F-4 authorization error

[Rickling]

Same thing happened to me. Thinking of deinstalling the f-4 as a temporary workaround. Anyone try this?

[Art-J]

6 hours ago, i_am_lugnuts said:

Well, I have turned off my Windows Defender, Firewall and Anti-Virus and it still isn't working.

Defender removed that dll file you showed in your screenshot, so module cannot work without it. Run DCS repair to restore it.

BTW turning defender and firewall off completely is a rather drastic and dangerous approach. You don't have to do that. Just adding DCS-related folders to exclusion list is sufficient.

[II.JG1_Vonrd]

9 hours ago, Zabuzard said:

you can also try to tell it to trust the entire DCS install folder instead of just this particular file.
 

Windows Defender Firewall here. ALL DCS is checked as allowed but it still hits the HeatblurJester.dll even though I can't find that file anywhere. I can't tell Defender to allow it since it wants you to browse to the file in order to include it in the list but it's probably been removed. I've tried uninstalling the F-4E, shutdown and restart and re-install the F-4E and it's still borked. I'm at my wits end. 

[Zabuzard]

Windows Defender Firewall here. ALL DCS is checked as allowed but it still hits the HeatblurJester.dll even though I can't find that file anywhere. I can't tell Defender to allow it since it wants you to browse to the file in order to include it in the list but it's probably been removed. I've tried uninstalling the F-4E, shutdown and restart and re-install the F-4E and it's still borked. I'm at my wits end. 

It sounds like you are in your Firewall settings, which is incorrect. It is not about allowing DCS.exe to use the network but about telling your Windows Defender AntiVirus to stop looking for malicious files in the DCS Installation folder.

It is a different menu in its UI and allows you to whitelist/trust/exclude certain folders from its search.

Once that is done, you can restore the quarantined/deleted files either through their menu or by running a DCS repair. Then it should work again.

If you cant find it, I would suggest to google sth like "Windows 10, Windows Defender, exclude folder from Antivirus" (with whatever OS and AV software you are using)

[_pirox_]

I prefer to wait as long as it takes for it to be fixed.
It could be a false positive, but it could also be that it accidentally sneaks into some infected PC of some developer.

[Rudel_chw]

2 hours ago, Rickling said:

Thinking of deinstalling the f-4 as a temporary workaround. Anyone try this?

Not me, excluding the DCS folders was a definitive solution to this problem so no need for workarounds.

[II.JG1_Vonrd]

1 hour ago, Zabuzard said:

It sounds like you are in your Firewall settings, which is incorrect. It is not about allowing DCS.exe to use the network but about telling your Windows Defender AntiVirus to stop looking for malicious files in the DCS Installation folder.

 

OMG... that was it! I did have the DCS exe excluded but not the folder. Thanks for schooling me on that @Zabuzard!

For those with Windows Defender here are the steps (for me the excluded folder is "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta")

To exclude a folder from antivirus scans on Windows 11, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > Exclusions > Add or remove exclusions and then select the folder you want to exclude; remember that excluding folders from scans should be done cautiously as it can potentially reduce your system's security. 

 

Key steps:

• Open Settings
• Navigate to Update & Security
• Select Windows Security
• Choose Virus & threat protection
• Click Manage settings
• Under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions
• Click Add an exclusion and choose the folder you want to exclude.

[ESA_maligno]

Same problem here, F4 tells me that it is not authorized

[BIGNEWY]

the issue is due to antivirus detecting a false positive on the F-4E. Add DCS to your exclusion and run a verify or repair.
If you still have issues contact support directly here https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/

thank you

threads merged

[Carl_infar]

im sorry but this is a crap solution.

For me its the first time that a dev who sells modules for 80 bucks  in order to solve the problem asks the clients to whitelist files or even whole folders...

Id understand if this would be some modded free stuff but it isnt.

Edited December 28, 2024 by Carl_infar

[Rudel_chw]

57 minutes ago, Carl_infar said:

im sorry but this is a crap solution.

What is crap is the quality of most Antivirus, because in my opinion flagging an inocent file as infected is just unacceptable. This is not an ED problem, but an AV maker problem.

[Zabuzard]

im sorry but this is a crap solution.
For me its the first time that a dev who sells modules for 80 bucks  in order to solve the problem asks the clients to whitelist files or even whole folders...
Id understand if this would be some modded free stuff but it isnt.

