-virus or Firewall Exception for ESO

Each antivirus program is different and we recommend that you view the antivirus developer's website for full instructions on how to add exceptions.

The application files that may require exceptions are:

Bethesda.net_launcher: C:\Program Files (x86)\ZenimaxOnline\Launcher
ESO.exe: C:\Program Files (x86)\ZenimaxOnline\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client\eso.exe
Steam.exe: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe

Some antivirus programs require entire folders to be selected instead of a single file.When this is the case, the file paths below are what you should use. If required by the anti-virus program, include all subfolders since every file is critical to run the game.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\

IrisDupree · November 2022

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/7742280#Comment_7742280

check the fix on the last page. Sof ar this has worked for everyone with the checking invalid files issue

LadyJohanna · November 2022

The "checking invalid game files" launcher issue for many of us was caused by screenshots having been saved in the client folder and needing to be moved to the Documents/ESO/live folder where they belong.