"LIVE gaming on Windows failed to initialize" or "System Cannot Find the Path Specified"

When you try to start a program that is enabled for Games for Windows – LIVE, you receive one of the following error messages:

Error message 1Error message 2This problem may occur if you are running the Games for Windows – LIVE program as a dedicated server on a Windows Vista-based computer, on a Windows XP-based computer, or on a Windows Server 2003-based computer.

Important Before you run a Games for Windows – LIVE-dedicated server, make sure that you have the latest updates installed for Windows Vista, for Windows XP, or for Windows Server 2003. To check for updates, visit the following Windows Update website:

This problem may occur for one of the following reasons:

• A file in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Catroot2 folder is damaged.
• The Cryptographic Services service is disabled.

To troubleshoot this problem, try the following methods.

Method 1: Reinstall Games for Windows – LIVE software

Step 1: Remove the Games for Windows – LIVE Software

1. Open Add or Remove Programs.
   • Windows Vista
     
     Click Start
     Collapse this imageExpand this image

     
     , type programs and features in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
     
     
   • Windows XP
     
     Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Games for Windows – LIVE, and then click either Uninstall or Remove.
3. Follow the directions on the screen.

Step 2: Reinstall the current software

1. The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
   
   
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   Download the Games for Windows LIVE setup package now.
   (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=128962)
   
   
   For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   119591

   (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ )

   How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
   Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
2. Download the file to your desktop.
3. When the download is complete, right-click the executable file, select Run as administrator and then follow directions on your screen.
4. When the installation is complete, close all programs.
5. Try to start the game again.

If the problem continues to occur, try method 2.

Step 3: Download the latest program update (Halo 2 only)

1. The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
   
   
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   Download the Halo 2 update package now.
   (http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/0/e/b0ec1acf-8623-4520-9764-75baaffc0718/Update.exe)
   
   
   For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   119591

   (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/ )

   How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
   Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
2. Download the file to your desktop.
3. When the download is complete, right-click the executable file, select Run As Administrator and then follow directions on your screen.
4. When the installation is complete, close all programs.
5. Try to start the game again.

Method 2: Delete Catroot files

1. Click Start, point to Run and type:
   C:\Windows\system32\CatRoot\{127D0A1D-4EF2-11D1-8608-00C04FC295EE}
2. Locate all tmp*.cat files and delete them. If no files are found go to step 3.
3. Click Start, point to Run and type:
   C:\Windows\System32\catroot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}
4. Locate all kb*.cat files and delete them all. If no files are found go to step 5.
5. Click Start, point to Run and type:
   C:\Windows\System32\catroot\{127D0A1D-4EF2-11D1-8608-00C04FC295EE}
6. Delete all kb*.cab files.
7. Click Start, point to Run and type:
   C:\Windows\inf
8. Delete all oem*.* files.
9. Click Start, point to Run and type:
   C:\Windows\System32
10. Locate the cmd.exe file, right-click the file, and then select Run as administrator.
11. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    net stop cryptsvc
12. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    ren %windir%\system32\catroot2 catroot2_renamed
13. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    net start cryptsvc
14. Exit the command prompt and start the game.

If the issue continues to occur, go to Method 3.

Method 3: Download and install all Windows Updates

Install the latest updates for your Windows Vista-based computer, for your Windows XP-based computer, or for your Windows Server 2003-based computer. Install the updates before you run Games for Windows – LIVE-enabled programs.

For more information about system updates, visit the following Windows Update website: If the problem continues to occur, or if your computer is running on a system other than Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, try method 3.

Method 4: Adjust Settings in Windows

Step 1: Rename the Catroot2 folder

Rename the Catroot2 folder, and then try to start the program again.

Important Make sure that you do not rename the Catroot folder. Windows automatically re-creates the Catroot2 folder after you rename it. However, Windows does not re-create the Catroot folder if you rename it. To rename the Catroot2 folder, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.
2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   net stop cryptsvc
4. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   ren %windir%\system32\catroot2 catroot2_renamed
5. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   net start cryptsvc

Step 2: Set the Cryptographic Services service to start automatically

Configure Cryptographic Services to use the Automatic startup type. Then, reinstall the program that is enabled for Games for Windows – LIVE.

To configure Cryptographic Services to start automatically, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
2. In the Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, double-click Cryptographic Services.
3. In the Startup type list, click Automatic.
4. Click Start, and then click OK.

Note Games for Windows – LIVE does not support running several different games at the same time. If you are running several different Games for Windows – LIVE games, exit all games, and then restart the game that you want to play.

For more information about how to resolve this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about related issues, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: