Anything labeled as a "game" will not be launched.
Anything labeled as a "game" will not be launched.
Hello everyone!
I've been working on this issue for roughly a year and a couple of months, reaching out to game support and Reddit's tech help, but getting no answers.
My setup: I purchased a PC about four years ago, with all the specifications listed at the end. About two years back, a strange glitch started. Suddenly, any game-related software couldn't be launched—Steam, other platforms, even emulators. Media players and Chrome worked fine, but games were completely blocked. The processes showed up in Task Manager, but with almost no CPU activity. For games using launchers, the launcher would appear, yet the actual game wouldn't.
This issue seems random; it tends to happen after leaving the PC on, especially if I'm not paying attention (like while eating). I can play something, switch to another game, and then nothing works anymore.
The only way to fix it so far is to force a restart by pressing the power button, because simply clicking "Restart" in Windows doesn't actually work—it just keeps turning on.
I've tried excluding games from AV scans (using Norton), but it still happens. Updating my graphics card helped for about two weeks before it started again.
I searched through session details—time spent, programs used—but nothing repeated or stood out except when playing a game and being blocked. I also looked into flushing DNS, clearing cache, deleting temp files, checking for outdated drivers, but nothing worked.
Anyone have any advice? I'm getting really frustrated.
System specs:
- OS: Windows 10
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-9400F @ 2.90GHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
- Motherboard: ASRock B360M Performance
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 2TB (Toshiba HDWD120)
Have you thought about completely erasing and starting fresh with the operating system?
Correct.
A fresh Windows OS installation contains over 100,000 files.
Any of these might be questionable.
You could attempt the System File Checker and DISM tools.
From an elevated command prompt, run sfc /scannow
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em...6e85d4094e
Additionally, DISM instructions:
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-d...s-10-image