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STICKY: Downloading Problems? Need Help? Look here.

STICKY: Downloading Problems? Need Help? Look here.

We're here to help

Starting this week, tens of thousands of people will be jumping on to download gigabytes of game at around the same time.  This means, naturally, that some percentage of people are going to have problems.  This post is here to answer some questions and provide a place where Stardock support people can also help.

Don't worry! We will take care of you.

Stardock Central:

The most common problems we've seen people have revolve around two things:

(1) Someone who bought the game with one email address but has used a different email address to be on the forums.  That's fine, in fact, probably a good thing to do.  But it may confuse Stardock Central.  If you run into that, just email support@stardock.com with the subject:GalCiv Stardock Central problem.  They will fix you up.

(2) Some of our long time users have multiple accounts on our sites.  Same issue as above.

(3) The base game will download slower than the other modules.  In Stardock Central there is a menu called tools. Go to Settings, pick Internet and you can try a different server to see if that helps your download speed.  The base game should download at speeds from 30k/sec to 300k/sec depending on where you live, time of day, etc.  The bulk of the game, however, should download at whatever the maximum your connection is as we have set up mirrors world wide.  The base game is being set up so that we can update it very often. The  other stuff won't need updating (i.e. movies and such) so we can mirror that more.

(4) Activation. If you are downloading the entire game, there is an activation system built in.  Don't worry, you will be able to keep installing the game, even years from now, on your new systems without having to talk to us.   However, because the activation server is likely to get hammered, there may be some issues that will crop up.  Don't worry, just email support with the above. IF you don't get an answer within 1 hour, feel free to post in this thread.

(5) IF you had the beta, you can install on top of it and it should work fine.  But if you do run into problems, reinstalling is a possible solution (yea, that's a lame answer).

(6) IF you switch servers, there may be some modules that look like they need updating. Trust your own judgment. If you just downloaded the latest/greatest version and you switch servers and there's an update that you didn't hear about, it's probably due to minute differences in the time stamps.  This probably won't happen but given the sheer # of mirrors involved, it's possible.

(7) IF you purchased the retail version, you can skip Stardock Central entirely if you want and just download the "patch" from Downloads area. 

(8) IF you are downloading on one of the first days, bear in mind how many other people are also downloading. Download resume should be working fine so if for some reason there's a server time out, don't panic, you can resume where you left off. 

(9) MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST STARDOCK CENTRAL. 2.29A.374 (or later).

Thanks to the preloading we did last week, we don't expect any huge issues.  But due to me saying that, just now, that naturally means something will go wrong. For you.

We'll be camping out here, not just me but the support team, the development team, my mom, and of course the tech support guy who has "It's working fine here." set as a hot key.

Stay tuned and good luck!

67,253 views 74 replies
Reply #51 Top
I am new to Impulse and such. i am a long time fan of GCII and i bought a digital download for and the expansions, the ultimate edition. well everytime i go to download it after it reaches 100% it says "Downloaded file invalid; MD5s do not match server". Also after it is done it on the bottom right it goes back the the "Install" button which when i click on it, it starts the download all over again. now i have tried to download it about 4 times... which in total took all day.   i was hoping i could get some help with this. i am not sure what else i can do to help. also the region of the world i am in is kinda close to Australia, i am in Guam. Thank you for any and all help.

 

Reply #52 Top

That issue is usually caused by security software on your machine interfering with the download, or in rare cases by bad system memory. Try downloading again with any security software disabled; failing that, please contact support@stardock.com for further troubleshooting help.

Reply #53 Top

I just wiped out my hardrive and my PC is fresh this is why I am reinstalling, but When I try to download/install it from impulse, I get a error saying the MD5s do not match server, (I believe thats what it said) and it starts redownloading, I have retried 4 times once after even reinstalling impulse, I have NO internet security, I have never had this problem on impulse before. I just want to get back to playing my game : ( so please reply.

(I have Galcivs II version 1.53 on windows XP)

Reply #54 Top

If you have no antivirus at all on a raw XP install, it's possible it could already be infected by some sort of malware. Most AV vendors offer an online "house call", and if none of those turn anything up, it's possible you may have bad memory in your machine (scanning with Memtest86 should reveal if that is the case).

