Duet Night Abyss (PC) fixes for launcher stuck on “Installing”

If the Duet Night Abyss launcher sits on “Installing” without progress, it usually points to one of a few culprits: security software blocking file unpacking, missing prerequisites, a permissions issue, or damaged download data. The fixes below move from quick checks to deeper repairs, including a safe way to launch the game directly when the installer hangs.

Quick checks before deeper fixes

• Run the launcher as administrator. Right‑click the launcher and choose Run as administrator.
• Restart the PC, then try again. This clears hung processes that can lock files.
• Free up disk space. PC installations can require 40GB or more; leave extra headroom for patching and decompression.
• Disable VPNs, proxies, accelerators, or edited hosts files, then retry. These can break patch delivery.

Tip: If the launcher offered an update, then jumped straight to “Installing” and froze, treat it as a failed patch. Continue with the file repair steps below.

Quick fixes

Fix security software blocking decompression

During installation and patching, protection tools can mislabel game files and stall decompression.

• Temporarily turn off antivirus or real‑time protection.
• Open the launcher menu (three lines near the Start button) and select Repair Now to re‑download and fix affected files.
• Re‑enable protection after the repair completes.

Note: If you previously saw a “game file decompression fails” message, this repair flow is designed for that scenario.

Repair prerequisites (.NET/DirectX) and resolve error 0x0000007b

Corrupted or missing runtime components can prevent the launcher or game from starting and can stall installs.

• If the game prompts for DirectX runtime on startup, install the DirectX End‑User Runtime from Microsoft’s site once, then retry the launcher: Download DirectX End‑User Runtime.

Run the bundled prerequisite installer:

Duet Night Abyss\Engine\Extras\Redist\en-us\UE4PrereqSetup_x64.exe

Follow the prompts to repair .NET/DirectX components.

Tip: After running the prerequisite installer, reboot before relaunching the game to ensure changes take effect.

Bypass the launcher when it hangs (safe direct start)

You can start the game executable directly; it will still check for and apply updates, which often clears a stuck install state.

• Close the game, then reopen the launcher normally to resume using it for future updates.

Navigate to the game folder and run:

Duet Night Abyss\DNA Game\EM.exe

If prompted to update, let it finish.

This route sidesteps a frozen installer and lets the game complete its own update process.

Use the launcher’s built‑in file repair

When an update fails mid‑way (or stalls on “Installing”), the local package index can be out of sync.

• Run the launcher as administrator.
• Open the launcher menu (three lines near Start) and choose Repair Now.
• Allow it to verify and re‑download damaged or missing files.

Note: Keep antivirus disabled during this repair if it previously flagged files, then turn it back on afterward.

Advanced: manually extract the downloaded packages (verification loops)

If “Installing” repeatedly fails after downloads complete and repair doesn’t help, manual extraction can bypass a faulty verification/unpack step. This is for experienced users:

• Start the download in the launcher and wait until it switches to the Installing phase.
• Immediately close the launcher.
• Reopen the launcher as administrator. Point it at the existing game folder if prompted, and let it verify. It will repair anything missing.

In the game’s download/temp folder, locate the .7z archives the launcher fetched and extract them into the game’s root folder so that you have:

Folders: EM, Engine, TempPath
Files: BaseVersion, EM.exe, Manifest...

Use a standard archive tool to unpack; do not rename or recompress files.

Warning: Only use the files your launcher downloaded. Avoid third‑party packs or file sharing—these can introduce mismatches or security risks.

When to reinstall (and how to do it cleanly)

If repairs loop or the client crashes on startup, a clean reinstall is faster than chasing edge cases.

• Uninstall Duet Night Abyss from Windows Settings → Apps.
• Temporarily disable antivirus to avoid false positives during setup.
• Download a fresh launcher from the official site and reinstall to a drive with ample free space: Download Duet Night Abyss (official site).
• After installation, re‑enable antivirus.

Note: If the launcher itself refuses to open with an 0x0000007b error, run the bundled UE4PrereqSetup_x64.exe (see the prerequisites section) before reinstalling.

Network troubleshooting for stuck downloads and patches

• Turn off VPNs, proxies, game “accelerators,” and any custom hosts file entries. These often interfere with patch servers.
• Retry on a wired connection, if possible, to avoid packet loss during large file transfers.
• If the launcher blocks the download in your browser, choose the option to Keep/Save the installer and proceed.

Tip: If the launcher fails to download updates at all, perform Repair Now once you’ve disabled VPN/proxy tools.

Need help from the developer

If issues persist after a clean reinstall and prerequisite repair, reach out with your system details, a brief timeline of steps tried, and any error strings (e.g., 0x0000007b). Use the official support portal to open a ticket: Contact support. You can also email Customer Service at dna_cs@dna-panstudio.com.

In most cases, running the prerequisite installer, temporarily disabling security software, and using Repair Now resolves an installation stall. If the launcher itself is the choke point, starting once via DNA Game\EM.exe is a reliable way to complete the update and get back to the launcher flow.