OBSE and the "Couldn't inject dll." error

[chambcra]

Process::InstallHook: waiting for thread = WAIT_TIMEOUT
Couldn't inject dll.

 

It used to work fine on this computer until one day it didn't. I see there has been a variety of symptoms for this and for me it never works the first try after the computer powers up and always works the second try. I see that before the first try rundll32.exe is not running and after the first try rundll32.exe is running. Maybe that's why it always works the 2nd try. I know on my other computer rundll32.exe is not running and obse starts 1st try.

 

The only thing I can think of is malwarebytes installed a new version but I can't say the problem started right after. It's just the only thing I can think of. I added the exclusion to malwarebytes and no help. Someone had fix by disabling their anti-virus. I'm stuck at the moment.

Thanks

Edited September 1, 2019 by chambcra

[chambcra]

I can't believe I finally found the answer. The short version is the problem was with the file Gameux.dll starting and hanging up Rundll32.exe so that obse_loader doesn't get the handle it is requesting. The fix was to rename Gameux.dll so that it doesn't run. It's the main component of Windows Game Explorer that causes a lot of trouble. Because I have Win7 64 bit the copy of Gameux.dll I had to rename is C:\Windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll. If you have 32 bit windows I think you will have to rename C:\Windows\System32\gameux.dll. I have that copy as well and it starts and runs every time at startup and is always running so renaming that might be a problem but my guess is probably not. I have a long version of this problem analysis if anyone is interested.

Here's some links for further study:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/

https://www.howtogeek.com/school/sysinternals-pro/lesson1/

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-gaming/windows-7-game-explorer-interfering-with-game/efd39c74-cfab-4c2c-b6c5-834b8849a1b3?page=2&auth=1

https://www.reddit.com/r/GuildWars/comments/bycdjo/game_is_waiting_for_rundll32exe_forever_on_win7/

https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/windows-7-how-to-delete-files-protected-by-trustedinstaller/

[Striker879]

Thank you Chambcra ... that solution works a treat!!

 

And you sir are a steely eyed missle man.

 

Steely Eyed Missle Man

 

John Aaron

 

I've wondered for a while now about how this "double start" requirement came about. The game worked fine despite it, but I did notice that when I exited Windows on my Administrator account (which is the one I play Oblivion on) I would always get a shutdown warning about an active process, though nothing was ever shown as the cause (and I could never find anything with Task Manager right before I exited Windows). With GameUX.dll renamed the shutdown is back to normal.

 

I have an idea that when I updated Win 7 just before Microsoft shut down support is when this started for me. Since early in the WinXP days I have always had automatic updates shut off so my Win 7 installation (which was only a bit more than a year since install) hadn't received any updates after original install.

 

In any case problem solved thanks to you taking the time to post your answer and resource links.

[chambcra]

Thanks a lot Striker876. It's good to hear it works for someone else. Now that I know it was the same deal with you, I bet a lot of people have this problem and just live with it. I noticed that same thing at shutdown. Obse has the error window so when you click ok you're only left with an extra copy of gameux.dll and rundll32.exe running the whole time you're running oblivion. When I first started on this, the trouble was only with obse and plain oblivion was ok. I was experimenting with running oblivion in windowed mode and after that oblivion by itself started having the same problem (oblivion has it's own dll's)and when that happens you have an extra copy of the whole oblivion.exe running the whole time. I start oblivion and see a little circle thing go around and then nothing. Try it again and it works but I know there are now two copies running. There's probably a better way to fix it because there's probably an error logged. There is a gameux hack that makes it jump to the end of the program and that might not produce an error. Finding something in the registry to delete so it doesn't even try to run might be better yet.

I had done the same thing with installing win7 a couple years ago and running all the updates and then turning it off. I had heard rumors MS was throwing wrenches into the machine to force people to win10 so I guess I can believe it but that's another long story.

