Launcher Play button does nothing

carlwfnub19_ESO

I started up the game, it started patching and errored, saying it couldn't access a file.
I restarted, it patched some more, got error again.
I restarted, it didn't start patching, but the Play button won't start the game.
I've done the delete/copy/paste into the user settings file, no help.
I renamed the launcher folder and re-installed, no help.
I can launch by using the binary, but would like to have the launcher for patching.

Any ideas?

thanks!

carlwfnub19_ESO

Oh, and I've tried running it as administrator, also. no help.

carlwfnub19_ESO

I couldn't patch today, got the same error that caused the original problem (file access). My theory is that there's an underlying problem between ESO and Windows such that a file gets corrupted and no longer can be changed by you, even if you're the administrator. that is what happened to me...I uninstalled, but it couldn't uninstall one of the files, and I can't delete it, even if I do the fancy command line stuff to take ownership.

I suspect that ESO isn't answering because they don't know what is causing the underlying file problem.

I'm reinstalling from scratch to a different folder to see if it fixes the issue.

BACONCHEESEBURGER

Did you send a ticket?

carlwfnub19_ESO

do you have to send a ticket from in-game?

Just started patching today and got the same problem...will have to do a complete reinstall instead of getting to play tonight.

ZOS_PeterT

The first thing to do is make sure ESO.exe and the bethesda.net_launcher are being allowed through your anti-virus and firewall.

To see if it is another program stopping it we need to do a Selective Startup. Here's how to get into Selective Startup mode:
1.Click Start and type msconfig in the search box
2.Right click on the msconfig.exe program and choose "Run as administrator"
3.On the General Tab at the top, click on the Selective startup radio button
4.Uncheck "Load startup items"
5.Click on the Services tab and check the "Hide all Microsoft services" box
6.Click the "Disable all" button at the bottom
7.Click Apply, then click OK
8.Restart your computer.

When your computer boots up again, it will be in Selective Startup.

There is an additional step you need to take. After running the computer in selective start up, you will now need to put the game into Administrative mode.

To do that, Right-click on the launcher icon; select properties; choose the "Compatibility" tab; (If you have Windows 8, in the Compatibility box select Windows XP Service Pack 3). Check the box that says "Run as Administrator;" Click Apply and OK.

After you do this, go to My Computer, then C: drive, then go to Program Files (x86). Under that folder, go to the Zenimax Online folder, then the Elder Scrolls folder. Under the Game, then Client folders, look for a file called ESO.EXE. Right click on that file, go to properties, then go to Compatibility. Click the check box at the bottom for Run As Administrator, then Apply, and Okay. Close all of the folders.

Open the Launcher and allow any and all updates to be performed. Once updates are complete, select "Game Options" (under the News category), and "Repair" from the drop-down menu. Allow the repair utility to run.

After all of this, the game should allow you to play it. If the problem persists, run the Game Consultant, and attach the resulting file to your response to this email. You can find and use it by following the instructions here: https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6690

Additionally, send me your ticket number if you aren't able to resolve your issue!