"unexpected error"

When I try to login on my main character I get an "Unexpected error" followed by (17)

It's been this way for several days, and.... nothing I've tried has helped. I can log in with any other character. I tried re-install. I tried talking to support, and support thought the most likely issue was the character being stuck in some sort of limbo in terms of where the character was located?

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We appreciate that you reached out to us about this concern, and we understand how important it is to experience smooth gaming without issues. There could be a possibility that the game is crashing during the login attempt.

May I know what platform you are trying to launch the game from?

Can you also please confirm if the login issue is only happening while trying to log in to a specific character but everything else fine? Or if you couldn't log in at all?

Looking forward to your response!

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I have two characters and logging in to the other one works fine. I can get to the part where I choose a character just fine. It's actually logging in that causes the crash.

Oh also, PC, and using the Squeenix native launcher.

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We appreciate your response. We apologize for any inconvenience you have been experiencing. There are a number of situations that can cause the error you are describing. Please try the following troubleshooting methods in order to resolve the issue:

- Check to make sure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements. Be aware that integrated graphics cards (e.g. Intel HD graphics) are not supported. If so, try adjusting various graphical settings, resolutions and switching between windowed and fullscreen to see if this affects the issue.

- Update your Windows Operating System using Windows Update. Make sure to install any optional updates as these aren't installed automatically.

- Update/reinstall your graphics card drivers (preferably a clean install)

- Disable all programs/overlays running in the background

- Make sure your anti-virus software has the appropriate exceptions for FINAL FANTASY XIV

- Make sure that your hardware is not overheating and remove any overclocks you may have on your GPU or CPU. Check that any fans or vents aren't being blocked.

- Remove any mods or injectors from the game or system (Reshade, Nvidia Freestyle, etc.). Also, remove any custom configurations made using driver-level programs (Nvidia Control Panel, Radeon Crimson).

- Turn off Fullscreen Optimizations. Find the executable file for the game (normally found in the install folder), right-click it and select 'Properties'. Under the 'Compatibility' tab, check the box labeled 'Disable Fullscreen Optimizations', then click 'Apply'.

- Perform a clean boot by doing the following: Open the Task Manager and select the 'Start Up' Tab. disable everything here and restart the PC.

Should the issue still persist after attempting all the listed troubleshooting, we advise that you reinstall the game (make sure to remove or rename the 'Final Fantasy XIV' folder in the 'My Documents' > 'My Games' folder). You can re-download the game client at the following link. : http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/playersdownload/na

We recommend that the game be installed on the C: drive, as installing it on any drive that is not the default may cause more problems.

If the issue is still present after the reinstallation of the game, please respond to this post with a FINAL FANTASY XIV System Report. On the game launcher, select 'Config' option and to the right of 'System Information' click on 'Display.'

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums!

I did try using the installation repair function in the game launcher.

I also tried maximizing the window. I don't normally play in full-screen.

what are the right AV exceptions? Also, why would only one character have that issue?

somehow tinkering with the fullscreen optimization setting caused my computer to prompt me to run in win8 compatibility mode. Which... didn't help.

the point when it crashes is the point when I normally see a box pop up about server congestion.

Yeah, the specific point it's crashing is when it adds my character to the loading queue.
Not when trying to zone in, not when trying to bring up the character select.

talked to a friend and he pointed out that I might have the character config corrupted on my computer... attemptign to make a backup? CRASH! Same error message!

so if my local settings for stuff like tray layouts and stuff is corrupted, how do I wipe that?

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.


There are a few fixes you can try to solve the issue, but first of all, it can be caused by overloaded servers. You can try to restart the game a few times, until it disappears. It’s caused by a high amount of players trying to log in at once. Otherwise, it can be an issue relating to a conflict with some background processes of your platform or the game’s files. In this case, the basic fixes will still be to restart your platform, launcher and game, as well as troubleshoot your home network. Next, you’ll want to check your game files. You have to right-click the game’s folder and check the files using whatever software you have installed, such as a feature of your antivirus of choice or Microsoft Defender.

Additionally, Could you provide a system report? Simply go to the 'Config' option on the Final Fantasy XIV launcher and to the right of 'System Information' click on 'Display.


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This is a simplistic and probably dumb thing to suggest, but seeing how I don't think you've listed this as a thing you've tried (but you might've), have you tried to right-click and select "Visit Another World Server" as that character? Or if not that, tried to Data Center hop? Just sounds really weird, not sure how character files could become corrupt just for logging out somewhere specific that may have been having issues.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ThreeBeastSmile

This is a simplistic and probably dumb thing to suggest, but seeing how I don't think you've listed this as a thing you've tried (but you might've), have you tried to right-click and select "Visit Another World Server" as that character? Or if not that, tried to Data Center hop? Just sounds really weird, not sure how character files could become corrupt just for logging out somewhere specific that may have been having issues.

---

Oh, yeah tried that. Was one of the first things I had a friend suggest. It still crashed and at the same exact point.

My best guess is that the character settings data is somehow corrupted. If I try to create a backup... CRASH!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mojxselvoarx

Additionally, Could you provide a system report? Simply go to the 'Config' option on the Final Fantasy XIV launcher and to the right of 'System Information' click on 'Display.

---

uh, ok.....



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FOUND IT!

The corrupted file was "Macro.dat" in the folder "FFXIV_CHR004000174C8683B5"

Deleting that fixed it!!!!

How i found the corrupted file was to not copy the install directory, but to MOVE it to another drive. THAT file could not be moved.

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.


We are glad to hear that you were able to resolve the issue. As the issue has been resolved, this thread will be moved to the "Closed Concerns" sub forum.


Thank you once again for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums!