"Unable to complete Version Check" caused by microsoft easy fix 51044

[Lucatiel]

EDIT: Found my own fix! Forgot to consider x64 windows also still has x86 changes, too. Registry edits do the trick! Will detail below for anyone googling around, original post below the line for posterity, I guess.

There are 4 registry edits to make with this fix(Good place to mention that Registry edits are dangerous, I would highly suggest making a restore point, this easy fix makes one if you installed it recently). In order to open the registry editor, go to start menu search and type 'regedit' and hit enter, should open it right up. Follow the below files paths like you would any other:

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -You only need to click on the WinHTTP folder, not anything inside it. Right click on 'DefaultSecureProtocols' and modify. Change a00 to a80.
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -Same as 1. this is the 32bit folder.
3. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -This Registry entry is titled 'SecureProtocols' This might already be set at a80.
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -Same as 3. As soon as you make all 4 changes, you should be able to login to the launcher, no restart required.

Edit edit: On a side note, these edits might make it possible to fix this issue even with a different cause. You can make your own registry entries in these locations by right clicking in empty space>new>DWORD. Rename and modify like above. If every other fix isn't working, this will force windows to use all 3 TLS versions and could get the launcher functional again. Something to keep in mind at least.
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I know this issue has a lot of potential causes and fixes, and I have found a cause for my specific one, but I need help finding the fix and I hope I can get it here.

So a couple days ago I installed Microsoft Easy Fix 51044 (Link to it's page), specifically for LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool - used for Bethesda games like Skyrim and Fallout 4) on Windows 7. This was to solve an issue about LOOTs ability to communicate with it's own server for masterlist updates, it's very much required to continue to use LOOT at all. I installed the fix, LOOT worked great, everything was awesome. However a day later I sign into FF14 and and get this error. I spent a good day and a half looking for and trying a myriad of fixes. From config edits to IE setting changes, port forwarding, DNS changes, router bypasses, VPNs... literally nothing worked. Thinking back to what could cause this issue (as I was able to log in and play just fine literally the day prior) I tried a system restore the fix made itself, and lo and behold FF14 worked just fine!

I did a couple further experiments: Checked both LOOT and FF14 to confirm they don't work/do work respectively > Installed the easy fix > Checked both again immediately to confirm that LOOT worked and that FF14 had started throwing errors and they did. I repeated this a couple times to confirm and I can get this exact situation to repeat like clockwork. My main problem, and reason for posting, is that I don't know specifically what's going on with FF14 in this situation. I know the Launcher utilizes Internet Explorer in some way, and the Easy Fix page (linked above) mentions towards the bottom that it makes changes for enabling TLS 1.1/1.2 for IE (something enabled already so I'm not sure what's up there). That's really the only thing I can think of that's effecting FF14 here, but I'm not sure on a better fix than 'sort my load order for Skyrim/Fallout then do a system restore to play FF14'. Guess I'm just hoping for someone to be able pinpoint the issue more precisely here. Ideally I'd like to know what changes the fix itself makes so I could make them myself and avoid the IE specific ones if possible.

[Snakestone]

EDIT: Found my own fix! Forgot to consider x64 windows also still has x86 changes, too. Registry edits do the trick! Will detail below for anyone googling around, original post below the line for posterity, I guess.

There are 4 registry edits to make with this fix(Good place to mention that Registry edits are dangerous, I would highly suggest making a restore point, this easy fix makes one if you installed it recently). In order to open the registry editor, go to start menu search and type 'regedit' and hit enter, should open it right up. Follow the below files paths like you would any other:

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -You only need to click on the WinHTTP folder, not anything inside it. Right click on 'DefaultSecureProtocols' and modify. Change a00 to a80.
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -Same as 1. this is the 32bit folder.
3. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -This Registry entry is titled 'SecureProtocols' This might already be set at a80.
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -Same as 3. As soon as you make all 4 changes, you should be able to login to the launcher, no restart required.

Edit edit: On a side note, these edits might make it possible to fix this issue even with a different cause. You can make your own registry entries in these locations by right clicking in empty space>new>DWORD. Rename and modify like above. If every other fix isn't working, this will force windows to use all 3 TLS versions and could get the launcher functional again. Something to keep in mind at least.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I know this issue has a lot of potential causes and fixes, and I have found a cause for my specific one, but I need help finding the fix and I hope I can get it here.

So a couple days ago I installed Microsoft Easy Fix 51044 (Link to it's page), specifically for LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool - used for Bethesda games like Skyrim and Fallout 4) on Windows 7. This was to solve an issue about LOOTs ability to communicate with it's own server for masterlist updates, it's very much required to continue to use LOOT at all. I installed the fix, LOOT worked great, everything was awesome. However a day later I sign into FF14 and and get this error. I spent a good day and a half looking for and trying a myriad of fixes. From config edits to IE setting changes, port forwarding, DNS changes, router bypasses, VPNs... literally nothing worked. Thinking back to what could cause this issue (as I was able to log in and play just fine literally the day prior) I tried a system restore the fix made itself, and lo and behold FF14 worked just fine!

