Smite Launcher Not Updating/Installing [Solution/Fix]

[Cafall]

Hello,

I know this is probably the the wrong section but I'm posting it here anyway because the Help and Support section is a jumbled mess.

I have a friend who has wanted to play Smite since mid 2014.
For some reason when they first downloaded the Smite installer, it would never update or even install. Smite launcher would get stuck and say something like "Smite is connecting to server, please wait..." and wouldn't do anything. We looked online and discovered the problem was more widespread than we had initially thought.
There was no explanation for it and no solution.


Topics like these have people that still haven't been able to play Smite to this very day because of the problem
http://www.reddit.com/r/Smite/commen...henticate_and/
http://www.reddit.com/r/Smite/commen...t_downloading/
http://forums.smitegame.com/showthre...Smite-problems


Everything was attempted
Videos like this one attempt to solve the problem, but it didn't work 100% of the time as you can see in the comments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czFzIa4R7go
Complete Reinstalls, restarting Hi-Rez Studios Authenticate and Update Service, the "Big Fix" post, dozens of YouTube videos, reading through hundreds of different forum posts on the internet, Hi-Rez Diagnostics and Support, sending in tickets to Hi-Rez, turning off firewall, allowing Smite through firewall.
None of those methods worked.

Today I have finally found a real solution.






Smite Launcher Not Updating/Installing Solution/Fix
1. WARNING: Make sure you are not browsing the internet or doing anything else online when attempting this. You can keep the pages open, just don't go browsing.

2. Go to Windows Services (Windows Key + R, type "services.msc" no quotes and enter)

3. Find "Base Filtering Engine", Right click and stop.

4. Open Smite launcher. The game will finally update or install.

5. I would highly advise starting the service again after the launcher installs/updates.

- If the above steps do not work, please restart your computer before attempting them. Something may be blocking BFE from turning off (it's an important service after all.)





Yes, the culprit was Base Filtering Engine (BFE). It has something to do with the Windows Firewall.
I'm not sure why this fixes the issue that has plagued many people for so long, but it is a solution that works after all others didn't. This may have already been posted somewhere online but might have somehow gotten buried.
I'm not an expert with computers, but I do know Base Filtering Engine is essential for the networking of Windows Firewall to function, which is why it's not a wise idea to be browsing the internet when you stop the service.


Please direct anyone who had this launcher problem to this post or instruct them on the fix if they need help.
I hope this fix works for them, or for you, and hopefully a real solution for this very frustrating and very under the radar problem gets resolved officially.


Good luck.



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