# Solved: Steam error code 83 when launching Mass Effect



## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

So I just bought the first Mass Effect game from Steam yesterday and both Steam and the game downloaded/installed without any trouble. However, when I went to launch the game this morning, it acted like it was going to start and then I got a little alert that said "Mass Effect failed to start (error code 83)". 

I tried again (several more times for that matter) and now it still acts like it's going to start (with the "Preparing to launch..." and the whole bit) but now I'm not even getting the error code message -- nothing is happening at all.

Naturally I began searching online for a solution to the problem. I see that many different people have had this problem with various games, but all the forum threads that I looked at were at least a year old. I tried exiting and restarting Steam, but that didn't work. I tried going to the game properties in Steam and verifying the integrity of the game cache, but that didn't work either.

There were quite a few suggestions regarding firewalls, but I'll admit I didn't really understand any of them. If anyone could explain it to me or come up with any other suggestions to fix this problem, that would be awesome. I'd love to have not wasted $20...


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2007)

Uninstall steam from your programs and go download
the latest version from the steam site.
The versions on older games have problems updating
and might be your problem.
Seen it happen before.
http://store.steampowered.com/
Scroll down the page and click install steam now.


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Howdy,

Are you going through a Router and some specs on the PC would help

Try this link to download a small program from this site that will tell you most of the specs we need

TSG System Information Utility 

Copy and paste the results from this program in your next post


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Thanks, leroys1000 I'll try this, but I just downloaded Steam yesterday before I bought the game so I'm not sure why it would be an issue...

Megabite: Here you go:

Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1, 64 bit
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 620 Processor, AMD64 Family 16 Model 5 Stepping 2
Processor Count: 4
RAM: 5887 Mb
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9100, 256 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 942591 MB, Free - 776264 MB; D: Total - 11174 MB, Free - 1624 MB;
Motherboard: PEGATRON CORPORATION, VIOLET6
Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials, Updated and Enabled

I ran System Requirements Lab and it said the game should run fine on the computer... and I'm on a desktop computer so the router in my house is connected directly to the modem


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Do you have and run any other Online games through Steam?


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

I don't. This is the first -- I was torn between buying a hard copy of the game or just getting the digital copy. Now I'm kinda wishing I'd gotten the hard copy


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

It could be your Microsoft Essentials or your Firewall blocking it......and maybe your Router


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Take a look at the link below to allow a program through your firewall

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-allow-programs-through-the-windows-7-firewa.html


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Hmm. Well right now, I've just re-installed Steam and the game itself is re-installing... it took all night last night and it looks like it's going to take that long again.

I found another thread somewhere where the person was having a ton of trouble getting the game to run (not sure if it was this same error, and I think theirs might have been with a hard copy) but then they got a digital copy from Origin and it worked fine. I _have_ Origin, and I've downloaded a game from it and it worked fine (this was just a Sims 2 expansion pack though). Do you think it would be worth it to try to get ME from Origin, or maybe try a hard copy?

I'll try out that link, thanks.


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Try the link above ....


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Okay so I followed the directions in that link, but when I click _Allow a Program through Windows Firewall_ it wants me to update my firewall settings (saying "Windows Firewall is not using the recommended settings to protect this computer"). So then I try to click "Use Recommended Settings" but I get a little error message saying "Windows Firewall can't change some of your settings. Error code 0x80070424"


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Fun and games...you are the Admin of that PC?

Try clicking on RUN in the link below

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968002


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

I'm pretty sure one of the other user accounts is the actual admin, but I end up running a lot of things as admin on my own account.


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Where did you find out that Video card can run Mass Effect 3 as it is a low end card...


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Okay I ran the Windows Update Troubleshooter and it says it didn't find any problems...


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

I'm not trying to run ME3 -- I know the card isn't good enough for it. I'm trying to run ME1, and according to the System Requirements Lab I should be able to run both it and ME2.


