I have been getting this error since the patch released as well. I did every step listed in their knowledge base plus whatever else I could find for searching their support area for "error 209" and none of the steps helped. The last step, which I also was hesitant to do, was uninstall and reinstall. I uninstalled the game from the launcher, then from the control panel, then deleted every folder/file associated with this game and all addons making sure nothing was left on my computer that I could find. Ran disk cleanup and disk defrag, restarted and the re-downloaded the game launcher from the website and began installation to get the cleanest install I could. Still same error, so I contacted support and to this point I have not been able to fix it with the tips they have provided, maybe they could help you guys. Waiting for the next response so if I get a new tip that helps I will also post it. (Note: I can still play, like everyone else, if I close and reopen the launcher as the error only appears about 40% of the time, but always appears when quitting the game.)

If you are having an issue playing ESOTU on a Windows 10 machine, you may then need to play the game in Compatibility Mode.
To play ESOTU in Compatibility Mode, please follow the instructions below:

Right click on the ESOTU launcher.
Select Properties.
Click on the Compatibility tab.
Check Run this program in compatibility mode for: and select the earlier operating system (usually Windows 7 or 8).
Hit Apply, then OK.
Run the ESOTU launcher and try to play the game.

Should you have any other questions, feel free to contact us again. We'll be happy to help you!

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If you are connected over Wi-Fi or through a second router, I'd like you to connect your computer directly to your ISP's modem or access point, if possible.

Make an exception/whitelist inside any firewall or anti-virus software you may be using, to allow either the entire Elder Scrolls Online folder or the specific files of ESO.exe and the Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe. If you're not sure how to do this, contact the producer of the software. There are often helpful guidelines or instructions on their websites.

Forward ports in the router to make sure it isn't blocking anything we are trying to send out. To do this, you will need to contact your ISP or router manufacturer to get a static IP and port forwarding set up to allow the game to bypass your router's firewall. The ports needed are below:

TCP / UDP Ports 24100 through 24131
TCP / UDP Ports 24300 through 24331
TCP / UDP Ports 24500 through 24507

Once the port forwarding is complete, you will want to flush your DNS:

Press Win+X to open the menu.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
Type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
If it was successful, you will see the message "Windows IP configuration successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."
Power cycle the router to clear the cache so that it doesn't store the bad route.

Finally, to powercycle a home network, please follow these steps:

Turn off the router by unplugging it. If you have a modem and router in one device, you should turn it off and then proceed to step 3.
Turn off the DSL or cable modem for three minutes.
Note: If the modem has one, please remove the backup battery to completely turn off the modem.
Turn off all computers attached to the network.
Turn on the DSL or cable modem first and let it boot. Let it complete its connection to the ISP before proceeding to the next step. If you have a modem and router in one device, you should proceed to step 6 after it connects to the ISP.
Once the modem completes the connection to the ISP, plug in the router. Let it complete its power on Test before proceeding to the next step.
Restart the computers.

Please let us know if this helps. Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to let us know too.

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Open the Control Panel.
Select Internet Options.
Click Connections on the top panel.
Select LAN Settings.

From here ensure that Automatic configuration Script and Proxy Server are disabled (unchecked). Once the settings are applied, please try updating the game again.

This is happening to me also, just since the patch. I do not runt he game in administrator mode as anybody alive since XP should be able to make a folder to install games into (I use C:\Games) and set permissions on the folder correctly (Users:Full). Running anything in admin mode that does not need it for a valid reason is asking for trouble and it defeats one of the core layers of security on a modern Windows system.

The point here is that I have NEVER run as admin, and NEVER had the issue, until the patch before the most recent one. Now this most recent one made it a billion times worse. Sure, it is MY end when nothing changed.

I have been having this issue as well every time I run the launcher since the latest patch. Most of the time the error will pop up but I still get a play button and the game runs fine. Sometimes it will only show a repair button, but closing and re launching will fix it. Game works fine. Thought about hitting the repair button when it comes up but I'm afraid it will make me re download the entire game which would be pointless since the game actually works. Hoping it will sort its self out after the next patch.

Blackhorne wrote: »

DO NOT HIT THE REPAIR BUTTON UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR INSTALL IS ACTUALLY BROKEN.

I see this all the time. It happens if you leave the launcher open for any length of time in which there is any kind of network issue between your system and the patch servers.
Workaround: Close the launcher and re-open
Solution: Yes, Zenimax needs to make the launcher less sensitive to issues contacting the patch server -- at the very least it should not replace play with repair, but make repair a separate option that doesn't prevent you from trying to play.

Yeah I was getting the error about a month or so ago, then it went away, and now it's all of a sudden back. I did try this one time and it worked but I forgot about it until you mentioned it. I will stop repairing it and just keep closing and opening it until it works. Thanks much Blackhorne!