Windows [Bug report] Steam, v1.5.6 - EZFRD64.DLL file prevents launch

Strange bug that I ran into today. I've been trying to launch the game and did lots of troubleshooting steps, including completely removing any trace of the game and then reinstalling, but it would not launch at all. The compatibility version did run, but I had some helpful folks in the official Stardew Valley Discord help me trace back Windows Event Viewer logs to find out what the issue was.

Turns out that the culprit was a file called EZFRD64.DLL, located in C:\Windows\USB_Vibration\791847\EZFRD64.DLL. I'm not completely sure what this file is for, but I'm guessing it's related to the rumble feature of the GameCube controllers I've been using to play games on my PC, which needed 3rd party drivers installed to work properly. I have backed up this file and deleted the original, which then fixed the issue. As a result, I can now play Stardew Valley again and do not (at current time, that is) need assistance.

More detailed information:

Platform: PC, Steam
Game version: 1.5.6 (current latest release)
Notes:
- As this is a launch bug, it always happened whenever I tried to launch the game.
- In case it matters, the game is set to English.
- I'm not playing any save files, so single player/multiplayer is irrelevant.

Windows Event Viewer errors:
Code:
Faulting application name: Stardew Valley.exe, version: 1.5.6.21356, time stamp: 0x609308e7
Faulting module name: EZFRD64.DLL, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x552b12da
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0000000000002433
Faulting process ID: 0x1b9c
Faulting application start time: 0x01d80ae573005f99
Faulting application path: D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley\Stardew Valley.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\USB_Vibration\791847\EZFRD64.DLL
Report ID: 24670d59-ab3e-4a5b-865e-1b4d4a57ada5
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:
Code:
Application: Stardew Valley.exe
CoreCLR Version: 5.0.721.25508
.NET Version: 5.0.7
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: exception code c0000005, exception address 0000000010002433
 

Ali754

Newcomer
Discussed on Discord, approximately here: https://discord.com/channels/137344473976799233/337774601696313347/932279637298528326

This was super odd, glad you've managed to figure it out!
It's exactly the same problem I'm having right now. How do you fix it? The provided Discord link doesn't work. I tried uninstalling the drivers and letting Windows use the generic drivers, but this way the game doesn't detect the joystick (even when using an emulator like x360ce). If those drivers are installed (folder: 'C:\Windows\USB Vibration\7906'), the game immediately crashes when it detects the joystick. According to the Windows error report, there's an issue with 'EZFRD64.DLL'. Note: when testing the 32-bit version of the game, the problem doesn't occur and the joystick works perfectly. However, the 32-bit version doesn't allow mods in the game. Can anyone help me?
 
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