Pokerstars update hangs

This has been going on for several days.
Update is available and when I click to get it it hangs on downloading the files. I deleted the client and did re-install but no help there.
Next stop (if I bother) is to really scrub this off from Windows registry etc.
I'm just amazed how ones superb software has crumbled into this buggy package that doesn't even work well anymore.

I've had the same problem with Poker Stars and have given up on it, it was crashing and hanging all the time.

I removed the virus protection (F-secure) then tried to install PokerStars.
It worked on the laptop, but not on the PC
The update on the mobile phone also worked..

I have problems there too... From one day to another, when I tried to log in at PS, the plataform send me a PIN that never arrives in my email and in my phone as well. Another thing is that I try to talk to then by email and sent all the documents and stuff they asked me, and after it everyday another person from support answers me asking me the same thing that I sent over and over again...

Seems like they don't want so solve my problem at all!

Now the update was successful, try to see if it works for you.

hutzpaf said:

Now the update was successful, try to see if it works for you.

Click to expand...

I gave it plenty of time but nooooo.
F-Secure is not sounding any alarms but if that is the cause I'm not going to disable it for PS sake. They never had a problem with it before and they shouldn't have one now.
Either they come up with a better update or that's that.

After installing PokerStars, I of course turned on my antivirus.
Since then, the antivirus has not reported any problems.

Try with admin rights. What antivirus is installed? If there is one, try disabling or stopping it.

hutzpaf said:

After installing PokerStars, I of course turned on my antivirus.

Click to expand...

Yes of course, so I figured.
I just meant that never before I've had to turn off my antivirus for the duration of any update. If Stars is no longer up to that it is time to draw my conclusions of their current state.

easy solution remove that virus software pokerstars from your computer, u are welcome

Works perfectly fine for me. Maybe contact their support and ask for advice?

Well, I've done nothing for this matter for several weeks. Then, about two weeks ago this happened...

I scrubbef off the client completely from Windows registry, etc. Still update fails after reinstall.
Then I tried to login to PS via browser. And boom, my account becomes frozen at that instant.

Probably a security feature since I pretty much never go there by browser

I had saved an old email from PS security couple of years back so first I tried to send them a message to that address. Over week goes by and no-one answers. Then I tried their normal support address. Waiting, waithing waiting... but NOPE.

So I guess that's that then... Unless they reach out to me we are parting ways.
I have only about six dollars there. Not enough to cry about.

Tero said:

Well, I've done nothing for this matter for several weeks. Then, about two weeks ago this happened...

I scrubbef off the client completely from Windows registry, etc. Still update fails after reinstall.
Then I tried to login to PS via browser. And boom, my account becomes frozen at that instant.

Probably a security feature since I pretty much never go there by browser

I had saved an old email from PS security couple of years back so first I tried to send them a message to that address. Over week goes by and no-one answers. Then I tried their normal support address. Waiting, waithing waiting... but NOPE.

So I guess that's that then... Unless they reach out to me we are parting ways.
I have only about six dollars there. Not enough to cry about.

Click to expand...

I never did that but heard from others that Twitter works out well if u need urgent help. Would give it a try.

Tero said:

And boom, my account becomes frozen at that instant.

I had saved an old email from PS security couple of years back so first I tried to send them a message to that address. Over week goes by and no-one answers. Then I tried their normal support address. Waiting, waithing waiting... but NOPE.

Click to expand...

Pretty weird, for me PokerStars works no matter what I do, never had my account frozen even if I log in with 4 different browsers and 4 different IPs.

They don't allow email anymore, you have to use live chat or other methods like previously mentioned Twitter. Don't let that $6 go and your ability play on Stars, it's pretty big brand that could make comeback someday!

KrazyKoo said:

They don't allow email anymore

Click to expand...

Jeez, I didn't get that memo

I didn't know they offer actual support via Twitter. I always thought that's only for public shaming if everything else fails

Now I have at least been able to open a dialog with them but the issue is not resolved yet. They asked for some diagnostic reports/logs which I have now sent.
So I'm just waiting now...

