Mass Effect Frustration

[Archpaladin Zousha]

This holiday season I decided to fire up my old copy of Mass Effect for the PC, which I haven't played since this summer. I even downloaded the Bring Down The Sky downloadable content for even more fun. Then when I clicked the play button, I got a pop-up saying that "Mass Effect has stopped working." I was, in a word, crushed.

I have no idea what the problem is. I know the computer meets the system requirements, as I've played the game on that computer before. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? If so, what did you do to fix it?

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. If I can't get Mass Effect to work, it's back to level-grinding with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.:smallsigh:

[warty goblin]

Your copy is registered right? Otherwise I suppose there could be a problem with the BtDS content running on an unregistered copy or something like that.

I fired my copy up a couple night ago, and it works just fine.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I registered my CD key on the Bioware site a while ago. You can't get a BDtS CD key without registering your copy of Mass Effect.

[Mando Knight]

For some reason, the following method works for my copy of KotOR II: Open executable, hope for it to work, close if not responding, restart process.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I've been trying that. Every time I hit play, I get the "Mass Effect has stopped working", and it asks whether I want to just close the program or search the web for a solution, and clicking that does literally nothing.

[toasty]

have you gone over the installation limits? That has messed a LOT of people up. Any recent hardware changes or installations on multiple comupters might have done this.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

The only things that I think have been installed have been Star Wars: Battlefront II, and the Shivering Isles expansion pack for Oblivion. I might've installed Neverwinter Nights 2 and it's expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, but I'm not sure how long ago that was, and if it was before Mass Effect or after it.

[Fostire]

The only things that I think have been installed have been Star Wars: Battlefront II, and the Shivering Isles expansion pack for Oblivion. I might've installed Neverwinter Nights 2 and it's expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, but I'm not sure how long ago that was, and if it was before Mass Effect or after it.

What he meant (I think) is that mass effect can be reinstalled a limited number of times (or something like that) and that maybe you have gone over that limit. But if that's the case, I think the game would have told you so.

[Driderman]

It doesn't sound like a installation limit or CD-key issue to me. More like Vista acting up. If you aren't close to the install limit, try re-installing. I assume you've already checked out the Bioware technical forums, but if not post there and chances should be you'll get a quick and useful response

[Philistine]

I remember seeing this pop up for a number of people when BDtS first came out; I didn't get it though, and I don't remember the solution. It certainly should be on BioWare's tech help forum, though - probably stickied.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

What he meant (I think) is that mass effect can be reinstalled a limited number of times (or something like that) and that maybe you have gone over that limit. But if that's the case, I think the game would have told you so.

I've only installed Mass Effect once, so that's not a problem.

And I've already asked this question on the BioWare forums. I have not gotten a quick result, probably because I'm not sure what the cause of the problem is. I'm probably about as computer literate as a chimpanzee!

[Philistine]

One possible source of problems is that apparently BDtS can change sound and graphics settings for the game during the install process. One thing you might try is setting it to use Software sound rather than Hardware - launch the game, select 'Configure,' then 'Audio,' then 'Software.'

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I'll try that when the computer it's installed on becomes available. My sister's using it to fill out college applications, and so it's barred from me. I'm gonna content myself with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in the meantime. If I can't get my fix of BioWare awesomeness from their magnum opus, I'll just get it from the next best thing!:smallamused:

[zaei]

I had to set ME to run as an Admin before it would run for me (first time I tried to run it after installing the base game, it crashed on me. I was pissed). Might want to give that a try.

[Dark Knight Renee]

A bit late, I suspect, but I encountered the same problem when I tried to start it on my new computer, running Vista. The solution was the same as Zaei's: the "Mass Effect has stopped working" nonsense is has something to do with Windows being silly, and telling the program to run it as an admin made the problem go away.

[The_JJ]

See, I was going to make a new thread, then I saw this, amd I thought, well if they're helping this guy... and it turns out you've had the same problems. Same problem but uh... I've tried setting to play as admin, but I can't. (Correction, I've tried and failed, my method is incapable, but I'm sure reasonably sure my computer is.) The option is blocked. Help?

*Sob* I just wanted to kill some aliens. Is that so bad!? *incoherent blubbering*[/wail]


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