I think the reason why there was never a problem for years and suddenly there was is because of something that Microsoft did at their end of their wonderful Games Explorer application that is built into Win7. It causes a lot of various problems and is quite difficult to eliminate, if it's even possible ( I've tried ). If you have an internet connection when you start Oblivion, Games Explorer, via the process Gameux.dll, sends this information to MS. It seems this is in order to somehow enhance your experience (until it stops working). Apparently any time a process needs to start with a dll linked the process rundll32.exe starts to do that and then ends. That is what should happen when obse_loader.exe runs. Gameux.dll needs the service of rundll32.exe the same as obse_loader but Gameux and rundll32 get hung up together because of MS taking down their server ( I guess ) and obse_loader doesen't get the service it is requesting and therefore the timeout. Gameux and rundll32 stay hung up until you shut down the computer. So, I guess, the second try obse gets another instance of rundll32 and it works properly. The best solution might be to just run obse_loader twice and don't worry about it but I'm a stubborn bulldog. I'm glad I didn't try a reinstall. I was almost ready to.

Here's the link to the hack: https://www.ngemu.com/threads/gameux-hack.168633/

That was interesting about John Aaron and thanks.

[Striker879]

I didn't know about John myself until I Googled the quote. The short clip is from the movie Apollo 13. Doesn't say this anywhere I've seen but I do wonder whether that phrase was actually used during the Apollo 13 mission. It is such an awesome quote that I wouldn't doubt that Ron Howard and crew couldn't resist inserting it somewhere into the Apollo 13 saga, whether it belonged there or not. In any case because of it being in the movie I knew it, and it really was the first thing through my mind when I tried your solution.

 

I've been largely disenfranchised with Microsoft for well over a decade myself. I have one more virgin copy of Win 7 for my next build (whenever that may happen) but the way the Linux world has embraced gaming makes that a very likely scenario too. If I can get the remaining parts I need for my last "obsolete before first powerup" build it'll probably be Win 7 ... if it turns out that I can't source the parts I require and need to build a more modern box (that has a greater chance of "requiring" Win 10) then I'll be off to Linux land.

[chambcra]

Likewise for me and Linux. Intentionally disabling working software is like if Ford went around and stole the wheels from their old cars, only for safety concerns of course :mellow:

[tiro18]

I can't believe I finally found the answer. The short version is the problem was with the file Gameux.dll starting and hanging up Rundll32.exe so that obse_loader doesn't get the handle it is requesting. The fix was to rename Gameux.dll so that it doesn't run. It's the main component of Windows Game Explorer that causes a lot of trouble. Because I have Win7 64 bit the copy of Gameux.dll I had to rename is C:\Windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll. If you have 32 bit windows I think you will have to rename C:\Windows\System32\gameux.dll. I have that copy as well and it starts and runs every time at startup and is always running so renaming that might be a problem but my guess is probably not. I have a long version of this problem analysis if anyone is interested.

 

Here's some links for further study:

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/

 

https://www.howtogeek.com/school/sysinternals-pro/lesson1/

 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-gaming/windows-7-game-explorer-interfering-with-game/efd39c74-cfab-4c2c-b6c5-834b8849a1b3?page=2&auth=1

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/GuildWars/comments/bycdjo/game_is_waiting_for_rundll32exe_forever_on_win7/

 

https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/windows-7-how-to-delete-files-protected-by-trustedinstaller/

 

Thanks a ton man! This helped alot! Had some troubles with "trusted installer" permission for renaming but figured it out after a few minutes of digging up. The Character Overhaul 2 makes the faces look so natural as compared to the cartoon looking vanilla ones.

[DracoBorealis]

The fix worked for me after taking the property of file from trusted owner to administrator I could change the security settings and allow renaming, thanks and microsoft is peace of s...t for deciding what I can and can't run on my comp.

Edited May 22, 2022 by DracoBorealis

[Pellape]

I have not read the entire thread and I do not need too. There are many dll's that screw the game, like some CSE dll's as they are most worse and I wrote about it to the dev.

 

I use x when I rename stuff I do not to use or if a file is old, I rename it to Filename.old.

 

I name the dll's i do not want to load to dlx but dll. will do the same. The most important is to hide them from OBSE_Loader as I think OBSE will load every dll it see when it starts up. It will scan the game folder and the plugin folder for anything it can add. If i add a fake dll, an empty textfile called Pekka.dll in the game folder, OBSE will try to load and use it. If I rename it to Pekka.dlx, it will get ignored. I bet the game will crash at startup, trying to load Pekka.dll

 

Pekka is my nickname. ;)

Edited May 23, 2022 by Pellape