Max2013 Fails to Load with Service Pack 6

[Anonymous]

I installed SP6 to correct a bug crash, and now max freezes on the 'Starting 3ds Max...' screen. I'm unable to find a solution to the problem, and can't find a way to rollback the update that I installed.

Is there a way to rollback this update without having to reinstall or Repair? I have unsaved configuration files I'd need to backup before wiping those settings clean.

[Steve_Curley]

Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Remember to check the option for showing Updates.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Steve. I'll give that a shot.

[Anonymous]

I was able to remove the ServicePack, however I'm still freezing on the same "Starting 3ds max..." screen. Any other suggestions in regards to that issue?

[Steve_Curley]

Not really - too many possibilities. Try Control Panel > Admin tools > Event Viewer and see if there's anything in there to give you a clue. There's also a Max.log which may be of use.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. After removing the Service Pack, Repairing and Reinstalling, I'm still running into the same issue and so I'm going to try an Uninstall/clean reinstall.

[Anonymous]

I've gone through and done a complete uninstallation, removed registry files and all temp information from my system. I've also done a clean installation and did not install the Service Pack that originally started this issue. I'm still unable to progress past the 'Starting 3ds max...' loading screen.

At this point, I don't know what else to do. I've already had to reformat my machine due to a corrupted 3ds max file in the past, and really can't afford the time involved in that process. What other suggestions can you offer up to resolve this?

Thanks,

RiK

[Steve_Curley]

Did you look in the event viewer to see if there was anything there - might give a clue to the cause. Beyond that it's very difficult to say as there will be many people who applied SP6 without experiencing such issues, and without a specific error (message or code) we have no clue as to the cause.

[Anonymous]

I can't find a way to unflag this thread as 'Solved', so if anyone else can adjust that for me, I'd appreciate it.

After doing a second series of clean uninstall / clean installs, Max was stable yesterday. I closed an reopened the program three times without issues. After booting up my machine today, I am again having the same problem, stalling at the 'starting 3ds max...' screen.

The only seemingly related Autodesk error in Event Viewer is an entry for WSCommCntr4.exe, but it looks like this error has been a daily occurance for several months.

Perhaps installing Product Update 6 without having installed the previous 5 updates is part of the problem? Though after doing a clean installation I wouldn't think that an issue. I'm going to roll back and install each of the updates in the proper order and see what results I get.

[Steve_Curley]

Unaccepted...
WSCommCntr4.exe (IIRC) is the "Communication Center" and requires internet access. Check your firewall settings allow it to "talk" properly. That will not be the cause of the crash though - I have it blocked (deliberately).
I'm trying hard and can't remember, but there must be a reason why I stopped at SP5 (I usually apply all updates). Try searching for SP6, then look though any related posts (those posted after it was released) - they might give you a clue. Updates generally include all previous ones, so that shouldn't be the issue - the ReadMe will tell you in the Prerequisites section.

[Anonymous]

In the end, this looks like it ended up being a hardware error. I ended up replacing my motherboard, which had some issues over the last year or so, and this issue was immediatly resolved.

Thank you for the support and information to get me to this point.

Cheers,

Rik