[PC] There is a problem connecting to the server. ME1 authorization issue.
I installed Mass Effect 1 on Friday afternoon, on Windows 7 64 bit (Home Premium, Service Pack 1), using an install disk that uses the 5 authorizations style DRM. Due to personal preference, I'm not ...
We made some changes in order to try to fix this issue, but you didn't give us enough time to test it for all the games. 😉
Glad to hear it's working for you with Need for Speed Undercover! If anyone tries other games, please let us know how it goes!
Thanks, -Mai
Anonymous
8 years ago
Current situation: The problem seems to be on EA's end. They are aware of the issue, and a fix is hopefully in the works. I will update this post when I hear more news.
-
A work-around has been discovered thanks to @beerxced79000's posts on the Sims 3 thread. For more detail, refer to the posts here and here, and @puzzlezaddict's post here. If you're experiencing problems specifically with Sims 3, please follow puzzlezaddict's post for a potential solution. It was thanks to these posts that I managed to get Mass Effect to authorize, and it now works fine. However, due to the nature of the work-around, it may not be viable for everyone. Thanks to @beerxced79000's follow up information, I'm going to try explain the process here in a step-by-step format.
Warning: Before proceeding, this is going to involve swapping some game files around. If you're not comfortable with that, and you're sure you're experiencing the same problem, then the best thing to do is wait for an official fix from EA. With luck, you just have to be patient and wait for news 🙂 Please check your internet connection (information about how to do that here) to be sure that isn't causing the issue. I cannot guarantee this fix will work for you, and am not responsible if you accidently delete or break your game files. I am using Windows 7 64 bit, and may not be able to help if you're on another operating system.
-
Step 1: Determine if your game files have the 'paul.dll' file.
This should be located under your game's install directory, under either a 'binaries' or 'bin' folder. A 'winui.dll' should be in the same folder too. Example screenshot, credit to @beerxced79000
If your game does not have the 'paul.dll' file: As far as I know, this work around won't work for you, and you'll have to wait on a fix from EA.
If your game does have the 'paul.dll' file: Proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Replacing the 'paul.dll' file with another version of the file that will work.
For this, you're going to need to have another EA game which uses this .dll. I personally used Sims 3 files (following puzzlezaddict's post), and beerxced79000 seems to have used the files from Medal of Honor 2010. If you don't have either of these games, check this list for other possible games to look at. If you have any of these games, navigate to their install directory, and check under their 'binary' or 'bin' files to see if they have the 'paul.dll' too. If you don't have any other games with the 'paul.dll', this fix won't work for you, and you'll have to wait for a fix from EA.
If you've found another game with the 'paul.dll', proceed to step 3.
Step 3: Check what versions of 'paul.dll' you have avaliable.
To do this, right click on the 'paul.dll' file, and select properties. On the window that appears, click on the 'details' tab.
The highlighted numbers are what you're looking for. As far as we know, 'paul.dll' versions 4.1.1.13 and 4.1.1.14 are not working. If you only have these versions of the 'paul.dll', then this fix won't work for you. I can personally confirm that version 4.1.1.18 works, and if you have any other versions that aren't mentioned here, then it's worth continuing to try this fix. If you've found a potentially viable version of the 'paul.dll', proceed to step 4.
Step 4: !!BACK UP YOUR FILES!!
Again, I can't guarantee that this work-around will work for you, so make sure you have your files backed up before you change anything. Navigate back to the game that won't start's binary files. Create a new folder, name it whatever you want, then move 'paul.dll' and 'winui.dll' into this new folder for safekeeping. Do this either by dragging and dropping them into the new folder, or by cut and pasting them into it.
With your original game files safe, proceed to step 5 🙂
Step 5:Copy and paste (do not cut and paste like before) the newer versions of 'paul.dll' and 'winui.dll' from the other game files. These files work together, so make sure you get them from the same game, from the same folder. Place them in the 'binary' folder that you just moved the old version of 'paul.dll' and 'winui.dll' out of, so they're in the same place as the game's .exe file.
And that's it! Your game should now connect to EA's authorization servers, and start normally 🙂 If you still get the "There is a problem connecting to the server." message, then please check your version of the 'paul.dll', and let us know if it's not one of the versions mentioned here, so we know how many versions are effected by this issue. If this work-around doesn't work for you, make sure you return the old 'paul.dll' and 'winui.dll' files back to their original folder, so everything is back to its original state while you wait on a proper fix from EA.
the uninstallation and a new installation of the game by the procedure allows to find the original files!
good job 😉
"Current situation: The problem seems to be on EA's end. They are aware of the issue, and a fix is hopefully in the works. I will update this post when I hear more news."