Now my PC and laptop won't load PokerStars, but I can play on my mobile phone?
Well, I'm not interested in the games there anymore..

I only run into problems when I have the Chrome browser open while playing on PokerStars.
When I’m at the tables and Chrome is running in the background, my whole system starts freezing — sometimes I even have to shut down the laptop manually.
That’s why I just close the browser before playing, and everything works fine.

Don't play on this dump, there are many decent poker rooms.PokerStars - online poker game for people who don't mind throwing money away.There are bots in the game that will not allow you to win, you will only go into the minus, I once played there and everything is pointless.

Five days later I received an answer from their tech support.

This is a known issue, and our team is actively working on a permanent fix.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing they have very thin resources these days

I tried it out again today and the update finally pulled through. It took ages to download, felt like using a dial-up modem.
So for now everything works.

Yep, it really works again.

They are pushing another update and it haaaaaaaaaaangs again

PokerStars has always been a bit of a capricious site, but today my update went smoothly. However, due to poor internet, it keeps freezing; sometimes it lasts for a few seconds, and other times it freezes for 25 seconds – how frustrating that is!!!!

I just returned to the CardsChats community and all the poker rooms. I hadn't played for about 15 months., but I'm back to try again.
What I did notice yesterday was that after updating the Pokerstars Lobby, I couldn't log in to my PC, because I couldn't accept the terms due to an error 118 that appeared everywhere. I had to enter through the App on my cell phone and accept the terms and try again on the PC. I could play on my cell phone but I find it very uncomfortable and I don't know if you can play multiple tables.

So I finally managed to log in and to my surprise I couldn't see the Spin&Go, nothing in the tournament tabs, the rewards system, everything was Error 118.

Search on Google to solve the problem. It said it was the Lobby cache, so I deleted them and nothing.
I deleted the Game and then something worse came. No, the pokerstars website wouldn't let me download the installer (total madness). Google told me that it could be the outdated Chrome browser, I updated it and it didn't.

I went with the default browser that Windows comes with because it told me to use another browser. Then I was finally able to download an installer. Finally I proceeded to install and download the entire lobby again. After loading, I got a message that that version was obsolete and I should update it. I started to update and then it told me that it did not correspond to my living area, and I updated it again and it sent me back again, where it told me again that it was an obsolete update. IT DID NOT WORK, I had to uninstall everything again. and it occurred to me to take an old installer that I got in Windows downloads 2 years ago and there I started the whole process again.

In the end I wanted to do the same and I thought about the firewall where I had allowed several applications and .exe programs from the Pokerstars installation folder. It was like seven (7) pokerstars executables and I finally did it. It was like 4 hours of torture.

Finally I could see the lobby with everything normal.

hutzpaf said:

After the update, PokerStars will no longer download to my PC.

Click to expand...

Finally I cracked it!

The missing piece was found from a Reddit thread which pushed me to the right direction.

So far I had tried uninstalling, scrubbing the client off my PC as well as I could, and (against my better judgement) to turn off my F-Secure antivirus and Windows firewall for the duration of the update attempt. Then there had been some log files that I had sent more than ones to Stars technical support, and everything had simply failed.

Then I started poking around inside the Stars folders and looking clues.

First of all, after doing a fresh install (before the whole client downloads as it normally should) there is very little application files inside the folder.

One of them is Stub.


Then I opened some of the update files in a text editor and an URL jumps out:


I decided to allow the Stub through Windows firewall and guess what? Stub is related to that URL.



So I tried updating again, and failed...

Then I took F-Secure under scrutiny. It is a pretty complex piece of software and simply turning off the virus protection part still leaves you with other protections.

So we arrive to here. Browsing and Banking protection.



I decided to add the URL in question as an allowed site.

Then I tried updating again. Nothing happened after few minutes and I thought it failed again. Then it suddenly started downloading and went through!

In hindsight it probably might have worked without allowing the URL (simply by disabling the browsing and banking protection for the duration of the update) but I did it this way.