Reply #55 Top

Hi! thanks I figured it out, just needed to restart to finish some updates lol. Thanks anyway!

Reply #56 Top

Hello, iv'e had galactic civilizations 2 for a year or two and i never registered the serial.

I recently bought the expansion bundle and it won't let me download them until i register my serial code, i can't do this because i have lost the serial number.

I bought the bundle over impulse.

Reply #57 Top

Unfortunately if you never registered it, we cannot help you recover it. If you cannot find the packaging with the key on it, you will need to purchase a new one. If you need to change from the expansion bundle to ultimate so you have a DL key or otherwise change your purchase, please contact sales@stardock.com.

Reply #58 Top

Greetings, just bought Mass Effect on Impulse.  It installed fine, but when it tries to update, it gets to 100%, then starts over.

Reply #59 Top

Okay, so I bought GalCiv2 and Dark Avatar in the box. I'm trying to update to 2.x (no general espionage option in DA is really annoying) but for the life of me I can't figure out how to patch it. I see no option in Stardock central (the only option in Downloads is to download the demo or install Impulse). Impulse just shows the game as "available" and the only option is to install the game.

Seriously? I have to install the whole 1GB file all over again just to update a game I already have installed? Am I missing something?

EDIT: Never mind, I just discovered that the current Dark Avatar version is 1.8 and I don't have it registered.X|

Reply #60 Top

sorry I accidently copied when i was doing something else troll

Reply #61 Top

Help I have Galactic civilizations 2 ultimate I have no mods folder to load mods. I can load mods into dl da but not twilight of the arnor game how do i do that, also how do i post

Reply #62 Top

Hello dear folks, I have GalCivII retail version Collectors Edition bought at Paradox Webshop at release. At that time I got some access to the Bonus content as I saw in my download folder. Today it is the first time I registered GalCivII at your website. I installed Stardock Central from your site(I hope its actual version).Then I registered and got the new serial. I saw that I have the basic GalCiv2 version 1.0 and there exists the latest version 1.50 from 2008. Now I tried several time the installation of the appropriate Patch plus some bonus content. But every time I got the message that the download has failed due to wrong URL. As I made nothing wrong this problem seems to belong to some server failure as I assume.I hope that you can help me anyway to get the latest patch installed so that I can play the game without any problems. Although I remember that I have played it in those days after release without any greater problems.

Please help me. I need some advice what I should do that I can download the latest patch for the original GalCiv2 version 1.0.0.0

thx and greetings from a fan

Hohenlohe

Reply #63 Top

Same issue as the poster above (and over a year in his future)  :|

Got the game years ago at the Best Buy and recently decided "heck, that game was pretty cool, maybe I should play it again" went to look for patches (I mean a lot can happen in half a decade, lol).  Registered the game, downloaded the STardock Central, sure enough says I can upgrade to v 1.5(something) and a bunch of bonus stuff as well.  Got the same error URL not available.

I guess they've stopped supporting the game after all this time and those of us with retail copies from the "dark ages" of 2007 or so are just stuck with v 1.0.

Reply #64 Top

The original Stardock Central app was succeeded by Impulse a few years ago and is no longer supported; you'll need to download that (now GameStop PC Downloads App), register the game, and use that to update instead.

We're currently working on an all-new SDC so you can download/update directly from us again since Impulse was purchased by GameStop, but it's not quite ready for release just yet.

Reply #65 Top

Hey, thanks for the quick response, tip, and link.  Updated successfully now running v 1.53 :)

Now to whip up a "get familiar" game with some dumb opponents on a smallish galaxy.  Time to kill off some space monkeys.  :D

Tks again.

Reply #66 Top

I'm not sure if this counts as a downloading proplum but I bout the game on steam and I try to use the CD key it gave me but evry time I do a Stardock Account registration Box apperes and says Invalid serial number, Is there a way to fix this proplum or Did I just throw away $20 Bucks?

