Game won't start. CD is OK. Installation OK. (?)

[Helldorado]

Hi,

First, I thuoght this was bad CD image problem.

I changed the product here in Finland but problem still exixts... so I thought someone might help me.

Prob:

If I click shortcut on the desktop the flash screen (the picture) open and game freezes there.

But sometimes there is more:

UNWISE application starts (when you click the icon or put CD in) and 2 button window appear:

Re-install and Play. When i click "play" error message appears saying that "Cannot open C:/games/combat~1/xxxx. Program cannot locate or cannot execute external program. Try search..."

Something like that.

I installed with default name: "Combat Mission 2" or "CMBB"

I have Win ME and GeForce4 MX420 and cdrom drive

is Asus CD-S400.

[BeWary]

Even though they seemed to go okay the first time, try an uninstall, reboot, and reinstall anyway.

Also, prior to anything above, run a scandisk to make sure your files are ok. And a virus scan would help too. You can get a free virus scan at http://housecall.antivirus.com/

BeWary

[Helldorado]

Well,

I have allready done that. THanks anyway but it didn't help. I know this is only matter of configuration, but where!?

It still the same game doesn't even start only start up picture is shown (painting where german are attacking in the snow supported by StugIIIb, russians hiding in the building).

I can hear weird distant sound from my headphones but it's nonsense...could it be conflict to CMBO files?

What about IRQs?

My SB Live sound uses same IRQ (11) number as network adapter.

I have installed new drivers for GeF MX 420 (40.71) and for SB Live.

Can someone tell me what happen during startup?

Is there classic Combat Mission sounds?

Animation?

[Rebus_Badger]

I get crashes on startup about 11 in 12 times. Regardless of desktop setting, regardless of the frankly ridiculous spacebar trick. I don;t even get the loading/startup screen, just freezes before then.

Geforce2 detonator 30.82

Quicktime 6.0

Why is there no more certain way to turn off the opening movie than guessing at a spacebar trick?

[Schrullenhaft]

QuickTime and the 'space bar trick' shouldn't apply whatsoever to CMBB; its only applicable to CMBO. There's no QuickTime movie that is playing. Instead you just move from the initial 'Battlefront.com' splash screen to the next one a little faster. If you believe that there's a movie playing, uninstall QuickTime completely and nothing should play (if it were a QuickTime file).

Can either of you run CMBO without problems ? Is CMBB the only title you're having problems with ? What are your FSAA settings ? I suggest turning FSAA off or setting it to 4X or 4xS. Did you uninstall the previous set of video drivers before installing your current set or did you just install on top of the previous ones ?

If an 'unwise' installer/uninstaller app starts when you launch CMBB by inserting the CD, then I suggest exiting that application and launch CMBB via a desktop shortcut rather than the CD 'launcher' and see if that makes any sort of difference. You may also want to 'close down/exit' any application that may be running in the background. Typically you can do this with a Ctrl-Alt-Del. For Windows ME you'll usually only want Explorer and Systray running. However there could be other executables for your hardware or other things that you may consider important.

If your sound card is using the same IRQ as your network adapter, I'd suggest disconnecting your network adapter from the network to see if this makes any sort of difference. Without packets coming in, there should be less IRQ activity from the network card, which should hopefully be enough of a difference to tell whether it is the source of your problem or not (I would guess that the network adapter isn't your problem here).

Most likely if you're both having this many problems launching CMBB it is a video driver problem that you're having. In which case I suggest uninstalling your current drivers. Installing 'Standard PCI SVGA' drivers (and not the GeForce drivers yet). Reinstalling DirectX 8.1b and then finally installing your choice of Detonator driver (there would be a reboot between each step).

[Helldorado]

Hi Schrullenhaft,

and thanks your advices here in tech support.

I've been reading your advices quite alot when I bought my CMBB.

You should read my another Topic there is more detailed info of my problem.

I have done many times like you said but so far no success.

I think my last hope is to format whole HD and then re-install everything again. And perhaps using that On-Board Audio...

[Rebus_Badger]

Thanks a lot for trying to help, but I don't quite see what you mean since the CM:BB manual's troubleshooting section refers to Quicktime errors with the opening movie (bottom p245). The few times the game has run (and when it does I have no graphic problems at all and no crashes at all, and I love it and have run at 800 and 1024) I get the Battlefront logo then right to the first menu screen. I don't have CM:BO. Part of the problem with having spacebar as a toggle is that it opens the start menu and screws with the taskbar(Win98SE).

I have no game problems currently with other titles from IWD2, NWN, to Medieval:TW. I've wiped and reinstalled both CM and my video drivers and dx in same order as you suggested. The first reinstall of CM hosed my DDhelp file and I couldn't run Direct3d. The next reinstall I got a CRC error on 11003.bmp what is in that file? I've not had in install error before since the first install when the last scenario failed to load and iot installed fine the next time. I've given up trying to run the game today as my CPU is screaming from all the reboots on lockup.

When it does lockup it does so within a second of clicking a desktop icon or the startmenu selection. The cursor repositions to the center of the screen (with the hourglass) with a total system lockup. I'm assuming the desktop setting should be 16b? I've turned AAS and anisotropic off just to see bit makes no difference.