wow.exe not found
 

I went to log in tonight and auto downloaded the 2.2 patch. After the download I got a message pop-up that said wow.exe could not be found. Now, if anyone recalls I initially had problems with seeing the Addons button because I'm using Vista. Is there something special I should be doing at patch time? Like moving my wow directory out of Game Files and back to Program Files? If this is the case, how do I protect my UI and addons folders from the new wtf folder that is sure to be placed in there by the patch? I've not had to mess with it in a while, so I forget the details...

[bump]Anyone help me out here?[/bump]

wow client looks in you program folder.
that's where your World of Warcraft folder needs to be.

Doc

I would *think* that there is some way you can tell the downloader the new location for WoW on your system. I'm just not entirely sure where/how you do that since I'm not using Vista.

doc309: Your solution isn't a solution, since leaving WoW in the program folder prevents the use of addons. Blizz themselves tells people to move WoW out of the program folder in Windows Vista when people post in the tech help forum.

Erurainon: I'll check with others, including my Blizzard contacts, to try to get an answer for you, if no one else comes along with the necessary info before I do.

Actually the simple method is to run the patcher from inside the WOW folder. I have the same Game Files setup and if I copy the update into C:/Game Files/Worldofwarcraft/(patchfile.exe) and then run it. It works fine.

Kudz

You are 1/2 right.. If you run the patch from your desktop or other location on your computer (ie, you downloaded it from fileplanet). It will fail because it *defaults* to looking in your program file directory

However as mentioned above, if you run it *from* the directory that WOW.EXE is in, it will find it just fine as the search starts with the folder it is in, and failing finding it there moves on to Program Files.


edit for tpyo

How do I copy the update without first downloading it? Or are you saying to double-click on the patchfile.exe file within the abovenamed directory in order to download and have it install itself within the directory the old one's in? :confused: I don't actually do anything - or at least I've never had to before. I simply click on the game executable which is just a shortcut on my start menu pointing to the actual file and that in turn opens a mini game window which has a Play button. Then when I click the Play button the auto-patch starts.

But you said that you already downloaded it. ;) Grab the WoW-2.1.3.6898-to-2.2.0.7272-enUS-patch (or whatever locale you are) file from the directory it downloaded *to*. Move it to where you have your WoW folder now. Double-click on the file to install it. Don't be so frightened. ;) I manually download my patches from fileplanet every update and manually install them.

hehe Ok, thanks for the explanation of the explanation. :D

Sorry to revive an old thread which appeared answered; but I've yet to play again since Sep. 25th and the 2.2 patch when MazzleUI went kaboom. I finally decided to try my hand at fixing it a bit; but when I went to look for my already downloaded 2.1.3.6898-to-2.2.0.7272 patch, I found it already in my Games Files folder as opposed to Program Files!

So wasn't the answer supposedly to move it from wherever it downloaded to (assuming it wasn't in the Games Files folder) and move it to the Games Files folder??

When I double-click on the file it appears to patch the game ok and I get to the log-in screen fine, but once there the game gives me a "Patch Required" message and tells me to press the restart button to exit and download the patch that I just applied!!

Color me completely confused. :(

[edit to add]After I press restart, the patch gets automatically downloaded (even though I already have it) and a Blizzard Updater box appears with a "writing patch.file" progress bar at the bottom. It gets about 95% done or so and is replaced by another Blizzard Updater box which states "The file "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blizzard Entertainment\World of Warcraft\Uninstall.xml" could not be renamed to "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blizzard Entertainment\World of Warcraft\Uninstall.xml.Trash". (ConflictManager::ResolveConflicts/3)".

(However the entire time that the Updater is running, I also have Windows Explorer open to show that there is absolutely nothing of WoW in Program Files. Not before the patch and not after.)

It then gives me the option to repair the old patched game to include third party addons. Since it says it will make a backup to include even the third party addons, I chose to repair and check as opposed to just checking the files.

