Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

by Kornhole
Reply

Original Post

Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

[ Edited ]
★★★ Novice

Hello, 

 

Today I finally caved in and, through Origin, purchased Mass Effect 3 (N7 Digital Deluxe edition, PC platform).

Everything downloaded just fine (though very slow), installed just fine.

I had hoped to play it in the afternoon, then shifted to hoping to play it in the evening, then shifted to hoping I'd be able to play it before midnight, but it refuses to activate.

 

Hitting the button to activate the product key only goes through the rotating splash screen, then gives a message that my PC is offline - which it isn't; I'm logged into Origin and I've been able to read through the first 10 pages of this board so I'm pretty sure that my PC is connected to the internet.

I've also been googling, and I don't recall Google having some offline internet search option, though they might some day have one for April 1st.

The "retry" button remains grayed out and non-clickable.

 

Restarting from within Origin the splash screen shows that the game isn't linked to an online account - though I'm definitely logged into Origin.

Trying to log in with my Origin account through the ME3 splash screen, it only leads to a message saying that I need to check my internet connection, or that possibly the servers aren't available.

 

I've made certain that in my router there are no issues with closed ports, I've made sure that ME3 is allowed in Windows Firewall.

I've tried several restarts and even a clean re-install (with manual removal of some leftover files and folders) of Origin.

After that, I've tried simply disabling my firewall and anti-virus suite...

I've tried cache flushing of my internet connection, cache cleaning of Origin, file repair options... long story short, the only thing I haven't yet tried is wearing nothing but a loincloth while doing some crazy dance to appease some obscure imaginary gods.

I've been at it for plenty of hours now, with just one break in the evening where I had dinner, then played some ME1 and ME2 just to see something different on my screen.

If anyone has any suggestions on what might be causing this, that I haven't already checked, or any solutions, then I'm hoping to read about it tomorrow.

(Well, that or hoping that this is one of those things that automagically fixes itself by tomorrow).

 

A past case of getting jerked around by EA support makes me reluctant to go through that circus from hell again, but if there's truly no other options then I guess I'll have to give the old sulphuric pits a go - but yeah, here's to hoping that someone else has some other option that I haven't given a go yet.

 

 Edit: 

I've attempted a few more things, without any success.

1. Log out of Origin, shut down Origin, doubleclick the desctop shortcut for ME3 (was hoping this might result in somehow forcing an activation, but nope).

2. Switch to using my neighbor's internet for a few minutes, just to check if that did anything (and yes, we did set up the ports, but no difference).

3. Start Origin as Admin.

4. Disabling Origin in-game overlay (in Origin's settings for installed programs).

 

None of these made any difference.

Message 1 of 10 (1,923 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

@Kornhole

 

Did you tried to manually open this ports at your router and your Windows firewall?

Origin Ports
TCP: 80; 443; 9960-9969; 1024-1124; 3216; 18000; 18120; 18060; 27900; 28910; 29900
UDP: 1024-1124; 18000; 29900
Me3 Port
Port 3659

 

In the Windows network settings, is your network set to be a "Private" network?

 

Also set a exception for the "activation.exe" under ">drive<:\Mass Effect BackUp\Mass Effect 3\Binaries\Win32\Core" in your Windows Firewall.

 

If that all don't helps, clear your Origin cache.

 
All settings in Origin (only in Origin not in the games) are back to default settings after this.)

    - close Origin completely. (right click on the Origin symbol in the task bar > close)
    - Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time.
    - Type or copy  "%ProgramData%/Origin" (without quotes) > hit ENTER
    - Delete all the files and folders in the Origin folder, except for the "LocalContent" folder. (The "LocalContent" folder must remain untouched.)
    - Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time.
    - Type or copy "%AppData%" (without quotes)  > hit ENTER
    - Now your Windows explorer should have brought you to your "C:\Users\>your user name<\AppData\Roaming" folder
    - Delete the "Origin"  folder inside the "Roaming" folder
    - In the address bar of your Windows explorer click on the word "AppData".
    - Open the "Local" folder
    - Delete the "Origin"  folder inside the  "Local" folder
    - Restart your PC. > test

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a players helping players forum, I don't work for EA.
Dies ist ein Spieler helfen Spielern Forum, ich arbeite nicht für EA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Message 2 of 10 (1,910 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

★★★ Novice

Everything else I've done, including going over all the ports in firewall and router - BUT in your answer I see two UDP ports which didn't come up anywhere else on my Google and Bing searches.

