Nifflas' Support Forum

Released Games => Knytt Stories => Topic started by: gamerjc21 on February 10, 2014, 10:26:22

Title: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: gamerjc21 on February 10, 2014, 10:26:22

Am I the only one who can't open Knytt Stories on Windows 8? It worked fine on Windows XP and 7...

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: LPChip on February 10, 2014, 14:04:36

I think so, especially since you forgot to tell us what happens instead. It just doesn't work can mean anything. And without this information we can't even try to help you.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: sergiocornaga on February 10, 2014, 16:34:45

Windows 8 has trouble running a lot of games, I'm not surprised to hear it's not working. I really hope you find a way around it, though! It would be a tragedy for you to stop making levels.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: gamerjc21 on February 12, 2014, 07:53:54

Okay, I tried launching it again, and this time a McAfee notification appears and tells me that a Trojan was detected from it and was quarantined. It still wouldn't open, though. Same goes for the Level Editor.

The Trojan is called: Artemis!5F8BDC453600

I guess I could use another computer in my household to play/create levels. I'm having this problem on my new laptop, which I intend to use most often.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: AA on February 12, 2014, 09:17:36

This sounds like the usual issue with antivirus software triggering a false positive on stdrt.exe (a MMF2 file that's extracted from the game at runtime into the 'temp' local user folder). The first time you launched KS it may have been that Windows 8 detected it wasn't working and applied some compatibility settings to make it work afterwards.

If you can get McAfee to whitelist stdrt.exe it should work; that said, there's a small chance real malware disguised as stdrt.exe might get through this way, but know that 'Artemis' is just McAfee's label for unknown malware, not a specific one.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: sergiocornaga on February 12, 2014, 09:32:46

I agree that it's likely Knytt Stories is not opening because the 'Trojan' McAfee is quarantining is stdrt.exe. If this seems to be the case, you should restore the file from the quarantine (which I think should automatically add an exception for it so that McAfee doesn't quarantine it again).

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: LPChip on February 12, 2014, 12:06:38

My guess too. Wouldn't be the first time. You might be able to set Knytt Stories directory in the exclude list so you can keep McAfee on.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: gamerjc21 on February 13, 2014, 06:50:33

After I turned off real-time scanning on McAfee and restored the stdrt.exe file, Knytt Stories and the Level Editor finally works. However, it didn't seem to add an exception to it, because when I tried launching it after I turned real-time scanning back on, the file got quarantined again.

Apparently, McAfee can only trust files that are considered "Possibly Unwanted Programs". stdrt.exe isn't one of these, so the only way I can open KS and the Level Editor is by turning real-time scanning off (which can be risky).

Thanks for all your help, guys!

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: LPChip on February 13, 2014, 15:59:32

It indeed seems McAfee does not allow you to add a program as an exception. I would therefor recommend to stop using McAfee and switch to something better, like Microsoft Security Essentials (free) until they add support for adding exceptions.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: GrayFace on February 14, 2014, 03:30:40

Wow, definitely: https://community.mcafee.com/message/305585
Such a big name AV and such garbage.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: AA on February 14, 2014, 07:50:05

^ I don't think it's as big a name as it used to be, since now it looks like Intel is planning to change it to 'Intel Security' (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245336/Intel_to_scrap_McAfee_name_give_away_mobile_security_tools).

Personally I don't use any antimalware software; maybe I've still got the Microsoft integrated software (whatever it's called this year), but I've never had a detection from it. I'm generally very careful about where I go on the Web, though, and admittedly one time I got hit by some Java malware by visiting a (possibly defaced) website homepage.

It's funny how despite all the time that's passed that stdrt.exe is still detected by at least 3 AV.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: BloxMaster on February 16, 2014, 06:32:55

Knytt Stories (and in fact, all of Nifflas' games) run fine on Windows 8, both x86 and x64 (that is to say, both 32bit and 64bit editions). So this is a problem with McAfee, which has been happening with MMF2-created games since forever (regardless of Windows edition). That said, this so-called 'trojan' doesn't exist in said games, and it's McAfee making a false-positive. The fact that they make it painful (or perhaps impossible, these days) to make exceptions is ridiculous. I would personally recommend MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) as a better (and free!) alternative. That said, I believe Windows 8 has it built in as just "Windows Defender", so there's no need to download it separately.

Spoiler: Other Fluff (click to show/hide)

Quote from: sergiocornaga on February 10, 2014, 16:34:45

Windows 8 has trouble running a lot of games, I'm not surprised to hear it's not working. I really hope you find a way around it, though! It would be a tragedy for you to stop making levels.

Windows 8 runs pretty much anything made for XP or passed that. Obviously it's out of scope to ask what games you're not able to run but basically any game I haven't been able to run is due to being made with pretty solid compatibility with Windows 98 or even less likely to run; Windows 95. Exceptions exist where the game has a component that's been discontinued, like a Windows Live connection, but that's not Windows 7/8's fault. Overall, of the games I'm talking about, the list totals to about five I actually own that don't work, four were made before 2002, and one requires a Windows Live connection, which is a complete developer oversight by the game's makers.

Software wise, it's the same story, and anything I could run on say, Vista or 7, I can use on Windows 8, and this is regardless of the fact most of those are 32bit and my Windows 8 OS is 64bit.

If all else fails, checking off the compatibility modes for some programs or running as an administrator can help, depending on what it is.

Title: Re: KS not working on Windows 8
Post by: GrayFace on February 18, 2014, 01:04:43

Quote from: AA on February 14, 2014, 07:50:05

Personally I don't use any antimalware software

Same thing for me. After I started using NoScript extension malware became a non-issue to the extent that I removed the AV eventually. Yet it's a bad idea to go without AV and without NoScript. Sites, especially forums, frequently get hacked.