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Elwiard's avatar
Elwiard
3 months ago

We Could Not Activate Mass Effect 3 (2012 Edition) Error

Hello everyone. 

I recently bought Mass effect 3 and I cannot launch it. I tried every method which I could find online. I bought the game in EA store. I posted an image with this assist request, that is the error message what I got when I try to launch the game. I'm aware of the usual fix, I already talked with someone from EA to help solve the problem but we couldn't. I went to: %ProgramData%\Electronic Arts\EA Services , and found the 71183.dlf file, copied the whole folder to the desktop, deleted it, tried everything to solve it with this method but no matter what I tried I always got the very same error message. I own the game in the EA. I tried downloading it without the DLC-s too, haven't fixed anything, tried launching it in Administrator setting, restart the computer and loging out of EA then loging back and launching it and all of these methods combined. Nothing seemed to fix the issue, the game still doesn't wish to launch. I even tried to give it my production key for the game but the window says I'm offline, which is not the case. 

So I do not know which step to take.

8 Replies

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  • cqd1908's avatar
    cqd1908
    Seasoned Newcomer
    9 days ago

     I have a similar problem.  ME3 says I need to load the app, which do have. In which case is says to re link, but there's no option for that.   I've played it for 3 hrs before this.  I owe the account. Will uninstalling and reinstalling help?

     

  • Syupweque's avatar
    Syupweque
    Newcomer
    9 days ago

    I'm having this same problem.  I received the game for free in 2013 as an apology for Sim City 2013, I have no other EA account.  I've fully uninstalled and reinstalled the EA app and all games, everything is on the same drive, I've deleted the license like everyone recommends, it still doesn't work.  The game ran fine a week ago.  Do you have any suggestions?

  • EA_Shepard's avatar
    EA_Shepard
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    3 months ago

    @Elwiard I see it active on the account, so the issue is that your registry is seeing the wrong account, or wrong key. Typically with this error, since its pre-EA app, it comes down to one of the following

    You don't own it on this account
    Someone else or another account downloaded it
    If you have more than one drive—SSD or HDD—you need to have the EA app and the game on one drive.
    When it was originally installed, the file path was changed.

    This is a very old error so not something with the game but with the key file on the PC. You need to basically find and delete every Mass Effect file you can fine, and then clean out the registry. That is pretty easy as you can use many different registry cleaners

  • Elwiard's avatar
    Elwiard
    3 months ago

    Yes, it was purchassed on the same account I'm logged in. It was purchased first in Steam, but the same error message popped up as I told you about. I searched for a solution and came across that it might be the fault of Steam's. I refunded the game there and bought it directly from the EA app, downloaded it and same error message. Tried the previously mentioned solutions, nothing worked. I did had EA app before this, I do have other games on the EA app and I never encountered this error before.

  • EA_Shepard's avatar
    EA_Shepard
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    3 months ago

    @Elwiard Was the game purchased on the same account you are logging into the EA app or Steam with?

    Was it purchased through EA Play, or did you have EA Play at any point before or after you purchased the game?

  • Elwiard's avatar
    Elwiard
    3 months ago

    Yes, I'm 100% certain I did. I tried going over the process countless times, both deleting or just copying it outside the folder. I'm certain I did delete it and I even witnessed it creating a new file there but I could never get it to work.

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