Forum Discussion

holger1405's avatar
4 years ago

[PC] Possible workarounds for Mass Effect Legendary Edition launch problems.

If the game does not start for you, there are several possible workarounds:

NEW February 2023: If the MELE Launcher is not running after switching to EA app.

  • Go to your "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Mass Effect Legendary Edition\Game\Launcher" folder. 
  • Right click the "MassEffectLauncher.exe" > Properties > compatibility.
  • Disable "Run as Administrator" > Click "OK"
    That should allow you to run MELE again.
  • If you changed the global settings inside the "Manage 3D Settings" panel of the NVIDIA control panel anytime in the past, look at this post.
  • Disable "Controlled folder Access" of the Windows defender.
  • Disabling OneDrive folder protection. 
  • Corruptions in the "License" folder might also keep the games from starting.
    Make sure Origin and Steam are closed.
    Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time
    Copy and paste C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EA Services into the new window > hit ENTER.
    Move the "License" folder to your Desktop > Test.
  • A overprotective Virus scanner or other security software could also block the access to game files. 
    (If you use "Sophos Home Premium" or other Sophos products look at this post and this post .)
  • Disabling Bluetooth on some motherboards fixed the issues for some players as well.
  • The Nahimic audio service, which is installed with the Realtek audio drivers from some motherboard manufacturers like MSI or Asus, causes many problems, and here it does too, it seems.
    (The Realtek stand alone audio drivers normally don't have the Nahimic software installed.) 
    ROG's Sonic Radar 3 is one of the apps that uses it.
  • If you use a VPN, look at this post.
  • Check if the regional settings of your EA account (not Origin) is set right .
  • If you have the game on Steam and it will only launch Origin but not the game, a possible cause is in this thread.
    (Warning! This requires some deeper computer knowledge.)

Notice: The games will not run on Windows 7.
LE1 & LE2 will not run on CPUs with only 2 physical or logical cores. (You need 4 logical cores.)

Fixed:

  1. If you have a Windows user name with special characters in it:
    Either:
    create an new Windows user account with only ASCII characters in it. > Reboot > Log on to the new account > Test.
    Or:
    Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time.
    Type or copy and paste "control" into the new window. (Without the quotes) > Hit ENTER.
    Choose "Region" > Administrative Tools > Change Locale > Check "Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support" > klick "OK"
    Reboot > Test.
    This issue was fixed with Patch 1.03
  2. It looks like the game requires a CPU with AVX instruction set
    It turned out that only the Launcher needs the AVX instruction set. Almost all CPUs built for end consumer use in the last 10 years have this instruction set.
    However, if you are not sure, you can check the technical specifications of your CPU on the manufacturer's website.
    If you have this problem, in this post by is a workaround for the problem. (As always, use third party tools at your own risk.)
    This issue was fixed with Patch 1.03

448 Replies

About Mass Effect Franchise Discussion

The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands. Join the Mass Effect community forums and tell us how you'll fight for it.19,061 PostsLatest Activity: 7 hours ago