Help with player.gdc.bak file

Grim Dawn General Discussion
1

I’m not posting this in the bug reporting section as I’m quite sure it’s a problem related to my own system. I’m just looking for help from someone who might have had a similar issue.

I’ve been having this problem for some time now (started in 1.0.7.1) but it escalated since the 1.1 update making playing the game extremely frustrating - to the point where I decided to quit GD and not buy the new expansion if I’m unable to deal with it.

Let me describe the problem. The player data at some point playing the game (every single time after the update - but might be unrelated) stops saving. All changes made to the character are not being saved - all equipped gear, components, augments, devotion, attribute, inventory and personal stash changes are being lost on quitting the game to main menu. Changes made to shared stash - that is unrelated to player save files - are okay.

I have pinpointed the issue to the file player.gdc.bak in the player save folder. It is created at some point when running the character. The file is okay at first with ownership and permissions fine. Then at some point the file becomes locked out from all access and all permissions - even read - are revoked. Consequently I cannot even view security settings on the file. The only thing that works at this point is full reboot.

I’m running Windows 10 - fully updated and maintained - with an in-built administrator account, of course, with permissions set to full control. I have never had an issue with access to any file or folder in my system or - surprisingly for Windows 10 - any system issues at all.

Please help. I really love GD and the community but playing it like this is close to impossible. Thanks in advance.

Attachment: Properties.JPG

2

I think you should post it in the bug section just to be safe.

Have you tried to do re-install Grim Dawn?

Does this happen to char files that have not been created by you? e.g. if I send you one on my chars, will the problem remain?

Do you play with steam cloud saves?

I hope this problem will be fixed for you so you do not have to quit/take a break. You are very valuable for me and the entire community

3

Have you found the solution ya_?
It will be a shame of you don’t play FG because of this.

Have you done a clean install with registry cleaner, then reinstall?

4

Hm, don´t know if this would help, but:

Can´t you activate Cloud Saving for a while to get the progress saved?
And then try to choose a different folder/destination for saving your Grim Dawn Saves? Just to try?

5

Try deleting the player.gdc.bak file to force the game to create a brand new one and make sure that the file and folder itself isn’t set to read only

6

Don’t think this is possible without moving the My Documents folder as that’s the location GD saves to if not the cloud.

@ya_ Doubt this is any help, but the player.gdc.bak is nothing more than the backup file for your current char, all changes should be saved to the player.gcd file and you should be able to remove from the folder / delete the .bak file without effecting your char and then see if player progress is saved again.

Please double check that when right clicking on your My Games\Grim Dawn folder and selecting Properties, on the security tab you have full permiissions for all users.

7

Thanks for the advice.

  1. Afaik you can’t change the default save folder, can you? I’d love to move it the hell away from the system partition…

  2. When this glitch happens, I am unable to do anything with this file even though I got full control set on everything like I described in op. Can’t delete it, can’t copy it, can’t even VIEW its permissions or check anything about its security status. Weird af. All I can do you reboot, run GD, run my char and do the weapon switch so that the char is empty handed and exit the game to main menu to see if it’s still empty handed. If so then I can play and hope it won’t happen all too soon.

It’s FG launch for me tomorrow and… there’s still one thing I haven’t tried: hard reset. :mad:

8

  1. Nope…well sort of, you can always look into symlinks (system links) and that way you can possibly have your GD save folder elsewhere, you’ll need to read up as I’m not an expert on these.

  2. Damn that’s just plain…Weird :eek:

Good luck indeed

Edit… Is Grim Dawn running when yoiu try to do anything with this file, as if so it could well be simply that the file is in use with GD and that’s why you cannot dpo anything with it and maybe it’s not actually what’s causing the problem. Just sudden thoughts without actually checking my thinking to see if it’s possible.

9

The file remains locked out even after exiting the game and Steam. It’s like I right click it, Properties, Security, and it reads that I don’t have permission to view anything here (where normally all permissions for all accounts are) and I don’t even have permission to view the file’s ownership. THIS never happens even if a file is being modified by a process. I tried different accounts, built-in admin, user promoted to admin group, user with upped permissions. Black hole. When this thing happens the file don’t budge like a spellbinder in 1.5. Impenetrable.

Did registry sweeps, re-installed Steam and GD, did virus scans with different software. I’ll back my shit up and format the hell of my PC tonight.