KS not working on Windows 8

  • 12 Replies
  • 6953 Views
KS not working on Windows 8
« 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...

*

Offline LPChip

  • You can only truly help other people by allowing them to fail.
  • 3510
  • 138
  • Excel at the thing you're the best at!
    • View Profile
    • LPChip Interactive
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #1 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.
on the left, above my avatar.

MODPlug Central Forum
"If I tried to kill you, I'd end up with a big fat hole through my laptop." - Chironex

*

Offline sergiocornaga

  • 1285
  • 131
    • View Profile
    • Sergio's Games
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #2 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.

Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #3 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.

*

Offline AA

  • 510
  • 23
  • Was ITA84
    • View Profile
    • Insight on Videogames
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #4 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.
Videogames are for everyone, by everyone

*

Offline sergiocornaga

  • 1285
  • 131
    • View Profile
    • Sergio's Games
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #5 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).

*

Offline LPChip

  • You can only truly help other people by allowing them to fail.
  • 3510
  • 138
  • Excel at the thing you're the best at!
    • View Profile
    • LPChip Interactive
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #6 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.
on the left, above my avatar.

MODPlug Central Forum
"If I tried to kill you, I'd end up with a big fat hole through my laptop." - Chironex

Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #7 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!

*

Offline LPChip

  • You can only truly help other people by allowing them to fail.
  • 3510
  • 138
  • Excel at the thing you're the best at!
    • View Profile
    • LPChip Interactive
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #8 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.
on the left, above my avatar.

MODPlug Central Forum
"If I tried to kill you, I'd end up with a big fat hole through my laptop." - Chironex

*

Offline GrayFace

  • 805
  • 61
    • View Profile
    • my site
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2014, 03:30:40 »
Wow, definitely: https://community.mcafee.com/message/305585
Such a big name AV and such garbage.

*

Offline AA

  • 510
  • 23
  • Was ITA84
    • View Profile
    • Insight on Videogames
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #10 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'.

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.
Videogames are for everyone, by everyone

*

Offline BloxMaster

  • 363
  • 26
  • Master of the Bloxes!
    • View Profile
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #11 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)


*

Offline GrayFace

  • 805
  • 61
    • View Profile
    • my site
Re: KS not working on Windows 8
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2014, 01:04:43 »
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.