Unable to create any new projects

I’m having issues creating any new projects.

Unreal engine will open, but creating any new projects results in a crash at
**

44% - finalizing load of S_Actor

**

Crash Reporter:

LoginId:9f2e2e074263d2b648955682eccb4bec
EpicAccountId:1572f9c4b69340a2a079713cb066a46a

Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION

UnrealEditor_RenderCore!TArrayPrivateFriend::Serialize<wchar_t,TSizedDefaultAllocator<32> >() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Containers\Array.h:3590]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!operator<<() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\RenderCore\Public\ShaderCore.h:459]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!operator<<<TSetElement<TTuple<FString,FUniformBufferEntry> >,TSparseArrayAllocator<TSizedDefaultAllocator<32>,FDefaultBitArrayAllocator> >() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Containers\SparseArray.h:1504]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!TSetPrivateFriend::Serialize<TTuple<FString,FUniformBufferEntry>,TDefaultMapHashableKeyFuncs<FString,FUniformBufferEntry,0>,FDefaultSetAllocator>() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Containers\Set.h:2201]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!FShaderCompilerEnvironment::SerializeEverythingButFiles() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\RenderCore\Public\ShaderCore.h:672]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!operator<<() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\RenderCore\Private\ShaderCore.cpp:2879]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!`FShaderCompileJob::GetInputHash'::`16'::<lambda_1>::operator()() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\RenderCore\Private\ShaderCore.cpp:2968]
UnrealEditor_RenderCore!FShaderCompileJob::GetInputHash() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\RenderCore\Private\ShaderCore.cpp:3050]
UnrealEditor_Engine!`FShaderCompileJobCollection::SubmitJobs'::`9'::<lambda_1>::operator()() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Engine\Private\ShaderCompiler\ShaderCompiler.cpp:645]
UnrealEditor_Engine!`ParallelForImpl::ParallelForInternal<TFunctionRef<void __cdecl(int)>,`ParallelFor'::`2'::<lambda_1>,std::nullptr_t>'::`2'::FParallelExecutor::operator()() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Async\ParallelFor.h:116]
UnrealEditor_Engine!LowLevelTasks::TTaskDelegate<LowLevelTasks::FTask * __cdecl(bool),48>::TTaskDelegateImpl<`LowLevelTasks::FTask::Init<`ParallelForImpl::ParallelForInternal<TFunctionRef<void __cdecl(int)>,`ParallelFor'::`2'::<lambda_1>,std::nullptr_t>'::`2() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Async\Fundamental\TaskDelegate.h:171]
UnrealEditor_Core!LowLevelTasks::FTask::ExecuteTask() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Async\Fundamental\Task.h:627]
UnrealEditor_Core!LowLevelTasks::FScheduler::ExecuteTask() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Private\Async\Fundamental\Scheduler.cpp:150]
UnrealEditor_Core!LowLevelTasks::FScheduler::TryExecuteTaskFrom<LowLevelTasks::TLocalQueueRegistry<1024>::TLocalQueue,&LowLevelTasks::TLocalQueueRegistry<1024>::TLocalQueue::DequeueGlobal,0>() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Private\Async\Fundamental\Scheduler.cpp:350]
UnrealEditor_Core!LowLevelTasks::FScheduler::WorkerMain() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Private\Async\Fundamental\Scheduler.cpp:378]
UnrealEditor_Core!UE::Core::Private::Function::TFunctionRefCaller<`LowLevelTasks::FScheduler::CreateWorker'::`2'::<lambda_1>,void __cdecl(void)>::Call() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Public\Templates\Function.h:480]
UnrealEditor_Core!FThreadImpl::Run() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Private\HAL\Thread.cpp:69]
UnrealEditor_Core!FRunnableThreadWin::Run() [D:\build\++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Core\Private\Windows\WindowsRunnableThread.cpp:149]

I’m trying to diagnose this issue, and I noticed that it’s referencing the D drive. I have a D drive, but there isn’t anything Unreal related on it, neither is Unreal installed on this drive.

I tried a clean installation of NVIDIA Studio Driver, with no resolve.
I tried uninstalling/reinstalling UE5.3.2, with no resolve.
Dism, sfc, chkdsk turned up nothing.

Environment:
Windows 11
ROG STRIX Z790-E Gaming Wifi II
i9-14900K
192 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
RTX 4080
1200W PSU

No overclock, plugged into a UPS.

I had an issue just a week ago, where I had to get the UPS because of computer instability with UE5, but that had resolved it at the time. I just started experiencing this today.

Any help would be appreciated.

Curiously, when I removed the D drive I’m able to create a new project no problem. I’m not able to open any of the test projects I made when the D drive was installed, but I can create new ones.

This leads me to believe there may be some cached reference to this drive that UE5 is referencing.

I wiped out the %AppData%\Local\Temp folder previous to this discovery and that didn’t change anything, so it’d have to be somewhere else. I’ve ensured the D drive had “show hidden” enabled as well, but I wasn’t finding anything in there remotely associated with UE5.

For now I guess I’ll just have to make sure the D drive isn’t plugged in while using UE5.


EDIT:

I guess it’s hit or miss, as after writing this response, I tried again 4 times to create a new project and it crashes every time.

Initially, I was creating them in C:\Users\username\Documents\Unreal Projects\ directory, I changed this to C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.3\Unreal Projects to test, but that solved nothing.

I’ll keep poking at it, until I figure something out.


EDIT #2:

I was able to make a new project without Raytracing. So after googling a bit, I decided to edit the DefaultEngine.ini on a project I just created (crashed at 44% as usual) that had raytracing enabled. I changed the value after reading up on a DX12 bug with UE5.

[/Script/WindowsTargetPlatform.WindowsTargetSettings]
DefaultGraphicsRHI=DefaultGraphicsRHI_DX11

I then tried to launch the project, with no change. I’ll keep digging.

I believe I have found the solution.

After Installing TVOS (which I opted out of initially) AND changing the DefaultEngine.ini for the project to DX11, I’ve been able to open the raytracing project 3 times in a row.

I tried to change the project back to DX12, after installing TVOS only for it to crash 3 times in a row.

Once reverted, yet again, to DX11, the raytracing project opens.