 

I've just set those ports too, but I have to run right now so I won't be able to actually test it out, I'm betting that with those two ports I'll actually have it working when I get back home in a few hours.

Thanks.

 

Message 3 of 10 (1,903 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

@Kornhole

 

You're welcome, but you really should test it first before accepting the solution. Wink

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a players helping players forum, I don't work for EA.
Dies ist ein Spieler helfen Spielern Forum, ich arbeite nicht für EA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Message 4 of 10 (1,895 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

★★★ Novice

Yup, I jumped the gun on thinking it would be solved.
Got home, launched ME3, got the same result.

Things tried so far:
- Opened ports manually, in both firewall and router.
- Flush/renew DNS, switch to other DNS, reset router completely.
- Used a neighbor's wifi and manually opening all appropriate ports on his router.
- Repair Mass Effect 3 files through Origin.
- Clear Origin cache, manually remove folders.
- Completely remove and re-install Origin.
- Disable firewall entirely.
- Disable antivirus/net security suite.
- Uninstall DLC's one by one to see if maybe any of that was messing up.
- Remove all ME3-related rules from firewall, run Origin and ME3, manually add firewall rules for the ports that didn't get added automatically.
- Drank several mugs of coffee while argueing with myself the pro's and cons of smashing up the PC and simply getting a new one; too expensive and not a guaranteed solution, though it might relieve some tension and caffeine-induced jitters.

 

My next attempt will be to get a cable in the morning to see if wired internet makes a difference, if that doesn't work I'll head over to my brother and install Origin + ME3 on his PC to see if it works normally there.

And if all else fails, I'll probably give support a go at last; not looking forward to that but if all else fails, I might as well try to cut a deal with that devil Tongue out

 

For now, I guess I'll stick with another run of the classic Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2, or maybe I'll drink plenty of this Glenfiddich to make one more purchase on Origin and give the latest part of ME a try.

 

Message 5 of 10 (1,889 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

@Kornhole

 

I think the cable is a good idea. Do you have a Killer network adapter by any chance?

 

Do you use special characters in your Password or Email?

 

If all that fails, please create a DxDiag in text file format, also go to your Reliability monitor (Press the windows key and "R" at the same time and copy or type "perfmon /rel" (without the quotes) in > ENTER and look if it has ME3 entries.

 

 If yes double click at the last one, copy it to the clipboard, (Bottom left corner) save it to a text file and load it up together with the DxDiag. You can do that with the "choose file" button at the bottom right corner of the reply window.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a players helping players forum, I don't work for EA.
Dies ist ein Spieler helfen Spielern Forum, ich arbeite nicht für EA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Message 6 of 10 (1,884 Views)
Highlighted

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

★★★ Novice

No Killer network app, no special characters in password/email, but I do have a working ME3 now.

Shortly after my previous entry I was about to play ME2 again but accidentally hit the ME3 play button instead, and it went straight into the game... been playing it since that point.

I alt-tabbed out to do a quick search on how to beat a fight where I kept getting killed, and figured I should also post this reply.

Thanks again.

 

Message 7 of 10 (1,879 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

@Kornhole

 

Strange but good. Wink

 

You're welcome.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a players helping players forum, I don't work for EA.
Dies ist ein Spieler helfen Spielern Forum, ich arbeite nicht für EA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Message 8 of 10 (1,873 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

★★ Novice

Perhaps one of your game files I corrupted?



I do not work for EA

 

Message 9 of 10 (1,868 Views)

Re: Mass Effect 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition can't activate

★★ Novice

Oh wait too late..

oops

Message 10 of 10 (1,867 Views)