[1.1.100] Updating will not work

[Richardvk]

What did you do?
Went to install new factorio update

What happened?
I got the message after a completed download: Update failed: Checking update packages failed: Error opening update package: File C:/Program Files/Factorio/data/../doc-html/static/archive.zip not found

What did you expect to happen instead? It might be obvious to you, but do it anyway!
Update and go on my merry way

Does it happen always, once, or sometimes?
Always happens

If you can reproduce the issue provide the exact steps!
Click factorio on desktop, it asks me if I want to update. Click update, then the message pops up once the green bar gets to the end

[LoHeek]

Hello,
I've got exactly the same problem.
I face this issue since yesterday, at startup Factorio (1.1.100 build 61920 win64) detects an update, but after download, it fails to install it with an error: "Update failed: Checking packages failed: Error opening update package file: File E:/OtherGames/Factorio/data/../doc-html/static/archive.zip not found"
Furthermore, when trying to get a screenshot by moving from screen to window, it crashed. Find log, crashdump & save attached).
The issue of updating remains even after enabling the "Experimental updates" as mentioned on the FAQ viewtopic.php?f=49&t=4400

It also fails and detects unexpected content if I try to create this archive.zip file with only the factorio-logo.png.
I think I won't be able to update the game, any workaround/fix?

BR,
Loïc

[Sanqui]

Please let me know if this issue is fixed for you now.

[LoHeek]

Thanks Sanqui, fixed for me with latest 1.1.101 build 62011!

[Richardvk]

Fixed for me as well!

[Sanqui]

Thanks for letting me know and sorry about the trouble!

[LoHeek]

Hi Sanqui,

Problem is here again with 1.1.102 & 1.1.103, exactly same error

[utdrmac]

Same issue. I'm currently on 1.1.101 (build 62011) and I'm attempting to use the auto-updater to update to 1.1.102. After the download finishes, I receive the same error as the screenshot above. Zip file has unexpected contents.

[fingerwiggles]

Same here when upgrading from 1.1.101 to 1.1.103

[TheSynthesizer]

Still a problem in 1.1.101

Cant update anymore. I do have Factorio installed on my second drive and not on where the operating system is installed

[LoHeek]

Issue still exist in .104... No update possible, can you fix this?
Sanqui solved this in .101 but probably not merged as .102 and later versions are also broken for me.

[Gapollo]

Hi,

I also have the same issue. I had it with 1.1.103 already and installed teh game agai with the full download. Now I get the same problem again under Windows 11. I am running also a headless Server using the LinuxGameServer scripts. The updates seem to work, as the Server is updated to 1.1.104 and I can not connect to it as my windows version is not able to update.

Regards,

Gapollo

[Kyralessa]

A few questions for the devs:

What exactly is this archive.zip and why is it so important to updating Factorio?

I get the impression that it's just a collection of HTML pages or images or something.

Why does updating fail without it?

On my PC, the only way I can update right now is to download the whole game and do a regular install. After doing this, archive.zip still isn't there, so it seems like every update is going to fail the same way in the future if this file continues to be required.

If this file is so important, why do new installs not create it?

[Episode922]

Same issue when trying to update from 101 to 104

[LoHeek]

Issue still exist in .104... No update possible, can you fix this?
Sanqui solved this in .101 but probably not merged as .102 and later versions are also broken for me.

Fixed now in .104 build 62119, I also got a new Graphics board & updated the driver (don't know if that helps)/

[Kyralessa]

On my system it's still broken. Today I uninstalled Factorio, then reinstalled the non-experimental version (1.1.104 build 62119), then tried to update to 105, and got the same archive.zip error again:

Update failed: Checking update packages failed: Error opening update package: File C:/Program Files/Factorio/data/../doc-html/static/archive.zip not found

It's correct; my doc-html/static folder indeed does not contain an archive.zip file.

But what is this file? What is it supposed to contain? Why is it so important? What does its absence blow up the update process?

[Kyralessa]

Oddly, if I do a full install it works.

That is, if I install the full version of 1.1.104, and then update by downloading and installing the full version of 1.1.105, it works fine.

It's only the in-game update procedure the fails on this archive.zip business.

[FuryoftheStars]

Oddly, if I do a full install it works.

That is, if I install the full version of 1.1.104, and then update by downloading and installing the full version of 1.1.105, it works fine.

It's only the in-game update procedure the fails on this archive.zip business.

I'm kind of guessing here, but likely the updater from in game just downloads a simple diff archive of some sort and updates the files that way. Saves on amount of data downloaded, but easily fails if anything is not as expected. So it's not an issue of the missing zip file being important, but rather it just trips up the whole process and it can't complete (in part because it doesn't have the full zip to replace it with). The updater likely has no sense of "these files are not so important, so if they're missing or whatever, don't worry about it".

In contrast, the full installer has the full version of all the files and simply overwrites the old ones, so a missing file isn't even registered by it.

Honestly, my first suspicion is that your AV is interfering in some way. You may want to check its quarantine and see if the missing zip is there.

[Kyralessa]

Honestly, my first suspicion is that your AV is interfering in some way. You may want to check its quarantine and see if the missing zip is there.

I use only Windows Defender, the same as I've used for years, and I've never had this problem with Factorio until recently.

[FuryoftheStars]

Honestly, my first suspicion is that your AV is interfering in some way. You may want to check its quarantine and see if the missing zip is there.

I use only Windows Defender, the same as I've used for years, and I've never had this problem with Factorio until recently.

Definitions and algorithms change. We've used Malwarebytes at my work for years and a couple weeks ago after an update it started quarantining another piece of software we've also used for years. I sent the file off to Malwarebytes and they verified it was a false detection and added it to their whitelists.

Now mind you, I'm not saying it absolutely is your AV, but this certainly has the hall marks of it with your description of the zip file missing. In the end, though, I honestly don't know as I'm not experiencing the issue myself, but I'm trying to think of possibilities to help and thought it'd at least be worth the look.