I did a couple further experiments: Checked both LOOT and FF14 to confirm they don't work/do work respectively > Installed the easy fix > Checked both again immediately to confirm that LOOT worked and that FF14 had started throwing errors and they did. I repeated this a couple times to confirm and I can get this exact situation to repeat like clockwork. My main problem, and reason for posting, is that I don't know specifically what's going on with FF14 in this situation. I know the Launcher utilizes Internet Explorer in some way, and the Easy Fix page (linked above) mentions towards the bottom that it makes changes for enabling TLS 1.1/1.2 for IE (something enabled already so I'm not sure what's up there). That's really the only thing I can think of that's effecting FF14 here, but I'm not sure on a better fix than 'sort my load order for Skyrim/Fallout then do a system restore to play FF14'. Guess I'm just hoping for someone to be able pinpoint the issue more precisely here. Ideally I'd like to know what changes the fix itself makes so I could make them myself and avoid the IE specific ones if possible.

I will never be able to thank you enough, you just saved me as I too installed easy fix for LOOT and my XIV became bugged. Without you I would be without my favorite MMO.

Thank you so much for finding this fix.

Will these registry edits be an issue in the future? Like, if SE updates or makes a fix for this?

[Lucatiel]

Nope. The problem was that the initial value the fix used (a00) forced windows to use TLS 1.1 and 1.2 and not 1.0 which the FF14 launcher needs. The adjusted value of a80 makes windows use all 3 versions of TLS. If anything this fix will prevent problems down the road as TLS 1.0 becomes deprecated and Squeenix stops supporting it like they did SSL 3.0. Though that won't be for some time, and by then Windows 7 will probably be long gone and since windows 8+ supports all TLS natively, we won't see this issue ever again. It's just very odd string off happenstances.

[Ariellendera]

EDIT: Found my own fix! Forgot to consider x64 windows also still has x86 changes, too. Registry edits do the trick! Will detail below for anyone googling around, original post below the line for posterity, I guess.

There are 4 registry edits to make with this fix(Good place to mention that Registry edits are dangerous, I would highly suggest making a restore point, this easy fix makes one if you installed it recently). In order to open the registry editor, go to start menu search and type 'regedit' and hit enter, should open it right up. Follow the below files paths like you would any other:

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -You only need to click on the WinHTTP folder, not anything inside it. Right click on 'DefaultSecureProtocols' and modify. Change a00 to a80.
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp -Same as 1. this is the 32bit folder.
3. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -This Registry entry is titled 'SecureProtocols' This might already be set at a80.
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings -Same as 3. As soon as you make all 4 changes, you should be able to login to the launcher, no restart required.

Edit edit: On a side note, these edits might make it possible to fix this issue even with a different cause. You can make your own registry entries in these locations by right clicking in empty space>new>DWORD. Rename and modify like above. If every other fix isn't working, this will force windows to use all 3 TLS versions and could get the launcher functional again. Something to keep in mind at least.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I know this issue has a lot of potential causes and fixes, and I have found a cause for my specific one, but I need help finding the fix and I hope I can get it here.

So a couple days ago I installed Microsoft Easy Fix 51044 (Link to it's page), specifically for LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool - used for Bethesda games like Skyrim and Fallout 4) on Windows 7. This was to solve an issue about LOOTs ability to communicate with it's own server for masterlist updates, it's very much required to continue to use LOOT at all. I installed the fix, LOOT worked great, everything was awesome. However a day later I sign into FF14 and and get this error. I spent a good day and a half looking for and trying a myriad of fixes. From config edits to IE setting changes, port forwarding, DNS changes, router bypasses, VPNs... literally nothing worked. Thinking back to what could cause this issue (as I was able to log in and play just fine literally the day prior) I tried a system restore the fix made itself, and lo and behold FF14 worked just fine!

I did a couple further experiments: Checked both LOOT and FF14 to confirm they don't work/do work respectively > Installed the easy fix > Checked both again immediately to confirm that LOOT worked and that FF14 had started throwing errors and they did. I repeated this a couple times to confirm and I can get this exact situation to repeat like clockwork. My main problem, and reason for posting, is that I don't know specifically what's going on with FF14 in this situation. I know the Launcher utilizes Internet Explorer in some way, and the Easy Fix page (linked above) mentions towards the bottom that it makes changes for enabling TLS 1.1/1.2 for IE (something enabled already so I'm not sure what's up there). That's really the only thing I can think of that's effecting FF14 here, but I'm not sure on a better fix than 'sort my load order for Skyrim/Fallout then do a system restore to play FF14'. Guess I'm just hoping for someone to be able pinpoint the issue more precisely here. Ideally I'd like to know what changes the fix itself makes so I could make them myself and avoid the IE specific ones if possible.

Hello!

Thank you so much for posting this! I will be moving this to "closed concerns" so other players will be able to find this thread. If you have any other issues please do not hesitate to create a new thread.


Thank you for playing Final Fantasy XIV! Hope to see you online.