LaunchBox 13.19 Crashing on Launch? Read This First!

[AstroBob]

Hi folks,

With the release of LaunchBox for Windows 13.19, a significant structural change was made under the hood—the transition to .NET 9.0. This update brings major improvements and positions the app for exciting developments in the future. However, as part of this change, all third-party plugins were required to be tested and (potentially updated) to be compatible with .NET 9.0.

 

We’ve received numerous reports of users experiencing crashes when launching LaunchBox after updating to this version, and the most common cause of these crashes is outdated third-party plugins that have not been updated for .NET 9.0.

If you’re experiencing crashes and use third-party LaunchBox plugins, please read below carefully to troubleshoot the issue.

 

 

How do I know if an outdated plugin is causing my crash?

A clear indication is that LaunchBox will crash during the loading splash screen, throwing an error before exiting.

One of the most common error messages users encounter is:
 

(Inner Exception)
“BinaryFormatter serialization and deserialization have been removed.”
 

If you see this error or similar, it’s highly likely that an outdated plugin is causing the crash.

 

 

How can I identify which plugin is causing the issue?

1. Check the error message. The plugin name is usually referenced in the error details.

2. Temporarily remove all third-party plugins.

• Navigate to your LaunchBox\Plugins directory.
• Move all third-party plugins out of this folder.
• Try launching LaunchBox again.

3. If LaunchBox loads successfully, then one of the removed plugins is the culprit.

4. Reintroduce plugins one by one until you identify the one causing the crash.

 

 

Which plugins are known to cause issues?

🚨 AddToGamesDB

• This plugin has been unsupported for years and is recommended for removal.

 

🚨 OmegaSettings

• This plugin is commonly pre-installed on certain prebuilt arcade machines from Extreme Home Arcade.

• If you’re using one of these machines, you’ll need to remove this plugin for LaunchBox 13.19 to work properly.

 

 

I’ve identified the problem plugin—does that mean I can’t use it anymore?

Unfortunately, yes. If you want to continue using LaunchBox 13.19, you will not be able to use the outdated plugin unless it is updated by its developer.

 

What can I do?

If the plugin is essential to your setup, consider reaching out to the developer:

• Check the support tab on their forum post (if applicable).
• Contact them directly through their original source to inquire about a potential update for .NET 9.0 compatibility.

[k_rollo]

Hi @AstroBob

Is it not possible to maintain backwards compatibility with .NET 8? It is LTS after all and .NET 9 is STS.

Cheers!