Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

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Kyzt214
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:05 pm

Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Kyzt214 »

I need a little help. When I first bought AE years ago it worked fine. A couple of years ago I got a new video card and suddenly it wouldn't run so I put it away. Just recently I decided to try to run the game again and after using the NOVIDEO, NOSOUND fix it worked. It's been running fine, fully patched, for the last couple of months. Today I restarted my computer and now it won't load.

The Game Menu loads fine. When I select "Play" it takes me to the "Load" or "Getting Underway" screen. When the game loads normally the red bar indicating that it's loading starts to the far left and works it's across to the right until it's loaded. When the game doesn't work the red bar starts in an almost complete position far to the right. It then goes to the game screen except that screen is completely black. It then minimizes and returns me to the Game Menu. There is still an icon on the task bar for the Game Screen but when you click it you go back to the black screen and then it minimizes again.

It was running fine with no additions to the command line.
I'm running Windows 7 with an i5 processor, a GeForce GT630 video card, and I have 16G RAM. I have an LG 2340 Widescreen monitor 1920x1280.

I'm in the middle of a PBEM so any help would be greatly appreciated.
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
Oberst_Klink
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Oberst_Klink »

ORIGINAL: KyzPB

I need a little help. When I first bought AE years ago it worked fine. A couple of years ago I got a new video card and suddenly it wouldn't run so I put it away. Just recently I decided to try to run the game again and after using the NOVIDEO, NOSOUND fix it worked. It's been running fine, fully patched, for the last couple of months. Today I restarted my computer and now it won't load.

The Game Menu loads fine. When I select "Play" it takes me to the "Load" or "Getting Underway" screen. When the game loads normally the red bar indicating that it's loading starts to the far left and works it's across to the right until it's loaded. When the game doesn't work the red bar starts in an almost complete position far to the right. It then goes to the game screen except that screen is completely black. It then minimizes and returns me to the Game Menu. There is still an icon on the task bar for the Game Screen but when you click it you go back to the black screen and then it minimizes again.

It was running fine with no additions to the command line.
I'm running Windows 7 with an i5 processor, a GeForce GT630 video card, and I have 16G RAM. I have an LG 2340 Widescreen monitor 1920x1280.

I'm in the middle of a PBEM so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Try this switch:

-fd -skipVideo -deepColor -dd_sw -px1920 -py1280 -cpu2

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Kyzt214
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:05 pm

RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Kyzt214 »

Thanks for the attempt Klink but unfortunately nothing changed.
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
Kyzt214
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:05 pm

RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Kyzt214 »

This is where the problem seems to lie:
Image
That is where it begins loading from and then kicks me to a black screen. When it worked correctly the red bar
would be all the way to the left and work its way right.

I hope that gives a clue to anyone knowledgeable.
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
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Bullwinkle58
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

I'm not knowledgeable, but the fact that it worked fine for months and then didn't suggest to me it's not video related. If it were RAM or CPU it wouldn't get this far either.

I think your install is corrupted in some way. Possibly you have a HD hardware issue, possibly a HD controller issue. Or it could be a Windows registry error that has crept in due to hardware mis-writes. It looks like the EXE file is "losing its place" while it's trying to load.

You could save your Save folder and any other folders you've changed, such as Art or Sound, to a jump drive. Then re-install the game and see if it loads. If it does it's almost certainly not video related. You don't say how old your PC is or what kind of HD set-up you have. But that's what I suspect. Is any other software behaving oddly?
The Moose
Kyzt214
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:05 pm

RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Kyzt214 »

Thanks Bull.

I just tried a reinstall and the problem still persists. To get it running before I used the No sound, No video fix. That's not working now. No other programs seem effected. I'll try running a registry fix and see if that does anything.

The computer itself is about 5 years old. The Ram and Video have been upgraded. It seems to still run like a champ...except in this instance.

I'll keep trying, please feel free to keep suggesting.
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
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Bullwinkle58
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

That's just bizarre. PCs don't just up and change themselves while switched off. If you didn't add or subtract hardware and a re-install doesn't fix it the only other idea I have is to check that your launch shortcut isn't pointed at the autorun.exe file by mistake. With all the patching sometimes shortcuts get changed, especially If you were once using the Beta2 folder and that exe file.

But you said it "broke" while off, between a session that worked and one that doesn't. So I'm stumped.
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BillBrown
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by BillBrown »

Did you update any drivers? Especially your GPU one? Sometimes the newest driver does not work well with older cards.
Kyzt214
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:05 pm

RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by Kyzt214 »

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

That's just bizarre. PCs don't just up and change themselves while switched off. If you didn't add or subtract hardware and a re-install doesn't fix it the only other idea I have is to check that your launch shortcut isn't pointed at the autorun.exe file by mistake. With all the patching sometimes shortcuts get changed, especially If you were once using the Beta2 folder and that exe file.

But you said it "broke" while off, between a session that worked and one that doesn't. So I'm stumped.
I have a feeling this may be it. I'm not home right now but The desk Icon had changed from the normal icon to something else (some type of windows icon). Where should it point if not at the autorun.exe? Sorry, but without having the game in front of me I can't tell you what that icon looks like.
"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
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witpqs
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by witpqs »

ORIGINAL: KyzPB

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

That's just bizarre. PCs don't just up and change themselves while switched off. If you didn't add or subtract hardware and a re-install doesn't fix it the only other idea I have is to check that your launch shortcut isn't pointed at the autorun.exe file by mistake. With all the patching sometimes shortcuts get changed, especially If you were once using the Beta2 folder and that exe file.

But you said it "broke" while off, between a session that worked and one that doesn't. So I'm stumped.
I have a feeling this may be it. I'm not home right now but The desk Icon had changed from the normal icon to something else (some type of windows icon). Where should it point if not at the autorun.exe? Sorry, but without having the game in front of me I can't tell you what that icon looks like.
This page in a recent thread should clear it up for you.
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3826292&mpage=2
wdolson
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RE: Need Help. WitP:AE Won't Load Again

Post by wdolson »

I also notice you're using the Game Menu instead of the Quick Start menu. The Quick Start takes you directly to the game instead of through another menu. Put the command line switches on the Quick Start shortcut. I don't think they do anything on the Game Menu shortcut (though I've never tried it).

Bill
WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer
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