The alternative is that you wait until Microsoft, Kaspersky, Norton and Co fully processed the request to whitelist the files globally in their DBs. Which, from experience, takes roughly 2-6 weeks. After thats done, it will stop incorrectly flagging this particular file.
But this is only valid until the files are changed in an upcoming update again and AV decides that the new file looks malicious again. (They trigger for example on things like file or network requests - which games naturally have to do).

This is not an uncommon issue and a lot of Indie developers who decide to deploy without a trusted platform like Steam run into the very same problem. It is also not new for DCS and has happened to multiple modules over the past years.
The only solution from a company POV is to either move entirely to Steam, Epic Games and Co, or to delay and slow down update cycles by 2-6 weeks (can be speed up as business customer against high fees), waiting for a finished update to be fully whitelisted by all AV vendors before deploying it to users. Which is exactly what some other game developers do. Not sure if that would be a meaningful option for DCS and its community (in particular due to the heavy consequences it might entail), but thats on ED to decide.

Amother benefit to keeping your AV out of the DCS folder is that multiple people reported it boosting their performance (for some even significantly).

Same problem here, F4 tells me that it is not authorized

Kindly see the solution above ur post, thank you

[EPKolev]

I think I found a solution. I just put in excluded folders- file DCS World\CoreMods\aircraft\F-4E\. The installation of Phantom was successful and the game started without a problem.

 

 

 

[Zabuzard]

I think I found a solution. I just put in excluded folders- file DCS World\CoreMods\aircraft\F-4E\. The installation of Phantom was successful and the game started without a problem.      

Yes. It will work as soon as you told your AV to stop looking for bad stuff in the corresponding folder. And then restored the quarantined files.

We usually recommend putting the entire DCS folder on the whitelist because that will prevent you running into the issue with other modules (which has happened a few times in the past already) and typically also lead to an increased performance in DCS :)

[cfrag]

After a full repair of DCS (a rather lengthy process due to the multiple hundreds of gigabytes involved), Win's AV spoke up again, declaring a (probably false positive) 

null

Now, after decades in this business, I have learned to not take warnings like this lightly. Mine is now a zero tolerance policy towards potential malware, and I will not whitelist folders, especially if they contain downloaded content over which I have no control. It's a pity that I lose my F4 for the time being, and I'm hoping that the kind folk at HB, whom I know to deliver stellar work, liaise with with the many AV vendors to have this issue resolved. And yes, my peace of mind is worth the wait - my sincere thanks to HB for making the transition period as short as possible.

Edited December 29, 2024 by cfrag

[surfcandy]

Anyone having this F-4 issue with ESET antivirus?

[GOZR]

Shame.. mine doesn t say Virus  it is just blocked ..  they should come with a fix

 

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, GOZR said:

they should come with a fix

yes, the AV maker should fix their false warnings.

[GOZR]

Ok so yes running the repair after the exeoption setup did it.. 

[warmachine79]

I have the same problem (Steam Version). I cannot find any references to the .dll file mentioned above in the Defender history. I added an exclusion for the whole DCS-Folder, but to no avail:

null

Edited January 19 by warmachine79

[Rudel_chw]

On 1/19/2025 at 8:03 PM, warmachine79 said:

I added an exclusion for the whole DCS-Folder, but to no avail:

 

The exclusion only prevents the AV from deleting suspect files IN THE FUTURE, you still need to recover the file that the AV removed prior to you setting the exclusion: on stand-alone DCS run the DCS_Updater repair utility to recover the lost file, on Steam run the Steam integrity check tool.

Edited January 21 by Rudel_chw

[warmachine79]

Thnak you Rudel, that worked. 

[mitor]

High,

 

Same problem for me...

[Czar66]

42 minutes ago, mitor said:

High,

 

Same problem for me...

Hi, Mitor. Do the following:

1. Make an Exclusion on the whole DCS root folder on your anti virus, including windows defender.
2. Do a repair.

Usual path for files and folder exclusion management (windows 11 in english):

1. Search for "windows security" in the search bar
2. Virus & Threat Protection
3. At 'Virus & Threat Protection Settings', click on 'manage settings'
4. Bottom of the page click on 'add or remove exclusions'
5. Add the whole DCS root Folder.

[mitor]

Thanks.