Amnesia Dark Descent failed to start (error code 51)

[STEVONATRON]

Amnesia has suddenly stopped working, crashing on launch with the message: "amnesia dark descent failed to start (error code 51)". It's never given me problems before so this is quite a surprise.

My hpl file contains the following:

Version 1.10
-------- THE HPL ENGINE LOG ------------
Engine build ID 20100818114615

Creating Engine Modules
--------------------------------------------------------
Creating graphics module
Creating system module
Creating resource module
Creating input module
Creating sound module
Creating physics module
Creating ai module
Creating gui module
Creating generate module
Creating haptic module
Creating scene module
--------------------------------------------------------

Initializing Resources Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Creating loader handlers
Creating resource managers
Adding loaders to handlers
--------------------------------------------------------

Initializing Graphics Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Init lowlevel graphics: 1920x1080 bpp:32 fs:1 ms:0 gpufmt:2 cap:'Amnesia - The Dark Descent - Loading...' pos-1x-1)
Setting video mode: 1920 x 1080 - 32 bpp
Init Glew...OK
Setting up OpenGL
Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Renderer: GeForce 9800 GTX+/PCI/SSE2
Version: 2.1.2
Max texture image units: 32
Max texture coord units: 8
Max user clip planes: 6
Two sided stencil: 1
Vertex Buffer Object: 1
Anisotropic filtering: 1
Max Anisotropic degree: 16
Multisampling: 1
Texture compression: 1
Texture compression S3TC: 1
Auto generate MipMaps: 1
Render to texture: 1
Max draw buffers: 8
Max color render targets: 8
Packed depth-stencil: 1
Texture float: 1
GLSL Version: 1.20 NVIDIA via Cg compiler
ShaderModel 2: 1
ShaderModel 3: 1
ShaderModel 4: 1
OGL ATIFragmentShader: 0
ATTENTION: System does not support const arrays in glsl!
Setting up G-Bugger: type: 0 texturenum: 3
Adding engine materials
Initializing DevIL
Vendor String: Abysmal Software
Version String: Developer's Image Library (DevIL) 1.6.8pre Aug 12 2006
Version Number: 168
Adding engine post effects
--------------------------------------------------------

Initializing Sound Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Initializing OpenAL
Available OpenAL devices:
0. Generic Software on Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)(OpenAL default)
1. Generic Software on Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio)
2. Rapture3D
Trying to open device 'Generic Software on Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)'... Success!
Number of mono sources: 32
Streaming setup: 4 Buffers x 262144 bytes each
--------------------------------------------------------

Initializing Game Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Adding engine updates
Initializing script functions
--------------------------------------------------------

User Initialization
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Game Running
--------------------------------------------------------
-------- Loading map 'menu_bg.map' ---------
Cache Loading: 2630 ms
Entities: 791 ms
Compilation: 1 ms
Total: 3495 ms
Meshes created: 25
Bodies created: 5
-------- Loading complete ---------
Setting profile: 'Me' Path: 'C:\Users\Stephen\Documents/Amnesia/Main/Me/'
-------- BEGIN LOAD FROM C:\Users\Stephen\Documents/Amnesia/Main/Me/AutoSave_WineCellar_2010_12_17_23_56_45_0.sav ---------
LOADING SAVE GAME!
-------- Loading map '05_wine_cellar.map' ---------
Cache Loading: 3663 ms
Entities: 3800 ms
Compilation: 20 ms
Total: 8084 ms
Meshes created: 221
Bodies created: 45
-------- Loading complete ---------
WARNING: Could not find player start node ''
ERROR: StartPos '' does not exist!
-------- END LOAD ---------
-------- Loading map '02_entrance_hall.map' ---------
Cache Loading: 3197 ms
Entities: 5344 ms
Compilation: 25 ms
Total: 8767 ms
Meshes created: 123
Bodies created: 43
-------- Loading complete ---------
-------- BEGIN SAVE TO: C:\Users\Stephen\Documents/Amnesia/Main/Me/AutoSave_EntranceHall_2011_2_7_20_46_18_0.sav ---------
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_4 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_4 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_4 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_4 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_5 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_5 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_5 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_5 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_6 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_6 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_6 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_6 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_7 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_7 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_7 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_7 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_8 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_8 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_8 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_8 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_9 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_9 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_9 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_9 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_12 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_12 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_12 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_12 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_short_1 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_short_1 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_short_1 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_short_1 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 0 in chandelier_simple_short_3 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 1 in chandelier_simple_short_3 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 2 in chandelier_simple_short_3 does not exist anymore!
WARNING: particle system 3 in chandelier_simple_short_3 does not exist anymore!
-------- END SAVE ---------
-------- Loading map 'menu_bg.map' ---------
Cache Loading: 1090 ms
Entities: 166 ms
Compilation: 1 ms
Total: 1267 ms
Meshes created: 25
Bodies created: 5
-------- Loading complete ---------
--------------------------------------------------------

Statistics
--------------------------------------------------------
Medium framerate: 48.603930
--------------------------------------------------------

User Exit
--------------------------------------------------------
Saving main config.
Saving user config.
Deleting game modules.
'LuxInputHandler'
'LuxHelpFuncs'
'LuxSaveHandler'
'LuxScriptHandler'
'LuxProgressLogHandler'
'LuxMapHandler'
'LuxMapHelper'
'LuxPlayer'
'LuxInsanityHandler'
'LuxDebugHandler'
'LuxEffectRenderer'
'LuxMusicHandler'
'LuxMusicHandler'
'LuxEffectHandler'
'LuxCompletionCountHandler'
'LuxGlobalDataHandler'
'LuxHintHandler'
'LuxPostEffectHandler'
'LuxPreMenu'
'LuxDebugHandler'
'LuxInventory'
'LuxJournal'
'LuxCredits'
'LuxLoadScreenHandler'
Deleting config files.
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Gui Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Deleting all sets
Deleting all skins
Deleting all gfx elements
Deleting all materials
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Generate Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Scene Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Input Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Sound Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Graphics Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Resources Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Done with fonts
Done with scripts
Done with particles
Done with sounds
Done with meshes
Done with materials
Done with Gpu programs
Done with images
Destroyed all textures
Done with sound entities
Done with animations
Done with ent files
All resources deleted
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting Physics Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Exiting System Module
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------

Deleting game setup provided by user
- Deleting lowlevel stuff.
Physics
Sound
Input
Resources
System
Graphics
Haptic
HPL Exit was successful!

|--Memory Manager Report-------------------------------|
|
| No memory leaks detected. Memory left: 0
|
|------------------------------------------------------|

[xiphirx]

Verify integrity of game files please.

[Tanshaydar]

I don't think it's from Steam, how come it is still 1.1?
Please update your version to 1.2 and try to load an earlier save.

I suppose it was working fine before?

[xiphirx]

I did a quick google search, and "error 51" is associated with steam a lot... Not sure I've heard of it specifically for Amnesia.

[plutomaniac]

Make sure you have the game updated and since you are at the beginning start a new game.

[STEVONATRON]

Hi yeah it's through Steam, and the first thought I had was to try and update the game but there isn't any option to do so as far as I can see. It's probably a case of not seeing the forest for the trees and the answer is right in front of me, but I don't seem to see it!

[Tanshaydar]

Game -> Properties -> Verify Integrity of Game Cache or etc.

[STEVONATRON]

I've just realised that you meant for me to do this through Steam, I've done this now and and the game works. Thank you very much, Tanshaydar, it's much appreciated!

[Bozozo]

For others running into this error:

For me, the problem was introduced with new nVidia beta drivers. Installing the latest drivers fixed it

Great game!