Error: 'Unable to launch Allegiance.'?
From FreeAllegiance Wiki
This solution covers the following error messages:
- Unable to launch Allegiance
followed by
- Allegiance did not launch in the time alloted.
Symptoms of this error
ASGS may display the error message "Unable to launch ASGS client." when selecting the Repair Critical Files options in ASGS in an affected installation. The final error message in the log would be "Allegiance did not launch in the time alloted."
This article deals with possible causes in order of most likely.
Contents |
Installed with wrong language
You installed the a wrong language version of the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package. For example, the package bundled with the Allegiance installer is in English; installing it in a non-English version of Windows will cause this issue.
Solution
Install your language's version from Microsoft's website.
Moved location of Allegiance
After installation you moved the Allegiance folder on your harddisk.
Solution
Either:
- Move it back to the original location on your harddisk.
- Reinstall to the new directory (Warning: reinstallation will reset everything in Allegiance back to defaults).
Warning! The following section or part of it requires you to change the Windows Registry. This operation is potentially destructive and needs to be carried out with great care. If you are not very confident with Windows, you may want to consider alternative methods, if available.
- If you are using Windows XP or older, select "Run" in your Start menu, typing regedit, and hitting Enter.
- If you are using Vista or newer, press the Windows button, type regedit and hit Enter.
- Change the registry key from:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\Allegiance\1.0] "EXE Path"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Games\\Allegiance"
- to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\Allegiance\1.0] "EXE Path"="Wherever you now have Allegiance"
Conflicting file names
This error is caused due to the presence of a file (or folder) on the drive where you installed Allegiance whose name conflicts with the "Short File Name" of Allegiance. On default installs, this is usually a file named C:\Program. For a more detailed explanation, scroll down below the solution.
Solution
Remove or rename the file/folder that is conflicting with the shortened name of Allegiance and the game should work normally.
Thanks to Sgt_Baker for doing the detective work and finding the solution.
If this solution fails to work for you, post a new topic in the Helpline, filling out the template given in the Read Me First topic.
Technical Explanation
This error message is caused due to a combination of the support of legacy 8.3 filenames by Windows XP and possibly a file handling routine within .NET. Somewhere along the way, the path to the Allegiance directory set in the Registry gets converted from "long filename" format to "short filename" format.
- Long Format: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Allegiance\Allegiance.exe
- Short Format: C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\ALLEGI~1\ALLEGI~1.exe
This usually doesn't cause any problems, but if there is a file or folder with a short name that conflicts with the shortened name of Allegiance, the routine gets confused and ASGS fails to start Allegiance.
The most common culprit of this problem is a file named C:\Program which is left there as an installation logfile by a program called 'OpManager', however there are likely more culprits out there that could cause this same problem. Other symptoms of this problem can be seen in other non-Allegiance programs including (but not limited to): JavaRE, Maple, and MySQL.
