[Tutorial] Windows 11 Orion Install

[MagicUser]

I upgraded my mom's computer recently for Christmas and had to assemble the PC, get an OS, and install all her programs. We decided to try Windows 11, because it seemed stable at my work. However, we were nervous about how Windows 11 would handle Orion/Ultima Online as we've had problems with Windows 10 updates in the past.

I thought I would post a tiny tutorial on the process while it was fresh. There were a few quirky things that happened (missing C++ .dll files and copy paste crashing) that I found fixes for and made Orion usable on Windows 11.

Section 1: Program Download
Section 1.1: Orion
Orion Website
Select "Download x64" or click the following link.
Orion x64 Version (Installation link)

I am going to assume that the "Orion Launcher64_2.0.0.0.exe" file is placed in the Downloads folder (default).

Section 1.2: Ultima Online
UOEx Client Page
Select "Excelsior Prepatched Client - version 12" or click the following link.
Ultima Online Excelsior Patch (Installation link)

I am going to assume that the "Ultima Online - Excelsior Shard" folder is placed in the Downloads folder (default).

Note: +Colibri is aware that the Expatcher link does not work. If you got Ultima Online from a different place, download the excelsior client and use that instead.

Section 2: Orion Installation

1. Open the "Orion Launcher64_2.0.0.0.exe" file.
2. Say yes if the "user account control" popup opens.
3. Select either Russian or English and then use the "OK" button.
4. Any location will work. The default "C:\Program Files\Orion Launcher" is fine, you will need to do some extra steps. If you use a different location, remember it (perhaps pin the folder to your quick access). I personally use "C:\Orion Launcher" as this allows me to run without admin mode. I'll talk about that later.
5. Use the "Next >" button.
6. It does not matter if you add a desktop shortcut or not.
7. Use the "Next >" button.
8. Review the Ready to Install information. You may use the "< Back" button to change the previous steps.
9. Use the "Install" button.
10. Wait for the installer to finish. It typically does not take very long.
11. Use the "Finish" button.

Note that if you installed into C:\Program Files\Orion Launcher you will not be able to launch immediately. You will only be able to launch as an admin. See section 3 if you are unfamiliar with running a program as admin.

If you install into C:\Orion Launcher you will only need to go through section 3 if you run into the error described in section 6.2.

Section 3: Orion Ease of Access
If you installed the launcher into C:\Program Files\Orion Launcher, you'll need to right click the "OrionLauncher64.exe" and click "Run as administrator" to even use the program (this is true for Windows 10 as well).

You can make this easier for future uses by changing the compatibility settings on the executable.

Properties Access.png (20.91 KiB) Viewed 957 times

Compatibility Settings.png (27.45 KiB) Viewed 957 times

Check the "Run this program as an administrator" box.
Use the "Apply" button.
Use the "OK" button.

Section 4: Orion Setup
If you make a problematic selection in the following process, keep going, you can change it later. If you abort the process you will not go through the automatic sequential process.

1. Open the OrionLauncher64.exe file.
2. Use the "OK" button on the UO files folder selection popup.
3. Do not select the automatically opened Orion Launcher folder. If you do you'll need to manually change the selection later. If you used the default when downloading the Excelsior prepatched client, open your "Downloads" folder and select the "Ultima Online - Excelsior Shard" folder. Otherwise, you will need to find where you placed that folder and select that folder.
4. Use the "OK" button on the Information popup.
5. Either double click or select the "[Open Editor]" list item and use the "OK" button in the Select client version configuration dialog.
6. Manually enter 5.0.9.12 into the Client version drop down. You will need to manually enter it, because the value is not contained in the options list.
7. Use the "Create" button.
8. Use the "OK" button on the Configuration saved popup.
9. Use the "OK" button on the OrionUO64.exe folder selection popup.
10. Use the "Select Folder" button. The default selection should be correct this time.
    

    

    File Selection Result.png (12.04 KiB) Viewed 957 times

    

    Client Version Result.png (12.85 KiB) Viewed 957 times

11. Use the "Apply updates" button at the middle bottom of the "Updates" tab. The updates shouldn't take very long.
    
    The launcher may be a separate update.
12. Use the "Yes" button on the Warning popup that comes up after the general updates finish.
13. Use the "Apply updates" button at the middle bottom of the "Updates" tab. The updates shouldn't take very long.

Section 5: Orion Profile Setup

• Select the Profile tab (1st tab of 3) on the Orion Launcher.
• Select "Edit profile" at the bottom of the Orion Launcher. Double clicking the profile will result in an error if the shard's address and port have not been set yet.
• "Name:" is irrelevant.
• Enter shard.uoex.net,60 in "Address,port:".
• Enter your username in "Account:".
• Enter your password in "Password:".
• Enter Excelsior in "Server:".
• Enter your character's name in "Character:"
• Leave server type as Default.

I personally use the auto login, fast login, save password, High performance (for 1 window only), Close after launch check boxes.
Auto login means that it will fully log in for you. If you have it unselected you can go through the entire login and character selection process.

Section 6: Windows 11 Fixes
Section 6.1: C++ Distribution
If upon launch you get a popup mentioning a missing vcruntime140.dll file (there are a couple other .dll files that could be named), you may be missing the C++ redistributable runtimes. I've used the .bat after installing and there were not any problems, so you might try it even if there is a different .dll file errors.
C++ Redistributable Runtime Package Website

1. Select the "Download" button at the top left of the page.
2. Follow the instructions and explanation.

"To install, run the included install_all.bat with admin privileges (right click, "Run as administrator")" - Tech Powerup.

Section 6.2: Copy Paste Crash
Even if the Orion Launcher is installed into C:\Orion Launcher, copy pasting may result in the entire program crashing. The fix to this is to run the program as administrator. You may see the process of just always running the program in admin mode in section 3. You will need to say "Yes" every time you open the program. Note that this error does not occur in Windows 10.

[Wil]

Why does Orion require Administrator permissions? The original programs need it because the UO helpers intentionally interfere with the UO client. The UO client wasn't written with APIs to do that, so the helpers must bypass multiple security components to do so. As a complete rewrite including APIs, Orion shouldn't need that.

[MagicUser]

Reply: C:\Program Files is admin edit only. Which is why I use C:\. Additionally, there is a Windows 11 bug the crashes the program if you copy anything while not running the program as an admin.

Deeper than that, I have no idea. I'm just sharing the process I went through in case someone finds it usefull.

Why does Orion require Administrator permissions? The original programs need it because the UO helpers intentionally interfere with the UO client. The UO client wasn't written with APIs to do that, so the helpers must bypass multiple security components to do so. As a complete rewrite including APIs, Orion shouldn't need that.

[gilga]

Very helpfull thank you so much for taking the time to write this.
perfect timing too with my recent reformat
I seem to have replaced most of my macros with the exception of a good attack macro
looking for one that will attack all nearby mobs + consecrate wep + divine fury if needed
any chance you can point me towards one