[2023] Help with game getting stuck when started, before the main menu loads

Right click on eu4.exe , properties, compatibility. Tick "disable fullScreen optimisations" untick every other box in that dialog, Apply and exit.

Edit settings.txt to say:

refreshRate=60
fullScreen=yes
borderless=no

vsync=no

Then in the launcher Game Settings menu, select fullScreen display mode.


IF that doesn't help:
DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Europa Universalis IV/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Europa Universalis IV/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log , exceptions.log  

vv142 said: I now access it by choosing Windows' Repair option when it gets stuck which I get quickly by activating Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

That should not be necessary, it is not normal of course. Does it at all say what it fixes when you run that?

Try this Windows repair tool:

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files - Microsoft Support

Describes how to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 or Windows Vista. support.microsoft.com

You have two separate crashes in eu4.exe in that dxdiag, one in that .exe itself and one in the DirectX 9 code in Windows. And some AppHang events too!

Try a clean update/reinstall of nVidia

- uninstall https://developer.nvidia.com/cleanup-tool
- reboot
- install August 2023 https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
- reboot again

If that doesn't help, there may be a clean Windows reinstall in your near future I'm afraid! That's assuming this is a Windows installation issue and not a problem in your new hardware. Certainly undo any overclocking that might be active.