Can't open the game "a javascript error occured in the main process"

[PDXJon]

I got this issue today as well. Probably today's update broke something. In my case, Stellaris stopped launching.
Resolved as following:
From C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\AppData\Local\Programs\Paradox Interactive moved today's folder to a safe location one level above...

View attachment 672658

So launcher is calling previous version now, which worked fine.

Doesn't work for me since I don't have the version .16 version in the folder. All I have is .11 and .17

So is the launcher still looking for version .16 even though version .17 was pushed out today?

 

[AndrewT]

We now have reports of this on AVG, Avast and possibly Kaspersky.

You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

dowser.exe (in the Steam Eu4 folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2020.17/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

Good luck!

 

[Obywan]

That looks like a pretty old launcher version. Please try this:

- exit the Steam app entirely
- uninstall Paradox Launcher v2 from the Windows "Apps and features" utility, if still present.

Delete the following folders if still present:

- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Roaming/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

- run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user

- run the game from the PLAY button in Steam

IF that doesn't help, in this folder are some .log files:
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
Please attach them here.

Note that you can run eu4.exe directly from Windows Explorer, which bypasses the launcher.

Thank you very much! this worked! I can go back to my Byzantine game.

 

[Jack_Alexander]

I don't any antivirus installed, and I've been getting this since yesterday, also the paradox launcher won't uninstall (I keep doing it, but it doesn't go away from windows apps list)

 

[PDXJon]

I use a different one and I tried disabling it, excepting the above processes and it still doesn't work. I guess I will try uninstalling it. I suspect that isn't the issue

I now have no anti-virus install and I still get this error. Windows 10 machine and I have over 10,000 hours on this game and this is the first time I have ever had a problem running the game.

 

[AndrewT]

I don't any antivirus installed, and I've been getting this since yesterday, also the paradox launcher won't uninstall (I keep doing it, but it doesn't go away from windows apps list)

I use a different one and I tried disabling it, excepting the above processes and it still doesn't work. I guess I will try uninstalling it. I suspect that isn't the issue

I now have no anti-virus install and I still get this error. Windows 10 machine and I have over 10,000 hours on this game and this is the first time I have ever had a problem running the game.

Can we see your actual Java error please?

What AV apps do you use?

And do these three files physically exist in these locations?

dowser.exe (in the Steam Eu4 folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2020.17/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

 

[PDXJon]

Can we see your actual Java error please?

What AV apps do you use?

And do these three files physically exist in these locations?

dowser.exe (in the Steam Eu4 folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2020.17/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

Those files do exist And I use a symantec product, but it's uninstalled right now. It won't let me type the name since it's marked as spam.

 

[AndrewT]

Those files do exist And I use a symantec product, but it's uninstalled right now. It won't let me type the name since it's marked as spam.

What AV app do or did you use? I ask because AV apps usually don't fully uninstall, as that's what some malware tries to do, so it may still be partially active.

 

[PDXJon]

What AV app do or did you use? I ask because AV apps usually don't fully uninstall, as that's what some malware tries to do, so it may still be partially active.

It’s n0rton 360. This forum won’t let me post the name. It says it is flagged as spam.

 

[AndrewT]

Try deleting C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/ and run the game from the Steam PLAY button again. The launcher will reinstall and update, if you then exit it and restart it you should be fine from then on.

 

[texasaggie07]

I am having the same issue. I did what you suggested above and it worked once! Exited game and came back and it won't work again. Deleting files every time I want to play is not a reasonable ask. Is there a hotfix coming? It was working fine!

 

[PDXJon]

Try deleting C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/ and run the game from the Steam PLAY button again. The launcher will reinstall and update, if you then exit it and restart it you should be fine from then on.

That’s actually one of the steps in the original suggested fixes. I did it anyway and the launcher still throws the JavaScript exception. I installed ck2 and hoi4 to check their launchers and they launched without throwing an exception. I followed the path in the exception message and it appears the files are in the directory.

 

[WTBCzero]

Just registered to report the same issue - it was working fine yesterday but stopped working today.

I have Kaspersky installed, so I tried to add these files to the exception list:
dowser.exe (in the Steam Eu4 folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2020.17/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

FIrst was fine but I couldn't find the other two - there's a Paradox Interactive folder but the contents are different. So next I tried deleting that folder, as AndrewT suggested. It made no difference, the game still doesn't start (error messaged attached).

Edit: Saw the thread about the unplanned launcher release, followed the instructions and its working again now.

 

[AndrewT]

This is a problem with the new launcher 202017 version. Can you please download the latest C++ bundle and install it:

The latest supported Visual C++ downloads

This article lists the download links for the latest versions of Visual C++.

support.microsoft.com

And run the x86 and x64 installers there.



Sorry about that!

 

[GMOEU]

I'm having the same problem.
Just started yesterday.

 

[GMOEU]

This is a problem with the new launcher 202017 version. Can you please download the latest C++ bundle and install it:

The latest supported Visual C++ downloads

This article lists the download links for the latest versions of Visual C++.

support.microsoft.com

And run the x86 and x64 installers there.



Sorry about that!

So we should download files?
Sorry - don't understand what you mean.

 

[AndrewT]

Please try this:

- exit the Steam app entirely
- uninstall Paradox Launcher v2 from the Windows "Apps and features" utility, if still present.

Delete the following folders if still present:

- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Roaming/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

- run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user

- run the game from the PLAY button in Steam

IF that doesn't help, in this folder are some .log files:
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
Please attach them here.

Note that you can run eu4.exe directly from Windows Explorer, which bypasses the launcher.