Nope its not my firewall as I've already said I already checked, it has been on my exceptions list since it was installed and the game worked PERFECTLY fine (despite the OOM crashes everyone gets atm) until 3 beta patches back, now it won't launch at all except via the offline workaround shortcut the SD folks have already provided other who are having the same problem.

I repeat this is DEFINITELY not a firewall issue.

It doesn't make a difference what drive Elemental is installed on.  I'm asking you to look in you program data folder, which is a system folder on the same directory as windows is installed.  If you can't see it on that drive, it's because it's hidden.  Searches also exclude system and hidden folders by default.  Also, once you are in the proper directory, check to make sure that the folder is not read only. It's not supposed to be, but sometimes Windows does odd things.  If you want a quicker response than on these forums, zip up all the log xml files and e-mail them to me at carielf at stardock.com 

lol no i'm not that dense.  I am saying that when I ran the shortcut with the extension carielf asked me to add no log files were created in the indicated folder of the name that was given AFTEr running said shortcut which launched the game and crashed out at the same point.

I realise it makes no difference I was merely pointing out I could not look in the exact location you indicated because my game isnt installed in that location.

I have looking in the folder you indicated many times now and have ensured the folder is not read only (and all sub folders) and I am saying that even after creating a new shortcut for the game and adding the /logxml tagline you indicated and running the game to the failed launch i have been getting, that NO such file by the indicated name of CVPLoginResponse exists in the Impulse Reactor folder you indicate, or indeed ANYWHERE within the whole Elemental game directory and sub directories and I have manually checked by eye every folder within it.

So as much as I would love nothing more than to send you an email with the requested log xml file you are asking for so i can get this "game" working again I am unable to comply because it does NOT exist.

I have also since uninstalled and reinstalled the game and tried the shortcut you indicated again and searched AGAIN and still no such log file by the name you have asked exists anywhere in the elemental game directory and sub directories including the stated impulse reactor directory again.

On a side note, I recieved this error several times last night - It was timing out on trying to connect to the internet because I had too many background processes running. Even though my computer was running fine (Quad core, radeon 5850, etc) for some reason Elemental lagged because of everything I had running. Nothing that I was running at the time was even touching the internet or the drive on which it was installed either.

I was extracting a 14gb file on my storage drive, so the only thing it was utilizing was a bit of ram and processing power. I was able to play Mass Effect 1/2 while it was extracting but not Elemental because it could not download the file.

So I'm wondering if maybe instead of having to do with the connection itself it has something to do with the file or the file location. Try making a restore point and then going to both your MyDocuments impulse/elemental directories and your Program Files impulse/elemental directories, and using administrative access make them fully read only and affect child objects, then uncheck it so that it should make all of them non-read only (Even though I believe they should be in the first place, I know sometimes Windows Vista/7 are touchy about installed programs and their program folder access capabilities). I've had incidents where I've saved files in a program folder and even though I could see it from the program, as soon as I closed out Windows deleted the file without asking or telling me, or even putting it in the recycle bin.

It may be doing the same thing. Impulse may be downloading the file, then when Elemental tries to access it, Windows has already wiped it. Once that's done to both sets of folders, try again. If that doesn't work then it's something to do with the file getting onto your computer, not the final source.

I think what Cari is trying to say here, is that no matter where you installed the game, you WILL have that directory on the C drive. It's a hidden windows directory, it doesnt change locations. I have Elemental installed on a different drive as well, but I still have that directory on my C drive.

I have Stardock installed on my C:\ and I have Elemental itself in the impulse directory on my D:\ I have searched both with read only unchecked in order to see all hidden files and folders and what Carielf is asking for is just not there in either location.  There are no other locations on my drives that I know of that have ANY directories related to stardock or impulse besides the other SD games I own and there is no reason the logs from elemental would be turning up in those games directories.

I don't know what the issue is, why im not getting the logs and why they aren't turning up in the location carielf says they should, all I know si they aren't.

All I do know is the game worked perfectly fine and all my other SD games STILL work perfectly fine and that elemental only stopped working three beta patches ago at which point it would no longer launch.  Nothing has changed my end, no password changed etc.. nothing that would cause any obvious issue.  Which to me says the problem lies in the patches themselves.

Now obviously they could narrow it down more specifically with the logs that tell them the error but as I'm not getting those logs for whatever reason im kinda stuck.  The only way i can use the game atm is offline via the shortcut workaround they posted for others with this problem elsewhere on these forums as im not the only person having this problem, so they MUST have some diea as to what is causing it to have provided the temporary workaround.

Yank out the entire installation and reinstall with 1.1 non beta.

alternatively try reinstalling your C++ runtime library, I had to do that for some odd reason to get my other games to work after installing Elemental. Could have been some previous file corruption that I did not notice before, but all I know is that it got my games to work.

The location she wants you to look at is not related to where Elemental nor Impulse are installed.

Try this:

[start button] -> [Run] -> (then type) C:\ProgramData

(you can replace the C: with whatever drive windows is installed to on your PC, most people have it set to C).

Anyway, there should be a "Stardock" folder in that directory, and an "Elemental - War of Magic" subfolder within.

This is where CariElf is asking you to look for logs at.  And from the looks of your responses, not where you have been looking. 

Hope that helps.

~C

Thanks C

this was very helpful and took me to exactly where the logs were found

Much appreciated

No prob man.  Get cari the logs and we can hopefully sort this for ya. 

edit: looks like you already did, as Dewie has come to save the day. 

BTW, that hidden directory is something Windows should make users more aware of.  Starting in Windows Vista, developers are supposed to stuff things in there to be "certified" but as a "power user" I hate having stuff hidden away from the user.

Thanks Dewie that worked and the game now lanches properly.

One query however, now on launching it is stating there is a major update available, which if I click to update does nothing except takes me to the impulse window, which shows no updates available.  Is this intended? or is this something else I need to worry about? lol

Thanks to all the support folks who have been on this and for the resolution, much appreciated