Neverwinter wont start - freezes before cryptic screen

kraugh

Greetings.

I have a windows 10 system that gets to the launcher and the play button. However, when the play button is hit, the screen goes black, not blank, and the processing circle image on the mouse caret shows. The screen does not proceed to the CRYPTIC splash. The processor usage goes low as does the hard drive usage. The Task Manager eventually shows the process as not responding. Sometimes the process prevents all other apps from being accessed as well. This worked on the system when it was Win7. I also uninstalled all of Arc and reinstalled, restarting at every functional completion. What has to be in place for the Cryptic screen to be displayed?

Thank you.

krailov

Have you updated your graphics driver (item 7 below)? We are about to start a new sticky, so this is what is in it to date:
Disclaimer
Please note we have provided links to assist you in how to do some of the troubleshooting steps. The links provided go to external websites that contain advertising. We recommend that you DO NOT click on any advertisements. If you are feeling lost, STOP! Seek assistance from a friend, or get a proper technician in! Proceed with the knowledge that many of these checks are simple and safe, but you follow the directions at your own risk - All responsibility is in your hands, not ours!

1. Do a Force verify of the game files from the launcher.
   In your game launcher go to the Options, and you will see a tick box for "Force verify" - tick it, and Save. This will take a while.
   
2. Type -d3d9 in the command line to change it to DX9 instead of 10, 11, or 12 when launching.
   In your game launcher, go to the Options, and you will see a place to type something in the Command Line. Type in "-d3d9" (without the quotes) and then restart the Launcher. If that does not work, keep changing it to try all DX versions (note that Win 7 and 8 only go to DX11).
   
3. Run a chkdsk - you would be surprised how many errors lurk in the file system.
   Do the simple chkdsk first. Be aware the full chkdsk (/r option) should not be run on an SSD. The full chkdsk will take about 2 - 4 hours - overnight is best! After doing the chkdsk (and you are still having problems), please re-do Step 1 again.
   howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/guide-to-using-check-disk-in-windows-vista/
   
4. Try Win7 compatibility mode on the launcher (if you are running 8 or 10).
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15078/windows-make-older-programs-compatible
   
5. Have you tried temporarily stopping or pausing your Antivirus?
   Each Antivirus is different, but if you see the small icon near the date/time of your system (you may have to click the up arrow to see it), you should be able to then right-click on the icon for your antivirus, and choose the pause/disable/exit, or something similar. Many will ask for 'how long' to do this - as you are testing, 5 - 10 min is fine. If it works with the antivirus disabled or paused, contact the supplier to have Neverwinter added to the safe list. If you cannot pause your protection, you will need to contact the supplier to learn how to do this for your product. CAUTION while you have paused or disabled your protection, you should NOT browse the web or open emails!
   
6. Adjust the program level security settings for Neverwinter and Arc.
   Neverwinter and Arc are usually installed in the Program Files [C:\Program Files (x86)\Neverwinter_en] area - Windows permissions could be the cause of your problems. Right-click on the folder and click on 'Properties' - go to the Security tab and click on the 'Edit' button - Click the 'Add' button, type in "everyone" (no quotes), then click the 'Check Names' button, then 'OK'. Now tick the "Full control" box in the Allow column, then OK (twice). Do this for both folders (Neverwinter_en and Arc).
   
7. Update drivers to the most recent versions currently available. This depends on your hardware, so you need to know what you have in your system. This can stop your system from working, so proceed with caution!
   pcsupport.about.com/od/driverssupport/f/driverupdate.htm
   If you are looking for software that can help you do this automatically, then have a read of this article (we do not recommend paying for this type of software):
   http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driversites/tp/free-driver-updater-tools.htm
   

If you have done all the steps above and are still having problems, we cannot guarantee to help, but we will try. On your next post, please include:

1. Hardware you are running on (laptop/PC, DDR3/DDR4 RAM, CPU), plus graphics card (nVidia/AMD plus card model, for example AMD R7 360 or nVidia GTX 750)
   To get the hardware and OS info run msinfo32.exe for the best details (refer to thewindowsclub.com/system-information-tool-msinfo32)
   
2. Confirm that you have done all the steps above, or why you may have skipped one