We have received a number of reports of various kinds and are tracking some troubles that many players are encountering when attempting to install the game under the Windows 11 operating system.
Many times, the error encountered is simply "An error occurred during the installation process" and the log files do not provide any additional helpful assistance to identify the problem. Below are some of the troubleshooting steps and workarounds that can be attempted to remedy the problem so our players can get back into the game!
Regardless of what the specific error is, we greatly appreciate all players encountering installation issues of any kind to report them to us on the Issue Council. Please do so even if the issue has been resolved, as reporting what resolved it is still helpful to remedying the underlying problem!
If you are unfamiliar with the Issue Council, check out our guide here:
Bug Reports: Using the Issue Council
Check RSI Launcher Game Installation Location Settings
Some players have changed where the Star Citizen game files are installed, such as on a secondary data drive to hold their games and other programs with a large disc space requirement. In these cases, make certain that the RSI Launcher game installation location setting is pointing to the correct place where the game is installed. This is especially important if for some reason the RSI Launcher and Star Citizen have been installed to separate drives.
To find the installation location setting, click the SETTINGS button on the RSI Launcher and select the GAMES option, then location the version of the game causing the troubles (LIVE, PTU, etc.). By default if the install location was not changed, it should be as shown below.
If you installed the game to a different location, enter that location path name into the text box labeled Game Library Folder and then click the Change button.
Update SSD Drivers
One of the underlying issues to installation errors can be out of date disc drivers for a player's given drive, which means it may not be working or cooperating properly with the operating system. This seems to occur most often with Samsung Solid State Drives (SSD) but could also be an issue with others.
For this step, get your SSD's make and model, and then visit your drive's manufacturer's website to locate and download the most up to date driver software for your drive. Never download driver software from anywhere but the official manufacturer's website!
If having trouble, you may need to contact your drive manufacturer's support staff for assistance.
Delete and Reinstall the data.p4k File
File corruption happens, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for it. In cases where this might be the issue, we will need to ensure that everything is done fresh to ensure that nothing remains. The ultimate step here would be to delete the entire game and launcher and start over, but sometimes all that is needed is deleting a singular file.
To delete the data.p4k file:
- Go to your StarCitizen\LIVE folder, wherever it was installed.
- By default, this will be Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE
- Locate the data.p4k file.
- Delete it.
- Empty the recycle bin, as this is a large file and drive space may be limited.
- Restart the RSI Launcher.
- In the launcher, go to Settings > Verify and let it run.
This should redownload the file and check the rest of the game installation. If you continue to have regular trouble with the data.p4k file, we have an article going more in-depth into troubles with this particular file.
Add a Registry Entry
While we try to avoid advising players to do Windows registry edits, sometimes it is a viable solution to an otherwise stubborn issue. In this case, Windows 11 may not be behaving properly with how it emulates drive sector sizes.
To remedy this, follow these steps:
- Locate the CMD line prompt app.
- Right click on the CMD app and select to run as an administrator.
- Copy and enter the following string into the command line:
REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stornvme\Parameters\Device" /v "ForcedPhysicalSectorSizeInBytes" /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d "* 4095" /f - Restart your computer.
Once this is done, attempt the installation process again. You might consider first deleting any previous installation files before trying this.
Fixed? Not fixed?
If none of the above workarounds seem to have helped, please be certain to gather your info files and report this on the Issue Council so we can gather data and track what may be happening.
If any of the above resolved the issue for you, we still encourage you to report it on the Issue Council! Successful troubleshooting can help identify causes too.