"Current situation: The problem seems to be on EA's end. They are aware of the issue, and a fix is hopefully in the works. I will update this post when I hear more news."
@EA_Mai Thanks for the information regarding Origin downloads, hopefully that's a viable fix for some people. However, for those of us who don't have an internet connection that can handle game downloads, it isn't really a fix 😢 If this was the only solution, I'd not be able to do it, and I'd have lost access to a much beloved game. Can you reassure us that the underlying issue is still being looked at?
@holger1405 Yes, I used it on October the 8th to deauthorize Mass Effect on my old operating system. It worked fine then. I did try to use it again when I installed Mass Effect on my current operating system and it threw up the "There is a problem connecting to the server." message - reason being, I figured it would have to connect to the same place to alter information about my authorizations. All through Friday afternoon (Spanish time) the deauthorization tool for Mass Effect gave me the same "There is a problem connecting to the server." message. Then through Friday evening, it managed to connect. Of course, I had no authorizations on my computer for it to deauthorize, so it told me that and closed down. But I continued using it to check that connection, and as far as I've seen most of the time it connects. But occasionally, for a few minutes, it'll show the server error again. I've not checked it since I got Mass Effect working, but I can do sometime if you think it's worth a test? Not today though, I think I need to step away and have a little rest for the remainder of this evening 😪
From what you are telling @holger1405, if the game is working at times and not other times, it sounds like you are having a different issue, related to the connection itself.
For this, I would recommend opening a new thread, explaining the situation in detail so we can try to help with your specific issue. This article is usually helpful for troubleshooting connection problems: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/connection-troubleshooting-basic/
With the game: When I installed it on Friday, it gave me the "There is a problem connecting to the server." message, and it gave me that message no matter what. I ran through as much troubleshooting on my end as I could to make sure it was not an issue with my computer, my game install, or my internet. I did not make my own forum post until Sunday, after I'd seen others had been getting the exact same message with Sims 3. The work-around that they figured out also worked for me. Mass Effect is now working, with no issues, and I detailed how I did it in my post here. However, in the case of non-Sims games, I can't guarantee that the solution that worked for me will work for others. It only worked because I also have Sims 3 installed, and could use the same files that they used. I don't feel comfortable leaving this issue unresolved, when what I have is a work-around, and not a genuine fix that will work for everyone who uses a disk install.
With the Mass Effect deauthorization tool: I used it to deauthorize my Mass Effect install on my old operating system, with no issues, on October 8th. I mention the date only as a reference that the issue was not present then (it seems to have started around Thursday last week, that was when it was first noticed anyway). While troubleshooting the message for the Mass Effect game itself, I used the deauthorization tool to make sure the issue was not just present for the Mass Effect game (since I figured if it could connect to deauthorize, the game should be connecting to the same place to authorize it). When both the game AND the tool gave me the message, it told me it was probably not the game's install, and I should look at checking my internet connection or my operating system. I continued to use the tool to check if it would eventually connect, and it didn't for all of Friday afternoon. However, on Friday evening, it did connect. I did not change anything on my end, whatever it was that got it working again, it was on EA's end. Since then when I've checked the connection via the tool, most of the time it has connected without issue. But occasionally, it will throw up that "There is a problem connecting to the server." message again. To doubly clarify: The game was still not connecting at this point, I didn't get that working until yesterday (Wednesday).
With the solution: As far as we can tell, mostly thanks to @beerxced79000's findings, is that the issue lies with the 'paul.dll' that ships with disk versions of Mass Effect, and other games that can be found on this list. As beerxced79000 explained the .dll to me, it's a "road" between the Securom DRM on our computers, and the authorization servers. Versions 4.1.1.13 and 4.1.1.14 of this 'paul.dll' are what are present with the games that are getting the "There is a problem connecting to the server." message. When we swapped them out for other versions of the 'paul.dll' found in other games (I used 4.1.1.18, beerxced79000 has used 4.1.1.20) our games authorized fine.
What this tells me: For some reason, around Thursday 11th of October, versions 4.1.1.13 and 4.1.1.14 of 'paul.dll' stopped being able to connect with EA's servers. This is not a connection issue at our end, but at EA's. If it wasn't at EA's end, then why would newer versions of this 'paul.dll' connect with the servers fine? I don't know how servers work, or what could have caused this, but if you can get this information to someone who does understand them, and knows what's going on with EA's servers, maybe they will, and I hope then things can be fixed so all versions of 'paul.dll' can connect for everyone 🙂
If more clarification is required, I'll help however I can tomorrow, I really, really need to step away now 😪
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.19,232 PostsLatest Activity: 13 hours ago
