pia_manager.exe won't start in any way (Windows 10 issue)

p1096133

Hi there,

I have recently changed my computer and got a new one with Windows 10 (Home 64 Bit (Version: 1703 / OS Build: 15063.674))

I have installed PIA Client recently and it worked for a day. Then, it stopped. It doesn't start when rebooted and I can't open the PIA Manager. Even when I try to run it as an administrator, it just won't start.

Naturally, I tried clean installing by removing TAP driver, uninstalling PIA and cleaning the Program Files of any PIA related folder, before I re-install PIA from scratch. It works just fine after the installation however it does not start after the reboot. I tried the clean install for 3-4 times, no luck.

Does anyone experience the same issue? I took a look but so far I only encountered posts concerning problems about the booting at the start-up. While that is still the case for me, I can't even manually start the pia_manager.exe with admin authorizations.

Best regards.

Dmitry

Is your system language in English? System languages with non-UTF-8 characters cause issues like this. 

You can either change your system locale to English or use the OpenVPN client instead.

p1096133

Dmitry said:

Is your system language in English? System languages with non-UTF-8 characters cause issues like this. 

You can either change your system locale to English or use the OpenVPN client instead.

I've never thought about it, but yes. My system language is set to Turkish. Although I can't change my system language as it seems Windows 10 only allows one language package and I want to use Turkish.

[Deleted User]

@p1096133, I have replied to your ticket. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with

pia1017

I have the same problem ticket 458886 still no reply. Older versions worked well, but after my new installation in the end of September something have changed.

[Deleted User]

@pia1017, I have just responded to your ticket. Thank you so much for your patience.

p1110958

I haven't raised the ticket yet but got the same problem. Please advise

Max-P

Hi @p1110958, what language is your computer set to?

p1110958

Max-P said:

Hi @p1110958, what language is your computer set to?

russian

Max-P

@p1110958 Hm, as someone else said above the app sometimes doesn't work at all on systems with a non-english character set. As far as I'm aware, russian has its own locale that's not a superset of english so that could be why the app doesn't work for you.

You should have no problem getting on PIA using OpenVPN directly however. We have a guide on how to set that up here: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/windows-openvpn

p1110958

Well, it works this way but I've lost all configuration features from PIA client such as "small packets", as my router connects to ISP over L2TP now I have to adjust MTU size manualy, there is no "kill switch" option, I should provide user name and password every time I'd like to log in, etc, etc.

So, is it possible to have this issue fixed one day and work with a PIA client instead of generic OpenVPN one or?

Dmitry

The recent update states that the "non-english Windows" issue has been fixed, so you might want to check your app version.

p1110958

No, it didn't fix it. Still the same error while loading code page and the client unable to start after reboot.

Max-P

Hey guys, just wanted to give a quick update: I went ahead and installed a russian Windows installation and I'm reproducing the bug. I'm talking with the devs to get this resolved! I'll update again once I have more info or a possible workaround.

EDIT: Workaround found! It seems that deleting the .pid files in C:\Program Files\pia_manager\log makes it run another time. This needs to be done for every start for now unfortunately, but at least there's a way to make it run.

p1110958

Yes, workaround is working. Thanks Max. Will wait for a permanent fix.

p8723645

I am having the exact same issue with non-english operating system. Hopefully the permenant fix will come soon. The workaround worked so far, so glad I found this post.

Max-P

Good news everyone! I have just heard back from the developers and this is fixed in the current development branch along with a few other language related changes. Should be fixed in v76 when it goes live! No ETA for this unfortunately, but it's fixed.

bot

Max-P
Thanks your post!!
I can use v75 in my PC!!
The useless support NEVER reach this method!!

Max-P

bot said:

Max-P
Thanks your post!!
I can use v75 in my PC!!
The useless support NEVER reach this method!!

I have provided similar answers to many customers We've been investigating this one for a while actually. Even if support ends up telling you this is not supported at the moment, we still log this stuff and it eventually makes its way to my desk. Sometimes we have the fixes but like situations like this it's a bit too ugly to give that to a customer as an official support response.

bot

Max-P said:

bot said:

Max-P
Thanks your post!!
I can use v75 in my PC!!
The useless support NEVER reach this method!!

I have provided similar answers to many customers We've been investigating this one for a while actually. Even if support ends up telling you this is not supported at the moment, we still log this stuff and it eventually makes its way to my desk. Sometimes we have the fixes but like situations like this it's a bit too ugly to give that to a customer as an official support response.

Thanks.I sent this thread address to our great support.

bot

I could use v75 deleting pid files.
But our great support told me that,

>Since your system language is not in English - the solution is to wait for v76.

Max-P

bot said:

I could use v75 deleting pid files.
But our great support told me that,

>Since your system language is not in English - the solution is to wait for v76.

