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Mwo Repair Tool Public Release

Repair Tool FRead

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#1 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:37 AM

The MWO Repair Tool

-What is it?
The MWO Repair Tool simply scans your install base for files that are invalid, corrupt, or out of place. If a file is found to be corrupt or invalid (for whatever reason) is re-downloaded and placed in the proper location. If a file is found in the install base which shouldn't be there, it is deleted. Additionally, the repair tool can be set to wipe out the shader cache, which will just be re-generated the next time the game is run. This is to ensure that everyone's shader cache doesn't contain any old or obsolete shaders that may cause graphical issues.

-Will it fix my problems?
This is a difficult question to answer, since so many symptoms can seem to indicate many different problems. The MWO Repair Tool ensures that your install base is completely valid. The most common symptoms of an invalid or corrupt install base are things like the "FRead crash", or similar crashes to desktop. Hopefully over time we can develop a list of common symptoms of an invalid/corrupt install base, but we're not at that point yet. The repair tool cannot fix underlying problems with the game or net code, obviously.

-Will this affect my profile or other local settings?
Your profile will not be touched by the repair tool. Any configuration changes, such as key mappings and such, will remain intact. However, changes to any file controlled by us (like system.cfg, for example) will be reset to default, since these files are not supposed to be modified anyway. In addition, files that are not part of a typical install base are wiped out. This does not include no-impact files like log files, but it does include config files that aren't installed by default (for example systemoverride.cfg).

-What if the MWO Repair Tool doesn't fix my problem?
Unfortunately, this would indicate that you have a problem in either the game/net code, or something external (which could be anything from an ISP issue to a local issue with your PC). As such, the best course of action is to open a support ticket as per usual so the team can review the details and suggest a resolution or work on a fix.

-What if the MWO Repair Tool itself is broken or doesn't work?
Please contact me (Krist Smith) directly, via PM in these forums. Please, only PM me if the repair tool itself is broken, not the game. No problems have occurred through all our testing, but, as demonstrated by the game itself, you can prove that things work for 999,999 people, but that doesn't guarantee it will work for the 1,000,000th user. I will work on fixes and post new versions as soon as possible.

-How do I know if there's a new version available?
I will be placing new versions in the same location. Each update will come with a new version number. The current version number is visible in the options window on the bottom-left. That may change, and, if so, I will update this post. I will also post updates to the forums (hopefully directly to this thread if it doesn't get locked down from me) when I publish new versions.


So, down to the nitty-gritty...

-How does it work?
1) Download the MWO Repair Tool to any location on your computer. If you want to place it in the game folder (for the sake of cleanliness or whatnot), then place it in the Bin32 folder. Any other place in the game's install base and the tool will think that it's an invalid file and try to delete itself (...not good).
2) Start the tool. It will automatically try to find the game's install base. If it can't, then it will prompt you to locate it. It needs to know where the base folder is (the one that contains Bin32, Game, Engine, etc.).
3) Adjust the options if necessary. The default options are set to delete out of place local files (file that are in your install base but shouldn't be), as well as clearing your shader cache. You can disable either of these, but it's advised to leave them on. They don't represent any significant amount of time in scanning or repairing.
4) Run the scan. This will take 5-10 minutes, depending on your hardware. It's pretty intensive, so you might notice other programs chugging while the repair tool works.
5) Once the scan completes, if there were any errors found (or you have the option enabled to clear the shader cache), a "Fix" button will pop up. Click it and it will remedy any of the problems found during the scan. Again, this can mean downloading fresh copies of corrupt/invalid files or deleting improper files.
6) Once the fixing completes, you can go ahead and close the repair tool and start the game. Hopefully the problems are gone. If not, then the next step would be to open a support ticket.


Current version: 1.1.3.0

Changelog:
1.1.3.0
*Spelling fixes

1.1.2.0
*Some spelling fixes
*A fix for systemoverride.cfg being deleted even when the option isn't enabled
*Added warning in description header within the application
*More descriptive output detailing what will happen when you click "Fix"

1.1.1.0
*Fixed a path problem when auto-detecting game folder doesn't work immediately.

1.1.0.0
*Additional check to ensure the tool is repairing the correct folder.
*Additional options:
-Clear downloaded FE textures (default on)
-Clear profile (default off)
-Delete systemoverride.cfg (default off)

Edited by Alexander Garden, 20 January 2015 - 12:02 PM.


#2 Ragor

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:44 AM

For the future:

Is it possible to implement into the game download? That it is accessible directly via the launcher? That the repair tool is autmatically kept up to date with every patch?

Edited by Ragor, 25 April 2013 - 10:46 AM.


#3 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:46 AM

View PostRagor, on 25 April 2013 - 10:44 AM, said:

Is it possible to implement into the game download? That it is accessible directly via the launcher?


It's currently a stand-alone just in case I need to pump out new versions quickly. Once the repair tool is proven out through this public release, I'll knit it into the patcher so no more external downloading is needed.

#4 Ragor

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:51 AM

View PostKrist Smith, on 25 April 2013 - 10:37 AM, said:

(...)
1) Download the MWO Repair Tool to any location on your computer. If you want to place it in the game folder (for the sake of cleanliness or whatnot), then place it in the Bin32 folder. Any other place in the game's install base and the tool will think that it's an invalid file and try to delete itself (...not good).
(...)


Did as you stated here, placed it in the Bin32 folder... ran it and it found itself and removed itself... :)

#5 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:53 AM

View PostRagor, on 25 April 2013 - 10:51 AM, said:


Did as you stated here, placed it in the Bin32 folder... ran it and it found itself and removed itself... :)


Sigh, that's what I get for agreeing to changing the name of the tool. Oh well, version 1.0.6.1 on the way, just a minor revision.

