Launcher file does not exist (Solved)

[Agujhan]

Did some tomfoolery to fix the launcher and now a file DNE and displays this message upon opening the game in steam, I've done all the tips I could find: Reinstall, restart computer, verify files, go through the launcher installer, the bootstrap is up to date and running as admin, stellaris.exe is up to date and running admin (and does work, saves are kept and no crashing, but I need the launcher to work as well), run steam as admin, firewalls have all the files and so does the antivirus and windows defender, bootstrap launcher isn't running beta. Simple test would be someone else pasting the DNE file into a drive folder or similar and tossing it in there to see if it works.

Thanks for reading and sorry if this has already been covered.

 

[AndrewT]

Please try this:

- 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.

- exit the Steam app entirely
- 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.

 

[Agujhan]

Please try this:

- 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.

- exit the Steam app entirely
- 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.

uninstalled

did the delete folders steps and the roaming files for the Paradox folder don't exist, keep in mind after I deleted the local file.

Ohhhh, I was setting the steam shortcut to run admin, my bad and thanks for the reminder. Task managered steam and running admin. For anyone else who goofed the same way I did I'm installing Stellaris while in admin mode as well.

Much better, can open the launcher but it's still giving the old "cannot access file C:\Users\whatever\OneDrive\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\launcher-v2.sqlite

First hit this baby

2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Dowser version: 2021.1
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Dowser TargetEnv: prod
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] The `launcherpath` file does not exists:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Paradox Interactive\launcherpath
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Trying to fix existing installation in "/passive" mode
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [ERROR] Fixing existing installation failed:
exit status 1605
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Running regular installation in "/passive" mode
2022-11-14 16:57:58 [main] [INFO] Launcher installation succeeded!

in which the launcherpath legit didn't exist, did a quick repair with the launcher installer and got it existing in the right place, and now we're back here

2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Dowser version: 2021.1
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Dowser TargetEnv: prod
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] The `launcherpath` file does not exists:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Paradox Interactive\launcherpath
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Trying to fix existing installation in "/passive" mode
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [ERROR] Fixing existing installation failed:
exit status 1605
2022-11-14 16:57:54 [main] [INFO] Running regular installation in "/passive" mode
2022-11-14 16:57:58 [main] [INFO] Launcher installation succeeded!
2022-11-14 17:07:09 [main] [INFO] Dowser version: 2021.1
2022-11-14 17:07:09 [main] [INFO] Dowser TargetEnv: prod
2022-11-14 17:07:09 [main] [INFO] Searching for latest installed version at C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Stellaris\
2022-11-14 17:07:09 [main] [INFO] Latest installed version of the Launcher found: 2022.13
2022-11-14 17:10:03 [main] [INFO] Dowser version: 2021.1
2022-11-14 17:10:03 [main] [INFO] Dowser TargetEnv: prod
2022-11-14 17:10:03 [main] [INFO] Searching for latest installed version at C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Stellaris\
2022-11-14 17:10:03 [main] [INFO] Latest installed version of the Launcher found: 2022.13

Files attached are taken after that block of text, both blocks were taken from the .logs dowser

Thanks again for the support and your time

 

[AndrewT]

"cannot access file C:\Users\whatever\OneDrive\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\launcher-v2.sqlite

Is your Windows user Documents folder actually on OneDrive? If so is that facility on, running and syncing okay?

And do you actually want your documents held on MS's servers?

 

[Agujhan]

Is your Windows user Documents folder actually on OneDrive? If so is that facility on, running and syncing okay?

And do you actually want your documents held on MS's servers?

The user Documents folder is its own thing, not sure why it's directing to OneDrive but considering I didn't change it between now and when it was working I don't think it matters. But if you have a way for it to be communicating to the direct Documents folder instead that'd be great. OneDrive is working as far as I can tell and does synch the User Documents folder.

If you mean MS being microsoft I don't really care as the folder only synching one way, but if that's what it takes for the launcher to work I'd be cool with it.

 

[AndrewT]

If the Windows user Documents folder has moved onto OneDrive, and the Windows variable points there, then that's where our launcher needs to get access to.

Right click on Documents in the left column of File Explorer, just under This PC there. Go to properties, location. What does it say in there?

 

[Agujhan]

If the Windows user Documents folder has moved onto OneDrive, and the Windows variable points there, then that's where our launcher needs to get access to.

Right click on Documents in the left column of File Explorer, just under This PC there. Go to properties, location. What does it say in there?

File exists in three places, oh no. ohhhhh no. doing some tomfoolery and recording it here. Three places: OneDrive, user, This PC, all three directing to the folder in one drive location. It has the "restore default" option, click that and it changes the location to directly in the user (C:\Users\user\Documents) but it can't execute because something already exists by that name. Try that for all of them and even the user folder itself can't be restored due to something else being there.

I have no idea how it got priority but some random folder labeled documents got in the C:\Users\user\Documents designation and the old one was and shoved to OneDrive. Files on the new one indicate it was made by something for modded minecraft. It has screenshots inside from a magma server my friend did on curseforge, no idea how it overtook the position or how this didn't make itself known sooner. Tossing that out and emptying trash.

Tried to redirect OneDrive documents folder again, didn't work again as something's there. Did not show up in the user tab where the OneDrive and other minecraft documents folder existed. Went directly to the folder itself and it does exist and is in proper order, and after the direct look around it popped up right where it's supposed to be and the OneDrive documents folder is empty.

Stellaris launcher just gave the "can't even access the documents folder ya doofus" not the specific launcher-v2.sqlite so I'm verifying the files. Back to the "settings not there, please make sure you have access to documents folder." Hitting the repair on launcher-installer. Same message. Launching stellaris itself, went to the opening stellaris popup then instantly died. Bootstrapper isn't recognizing prior settings and hitting me up with the default opening message.

The documents folder in the This PC is still trying to get to the OneDrive location and will not be redirected by restore defaults. Clicked it again and it popped up the little C:\Users\user\OneDrive\Documents is unavailable, probably been moved or deleted but at the same time the little green search bar popped up (attached below) and I'm keeping the error message on the screen until the search bar is done. The green bar has not budged in the last few minutes from when the screenshot was taken.

I pasted all the right folders from the real documents folder into the one in This PC and now the launcher is working just fine, bringing up a game and making sure the folders are synching well enough to save a game. It can hold a save game, testing with mods. Working and saving with mods.


Thank you so much, you just made my day and so many others around this forum, only thing I can ask is that you have a great one too!

 

[David21CA]

I have got rid of the problem by deleting the file from your PC but keep it on OneDrive.