Reply #67 Top

Quoting Unkownentity, reply 66
I'm not sure if this counts as a downloading proplum but I bout the game on steam and I try to use the CD key it gave me but evry time I do a Stardock Account registration Box apperes and says Invalid serial number, Is there a way to fix this proplum or Did I just throw away $20 Bucks?
End of Unkownentity's quote

Contact support@stardock.com and they should be able to get things sorted for you.

Reply #68 Top

Have GC2UE jewel case.  Attempted to patch to 2.04.  Tried to follow the method listed in point 7 in the initial post.  Fail:

-Gamestop App lists the game and says "updates available."

-When I push "update" it says "you have not registered your product code." 

-But there is no button on that page to register the game, or anywhere on the gamestop site so far as I can tell.  (Actually I registered it on installation, successfully as far as I could tell, but never mind that.)

Help?

Reply #69 Top

GameStop has discontinued support for outside registrations. Shoot an email to support@stardock.com with your code and they should be able to help.

Reply #70 Top

Greetings!  I really loved GalCiv I (bought a copy of OS/2 just to play it) and II and I got nostaglic for it the other day.  I bought GalCiv II in the box and bought both expansions as digital downloads.  I actually bought my first copy of GalCiv II at a second hand store and was pretty upset when I couldn't use it so I bought a fresh copy new, thinking "sucks to pay twice but at least now I can download it whenever I need to in the future".  So I logged into Stardock and found out they no longer handled downloads.  I downloaded the Gamestop app as instructed and the app installed GalCiv II 1.53.  No record of the expansions but I figured maybe it all got wrapped into a single "Gold" edition.  When I fired it up it looked like it worked but it consistently crashed right after the 'Choose Oppponents' screen.  There is no "debug.err" in my GalCiv root directory and Stardock SmartException isn't logging the errors.  I tried downloading every update I could think of for my copy of Windows 7 Home Premium and rebooted a dozen times but I still get the same error in the same spot:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: galciv2.exe
Application Version: 1.53.0.0
Application Timestamp: 49108bdd
Fault Module Name: galciv2.exe
Fault Module Version: 1.53.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 49108bdd
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0001c7c9
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 0102
Additional Information 2: 01020f91e4ec55b601bf7b54cb959584
Additional Information 3: ee26
Additional Information 4: ee26dd70363fcf0b95b437a304e2d880

In surfing the internet I've seen reference to a 2.04 edition as the latest but I can't find a place I can download from.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

Reply #71 Top

Quoting woodbehnke, reply 70
No record of the expansions but I figured maybe it all got wrapped into a single "Gold" edition.
End of woodbehnke's quote

They'd still be separate. If GameStop lost them, contact support@stardock.com and they should still have the records (they might be registered under a different email address) and be able to get things sorted out.

 

In surfing the internet I've seen reference to a 2.04 edition
End of quote

1.53 is the latest version of the base game. Only the expansions received the 2.0 update.

 

There is no "debug.err" in my GalCiv root directory
End of quote

The debug.err file is in My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2 as of the 1.2 update, rather than in the install folder as it originally was.

But based on your description of the issue, most likely you either have corrupt race files (same location as the debug in my documents), or the language key is missing and you need to run this (or this one if you have 64-bit windows). Save the file and run it, agreeing to merge when prompted. If your debug.err files contains a "Danger Will Robinson, No Stars!" line, the latter fix should do the job.

Reply #72 Top

Awesome!  Adding English as the language in the registry fixed my problem.  Now that I think of it my wife probably bought me the expansions so they're probably under her email.  Thanks for the sweet fix!

Reply #73 Top

just downloaded galciv II ulitimate edition,all ok until i came to stardock registration,after clicking on "retrieve serial no" i got a string of 5 letters and numbers x6, each separated with a dash, simple enough i thought ,but i cannot get it accepted ,keep getting invalid serial number messages ,tried upper case letters,lower case,missing the dash out putting the serial sequence with no spaces ,all to no avail,have had 3 people look at this ,not one of them can see anything wrong,has anyone else had this problem,it will also not copy and paste,

Reply #74 Top

Please contact support@stardock.com about the key registration issue, they should be able to get it sorted.