If you cannot start Windows Live Marketplace or games dependent on Windows Live even after completely reinstalling it, and you’re having the following errors:
- Application crash when starting Windows Live Marketplace with "FileNotFoundException" or "MethodNotFoundException" or something.
- Errors related to "msidcrl40.dll" in your %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\GFWLive\Logs.
Then this may help you.
- Uninstall Windows Live and all of its components (usually there are two: Microsoft Windows Live Runtime and Microsoft Windows Live Marketplace)
- Uninstall Windows Live Essentials or just Windows Essentials (same thing)
- Go to
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\and check that there’s noWindows Livesubfolder or that it’s empty or whatever. Delete it if not empty. If some apps do not let you delete some files, rename those files and delete after restart. - Restart
- Download and install Games for Windows Live 3.5, web setup will do. Check if the folder mentioned above is now present again and with files. If not, download
wllogin_64.msi(or _32) and run it. - All should work. Run Marketplace and check.
The folder Microsoft Shared\Windows Live is created by the thing that’s installed by wllogin_64.msi (Windows Live Login Helper or something). That thing is automatically installed with Windows Essentials, and it seems that it’s a newer version which lacks some function which is needed for Games for Windows Live. It is also automatically installed by GFWL 3.5 installed, but it won’t install it if it finds newer version (installed by Essentials), so reinstalling just GFWL doesn’t help.
I included that step where you may install the thing manually because GFWL 3.5 install may be stubborn and skip it anyway for whatever reason. If it so does, download and install manually.