And I'm back to square 1. Either I click on the launcher and wow.exe is not found or I click on the game executable itself which is in my WoW folder which also contains the 2.2 paqtch - along with every other patch - and is itself within the Games Files folder. I get to the log-in screen, log on, and get to the screen which says Patch Required and restart. [/edit]

Hi Erurainon. I can't help with the Vista side of things (shudder) but as far as your WTF folder is concerned, just keep your old one (or a copy - backups are guud!) and once you have finished the various jumping through hoops that Vista+WoW require (moving folders around), just copy your original WTF back over the top of the new one. WoW should automatically add in any missing information that the new patch might need over the last one.

The same applies for your Interface/Addons directory (where all your addons live) if you want to keep those somewhere safe during the various other directory "moves", except do not copy over the top of the Blizzard UI ones (i.e., don't copy over the addons starting with Blizzard_ from your old addons folder to the new one). If you do accidentally copy over the top of them, just delete them entirely from the new Interface/Addons folder, and WoW will recreate them all the next time you start it.

Oh, and make sure not to do any of those file copying and moving things while WoW is running, or it could go horribly wrong! :eek:

Hope thats of some help

Cheers
-- Cirk

Thanks for the reply Cirk, but I'm not even to the point of worrying about my WTF folder or copying things yet. I *think* what I have done is to follow Kudz' advice above. Now, I see he says to run the "patcher". Within my Wow folder I have an icon labeled "WoW-2.1.3.6898-to-2.2.0.7272-enUS-downloader" and I have another one labled "BNUpdate". I do not see anything labeled as a patcher. When I double-click the downloader, it downloads the specific patch for which it is named. I have all of the old patch downloaders and updaters, but I do not have an updater labeled with the new patch. When I double-click on the BNUpdate icon, it says that the Localization.xml file can not be loaded.

Also, after downloading the 2.2 patch for the umpteenth time I noticed another BNUpdate icon and several partial MPQ files get placed in a 2.1.3 to 2.2.0 folder which is created within a Patches folder which is within my WoW folder which is in my Games Files folder. If I double-click on that BNUpdate icon - as opposed to the one in my WoW folder where my game executable is - it says WoW.exe can not be found.

The first time this happened, I replaced the BNUpdate that was in my WoW folder with the one that appeared in the Patches folder after downloading the 2.2 patch; but I get the same result = if the BNUpdate is in the WoW folder it says that the Localization.xml file can not be loaded; if I leave it where it is in the Patches subfolder it says that WoW.exe can not be found.

Should I just move my WTF folder someplace safe to keep my addons intact and then do an uninstall/reinstall of the game? I'm at a complete loss here...

[edit]Edited for typos.[/edit]

We're on 2.2.2 now.

That's nice to know. :(

You'll want to save both your WTF folder (game settings, addon saved data, etc.) and your actual addons from the Interface/Addons directory if you do a "clean" install (although you'll probably need to update some of your addons to 2.2 anyway).

Might be worth a shot if everything else is failing :(

I got some help and figured the Vista part out. I'm now updated all the way to 2.2.2. I went and got the Mazzle 1.1 patch and was following meio's directions step by step and am now logged into the game at the point where I would need to mazzify after having checked my video resolution, but I find that Mazzle is just as it should be. Below is a screenshot.

I was SO tempted to say "install Windows XP"... :cool:

hehe Unfortunately, the only comp I have currently of playing WoW is this crappy Vista laptop. However, I've already purchased all necessary parts for my next rig which I will be installing XP Pro on. ;) The only reason it's not yet built is I'm staying at a friend's until later this month when escrow closes on my new house.

Heheh. ;)

I have to dig into Vista now that we got a PC in the house that has it installed (Home Premium). I'm NOT impressed with any of it so far. XP Pro FTW.

Cause for me was the fact that this file was read only. I marked the file (and the whole directory) to be not read only which solved the issue.