#6 Ragor

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:56 AM

View PostKrist Smith, on 25 April 2013 - 10:53 AM, said:


Sigh, that's what I get for agreeing to changing the name of the tool. Oh well, version 1.0.6.1 on the way, just a minor revision.


Never listen to any orders from people which don't know what they are talking about.^^

#7 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 10:59 AM

View PostRagor, on 25 April 2013 - 10:56 AM, said:

Never listen to any orders from people which don't know what they are talking about.^^


Most ideedily. I have posted 1.0.6.1, should work as intended now. Thanks for the catch!

#8 Deathlike

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 11:06 AM

Make sure the version # is listed somewhere visibly in the app.. instead of it hiding away in the Options button popup.

#9 Ragor

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 11:10 AM

View PostKrist Smith, on 25 April 2013 - 10:59 AM, said:


Most ideedily. I have posted 1.0.6.1, should work as intended now. Thanks for the catch!


Your welcome, works like a charm now.
(I replaced the textures.pak with an old version from november, got found and corrected.)

Thx for the fast fix.

Edited by Ragor, 26 April 2013 - 04:17 AM.


#10 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 11:21 AM

View PostRagor, on 25 April 2013 - 11:10 AM, said:

Thx for the fast fix.


No problem. This is a good demonstration of why I kept the repair tool as a stand-alone for now - quick iterations. If this was part of the patcher, I'd also have to make sure nothing got broken on the patcher side, meaning a much longer turn-around.

#11 Gladewolf

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 12:30 PM

Not that big a deal(to me) but the tool did in fact, revert all of my settings back to default.

#12 Xenon Megablast

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 12:40 PM

Well, I wish I got at least that far.

For me, the Repair Tool (downloaded and ran shortly before posting this) was sitting idly for some odd 5 minutes (of no disk activity), simply stating "Starting...", after which I decided to close it manually.

It's been sitting on "Closing. Please wait, this may take a minute..." for another five minutes now. So I guess, killing the process it is.

#13 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 12:49 PM

Ok, turns out that certain settings are actually being stored in systemoverride.cfg (not that I support that call), so I'm gonna have to get the repair tool to skip it (optionally).

#14 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 12:56 PM

View PostXenon Megablast, on 25 April 2013 - 12:40 PM, said:

Well, I wish I got at least that far.

For me, the Repair Tool (downloaded and ran shortly before posting this) was sitting idly for some odd 5 minutes (of no disk activity), simply stating "Starting...", after which I decided to close it manually.

It's been sitting on "Closing. Please wait, this may take a minute..." for another five minutes now. So I guess, killing the process it is.


Well, I was expecting this. The first report of the tool itself not working. Guess it was bound to happen. I'm guessing there was a connectivity issue with the CDN. I'm putting in some additional checks to keep things from locking up, as well as more progress updates to identify exactly where it's getting stuck.

Thanks for letting me know.

#15 Xenon Megablast

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 12:58 PM

Ok, the second run actually went past the "Starting..." stage, and seems to be doing... something.

I'm kind of curious though, if it's not much to ask:

What is the reasoning behind unzipping the .pak files and checking each file inside the archive separately, instead of just checking CRC/MD5/SHA hash of the .pak itself and redownloading it if not matching? That would speed up the entire process significantly...

View PostKrist Smith, on 25 April 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

Ok, turns out that certain settings are actually being stored in systemoverride.cfg (not that I support that call), so I'm gonna have to get the repair tool to skip it (optionally).


Ah, oh well, I just chose to remove my systemoverride.cfg a second prior to reading this post :/

Any hints on what will I be missing?

#16 Grim Kodiak

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 01:05 PM

Have a problem with the tool, after clicking Fix It, it downloads the files but stores them in the wrong location. My game is installed in C:\Games\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online\, but the new downloaded files are stored in C:\Games\Piranha Games\.

#17 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 01:16 PM

View PostXenon Megablast, on 25 April 2013 - 12:58 PM, said:

What is the reasoning behind unzipping the .pak files and checking each file inside the archive separately, instead of just checking CRC/MD5/SHA hash of the .pak itself and redownloading it if not matching? That would speed up the entire process significantly...


Pak files get their contents patched and are then re-zipped locally (on your computer). This means that your local copy can be slightly different than someone else's (the difference of maybe just a few bytes or bits). That difference will lead to a completely different hash. Essentially, it has to be this way if we don't want our patches to each be like 500 MB or more.

#18 Xenon Megablast

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 01:55 PM

View PostKrist Smith, on 25 April 2013 - 01:16 PM, said:


Pak files get their contents patched and are then re-zipped locally (on your computer). This means that your local copy can be slightly different than someone else's (the difference of maybe just a few bytes or bits). That difference will lead to a completely different hash. Essentially, it has to be this way if we don't want our patches to each be like 500 MB or more.


I see, I was thinking this might be the issue, thanks for clarifying it.

I guess it's not a big deal anyway, the whole process took about 10 minutes on my less than state of the art configuration, which is not bad for a repair tool... and we're not exactly going to run it on a daily basis.

Well so far all is good, thank you for your work :ph34r:

#19 Krist Smith

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 02:35 PM

View PostFG28 Kodiak, on 25 April 2013 - 01:05 PM, said:

Have a problem with the tool, after clicking Fix It, it downloads the files but stores them in the wrong location. My game is installed in C:\Games\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online\, but the new downloaded files are stored in C:\Games\Piranha Games\.


Odd, it uses the same path for the download as it does for the scanning. Did it just end up re-downloading everything for you?

#20 Lugh

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Posted 25 April 2013 - 02:43 PM

Jumping on this !!! Hope it fixes some things for me.





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