Yes, that's what I explained in my last message. When you contact support, there's an expectation of quality/official statement. We don't allow support to give incomplete or ugly workarounds because

• When it reaches that point, it needs to be properly fixed.
• It would look really bad for the company to have support tell you "Yeah just delete some files everytime you want to connect". That makes it look like we don't care and just throw random workarounds.
• We already have a reputation of having bad support we're trying to get rid of.
  

It's also important to understand that support's priority is to get you up and running with the service you paid for. We sell a privacy service and our top priority is that you get on the VPN. We have no incentive to get the app working over OpenVPN or any of the alternative options: we want to get you secured above all. Keeping that in mind, using OpenVPN and waiting for v76 which includes the fix is a much better experience and solution than deleting files every time you restart the app.

That's very different from the forum because forums are discussion boards. It's okay to have incomplete answers, or partial workarounds, or in general discuss unsupported and odd use cases. There's no expectation for PIA to be responsible for forum solutions to be perfect.

It's also very important to keep in mind, we get support tickets from all kinds of audiences ranging from security experts to ordinary people that don't know or care how their computer works. Deleting files in the app's directory is a solution that's out of reach for a lot of customers! It's important for support answers to be accessible.

Morgh

Well I actually came up with the solution of deleting PID files myself based on analysis of available log files (where I saw the process stopping at PID stage), and still think it is more useful right now then using OpenVPN since otherwise I would not be able to use port forwarding...

drk13

Max-P and others - I have run into the same issue recently. Ruby window (Command prompt when installing) shows some kind of text telling that encoding is not what is expected (it was installed on Russian Windows) and I was able to overcome this issue via installing it with Locale forced as English via LocaleEmulator from pooi.moe/Locale-Emulator/
Such workaround is not the most stable though. Using OpenVPN client is another workaround. Version 6.6 of the installer does work though. Is there any way for the developers to find this recently introduced bug (I have tested 7.3, 7.4 and 7.5 versions - they all fail running on non-English windows) and fix it? That will be great. I have been using PIA for several years and really like it.

Hopefully v7.6 will support non English Windows. Do I need to contact developers separately? Already did and got 483709 ticket number

drk13

Update for all: The support team has confirmed that v7.5 does not support non english Windows (Turkish, Russian, etc) and they are working on the fix for the next version. I have been suggested to use OpenVPN client in the intermediate time.
Here is the part of the TechSupport response:

"......We are working to fix this on the next version.
We recommend trying the OpenVPN setup method for Windows:
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/windows-openvpn
In the event the default files do not work, please try redoing the config file portion of the OpenVPN install and replace the https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn.zip file with one of the URLs listed below; please try each set until one of them works:
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn-ip.zip
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn-tcp.zip

If you would like to use the higher levels of encryption you can replace the current config file with one of the URLs listed below:
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn-strong.zip
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn-strong-tcp.zip
"

Hopefully this issue will be fixed soon and PIA client will be able to work again with non english Windows.
Short summary in Russian: Клиенты ПИА последних версий (проверял 7.2, 7.3, 7.4. 7.5) не работают на не английской винде. Один из вариантов - перейти на клиет OpenVPN, второй вариант - откатиться на старую версию. Версия 6.6 работает на русской винде. Техподдержка подтвердила, что проблема существует и они работают над выпуском новой версии клиента.

Lotus777

"Deleting .PID files" worked fine on my PC (Windows10, Japanese).
Thank you very much !!!

atrubetskoy

Hello, I am having the same problem on my windows 7, which is in Russian. 
I have contacted support and they have been extremely unhelpful, in fact it seemed like the guys was mocking me! Even though I wrote 5 times that the application won't launch, he kept asking me to make changes in setting or extract a debug report from the application (that I can't even open)!

My ticket number is 492689

I am now asking for a refund as nowhere was it specified that the requirement for this application to work is for the system to be in English. The support person is refusing a refund as it has been more than 7 days, however I was unaware of the issue in the first seven days. I believe I am eligible for a refund as I can not receive the service that I paid for due to technical issues on the company's end. 

Frankly, I am very disappointed with the way this is handled and hope someone reasonable will respond soon! 

[Deleted User]

@atrubetskoy, I've just taken a look at your ticket and issued your refund. I'm really sorry for the experience you had. 

atrubetskoy

PIAColleen said:

@atrubetskoy, I've just taken a look at your ticket and issued your refund. I'm really sorry for the experience you had. 

Thank you very much for helping me resolve the issue! 

fcvistula

@Max-P @PIAColleen I hope v76 will fix problem with polish Windows users too. Looks like PIA is dedicated only for English users

Max-P

@fcvistula v76 definitely brings in a *lot* of polish v76 is a rather big leap and shift in direction!