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Quick update:

I uninstalled everything (so both the game and Steam) and re-installed them, and it didn't work. The exact same thing is happening, only I'm not getting the error message when I try to launch the game -- it just sits there and won't do anything.

There _is_ something I noticed, however, and I'm not sure if it really means anything. I had my Library tab open in Steam in order to watch the progress of the download, and it was showing that the final file size was about 7,919 MB (so as it downloaded it was like "3,456 MB / 7,919 MB downloaded" and so on).

However, if I went to the Community tab and looked at the list of games on my Steam profile, it also showed download progress but here it would say "46% of _8.3 GB_ downloaded" and so on. Now, 8.3 GB is quite a bit bigger than 7,919 MB, so why would it be showing two different things? The whole re-installation process finished during the night, and when I looked at it this morning, it said that 7,919 MB / 7,919 MB had been downloaded, but then on the Community tab it said that only 82% of that 8.3 GB had downloaded. I refreshed the page and now it says "Ready to play -- 8.3 GB downloaded".

To me, this doesn't make a lot of sense. It's like there are files missing or something, but I don't know what to look for.

Everything installed without a hitch, and when I hit the Play button I get my little dialogue box with the radio buttons where I can select "Play Mass Effect" or "View Support Information" and that seems normal to me. I hit play and the little box saying "Preparing to launch Mass Effect..." appears for a moment and disappears, which I've also heard is normal. But then my cursor just sits there with the little blue loading circle spinning and then it vanishes and nothing happens.

As I mentioned earlier, this is the first game I've ever tried to use with Steam.

Would a hard copy be less trouble?


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

You may have the same problem if you buy a hard copy....if it is the PC that is. I understand it must be frustrating

Try and Download the Demo Mass Effect 2 English from the link below and see if that will run

http://www.gamershell.com/search/?q=Mass+Effect+2


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Yeah, it is frustrating -- thanks for all your help so far though 

I'm actually in the process of downloading that demo as we speak -- Steam has it so I'm getting it from there and that might help me figure out if my problem is my game/computer or Steam itself. I'll try your link if it doesn't work.


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Well if you have a problem with Steam download...that's why I gave you a separate link so we can rule that out.


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2007)

Still looks like it may be a connectivity problem.
Have you added both steam and the game executable
to the exceptions in the windows firewall or any other
firewall you may be using?
I haven't played that game for a while,so I don't know
if it includes any antihacking software like punkbuster.
That is usually for online,so you might check that too.
It would need to be allowed through the firewall.


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

As I've previously mentioned...



theant4 said:


> ...but when I click _Allow a Program through Windows Firewall_ it wants me to update my firewall settings (saying "Windows Firewall is not using the recommended settings to protect this computer"). So then I try to click "Use Recommended Settings" but I get a little error message saying "Windows Firewall can't change some of your settings. Error code 0x80070424"


*shrug* Is it possible that I could have another firewall I'm unfamiliar with? Windows Firewall is the only one I know of for sure but I try not to mess with that stuff so I wouldn't really know if there was something else... pardon my ineptitude


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2007)

Go to start/all programs/accessories.
Right click command prompt and click run as administrator.
In the window,type sfc /scannow and hit enter.
There is a space between sfc and /scannow.
Let the system file checker run until completed,
then restart the computer.
Then try to add the programs to the exceptions in the firewall.
May be there are some corrupted files and the system
file checker should repair any that are.


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Alright I'll give that a try.

Also, this just in -- out of curiosity I downloaded Steams free Mass Effect 2 demo to see if it would work and it _does._ It's a bit laggy, probably just because my graphics aren't very good, but at least it works.


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## theant4 (Nov 24, 2010)

Good news! I tried everything in command prompt, and it didn't find any problems, but I went ahead and restarted my computer anyway and it installed a bunch of updates. I tried messing with the firewall again and I still got the same error, but just out of curiosity I tried starting the game up again and IT WORKED!! So it must have had something to do with the updates.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions


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## Megabite (Apr 5, 2008)

Glad your sorted


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