Damn CD-ROM!

[Tzar]

So I got my copy of ACOW...

Install it, works fine, except I can't see those damned place names again.

So I install patch 1.04 over it, which is supposed to cure the problem. But now everytime I start the game, I get the "Please insert the correct CD-ROM, select OK and restart application."...

:angry: :angry:

I've tried to tamper with the CD registry. After looking at some posts on the old forum, I also tried to copy the full CD over the hard drive and change the CD-path in the registry to point there. No success.

Is there any kind of CD crack for this?

[Major Banned]

Originally posted by Tzar
So I got my copy of ACOW...

Install it, works fine, except I can't see those damned place names again.

So I install patch 1.04 over it, which is supposed to cure the problem. But now everytime I start the game, I get the "Please insert the correct CD-ROM, select OK and restart application."...

:angry: :angry:

I've tried to tamper with the CD registry. After looking at some posts on the old forum, I also tried to copy the full CD over the hard drive and change the CD-path in the registry to point there. No success.

Is there any kind of CD crack for this?

See Gordon Shumway (ALF) for CD cracks. But I don't think that will help. I've yet to run across anyone that has been able to get place names to show up when running XP.

[Dan Neely]

yes, you need altered executables to go with the registry fix. email me for a copy.

[Tzar]

Originally posted by Dan Neely
yes, you need altered executables to go with the registry fix. email me for a copy.

You've got mail...

[Tzar]

With the help of Dan, I'm now all OK and setup to play :) Thanks again to Dan.

I can EVEN SEE THE PLACE NAMES !!! In XP!!! Isn't life wonderful? :D

Now, I just hope I won't stumble into any other bug but so far so good!

As soon as I get some practice with the computer and a good grasp of the simulation, I'll be happy to tackle anyone of you one-on-one! :devious:

[Rune]

Is there anywhere on the net where these 'patches' for the 1.04 patch can be found?

[Dan Neely]

I can email the exes and instructions to install them, but it would be nice if someone was willing to host them.

danst31@pitt.edu

[Don Maddox]

That's very strange. I couldn't see the place names either when I loaded XP. After I installed the version 1.03 patch and then followed up with the 1.04 patch, everything is working fine. I did have to set ACOW to run in Windows 2000 compatibility mode, but I haven't had any problems at all so far. The place names are working fine for me.

[KG_Jag]

Does anyone know where you can get a CD crack for any version above 1.01? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Dan Neely]

The normal 1.04 patch will fix placenames in all NT based OSes (NT,2k,xp). According to Norm the problem is an API function that doesn't perform as documented, but that he was eventually able to kluge around.

I've got 1.04 nocd patches, but it's neccesary to edit a registry entry to make them work. I can send them via email, but since I'm on a 56k connection, I'd prefer to be able to point anyone interested to a website where they could be downloaded if someone was willing to volunteer the space (~1meg).

[JAMiAM]

Well...I guess some unused storage needs to be filled!

Go here www.geocities.com/iamjamiam/unwrapped.zip for what you need. Since it is a geocities page, you'll most likely need to right-click on the link and "Save target as...", rather than trying to left-click through.

Thanks to Dan for providing the files and instructions.

[Mantis]

Dead link. Pissing with the url got me to "This is my boring Web Page", but that was it. Also, Jam, is there a brief instruction included?

[KG_Jag]

The link is good, if you follow the instructions. However since I'm ARP eligible and not a computer person, I'm not sure how to perform steps 3, 4 & 5. Any insturctions for accomplishing these steps written for computer dummies?

[Siberian HEAT]

Jag, check your email. :clown:

I find it easiest to right click on the link Jam provided, and just do a "Save as" so I never even have to go to the webpage. Worked for me, and so did the registry hack. :cheeky:

[JAMiAM]

Originally posted by Mantis
Dead link. Pissing with the url got me to "This is my boring Web Page", but that was it. Also, Jam, is there a brief instruction included?

Mantis, right-click the link, chose "Save target as..." from the menu, then it will download the zip file to your computer. The zipped file contains two executables and a text file. The executables replace your Opart and Opart 300 files and the ReadMe text has the instructions.

[Mantis]

Thanx.

Misunderstood original instructions; I thought we had to go to the webpage and THEN rightclick somewhere to save it.

Guuuhhhhh....

:bounce:

[Mantis]

BONUS!!

For some reason, some time ago when I still ran 2K, CoW started taking quite some time to load. It would wait around a minute after doubleclicking and do nothing. Then you'd hear/see 3 seconds of drive access, and POOF, there's the game.

When RhinoBones modified the .exe for his WOTR scenario, it loaded quickly... Now with the NOCD bit (Mantis salutes Jam), the game loads in seconds again.

I'm using XP now, but when I upgraded, it did the same thing as 2K used to. I reset my entire system with a triple-boot, and both 2K and XP continued to behave this way for CoW. Odder than hell.

At any rate, she loads like a demon now!

:devious:

[JAMiAM]

You should thank Dan. He's the one who made the tools available for us. I'm just putting them out in a small little corner of cyberspace so that those who want to use them can find them.

[Dan Neely]

I was just a distributer. I got the exes and instructions from Kraut

[Kraut]

hehe, IIRC ALF started the original topic, we should thank him :)

[JAMiAM]

No.....not another group hug!:cheeky:

[ALF]

What group hug?.. the hugs are on me :D

[Mantis]

This meeting of the humble admiration society is now in order.

:hail: Dan

:hail: Kraut

:hail: :hail: :thumup: Alf :banana: :smoke: :banana:

[ALF]

...whatever you do: Don't forget to BUY this game folks!!!

[KG_Jag]

I have 3 or 4 copies of TOAW-COW alone, but still have not found a ver. 1.04 CD less solution for Windows 98. Ran searches both here and on the Blitz and did not come up with a specific solution. Anyone out there have the answer? Thanks.

[Dan Neely]

http://www.geocities.com/iamjamiam/unwrapped.zip

[KG_Jag]

Thanks Dan, but if that is the same link that appears on page one of this thread, it will not work in Windows 98 (at least not for me). However, it worked fine for ME and XP.

[Cheetah772]

Hello Jag Commander,

I had downloaded the zip file from the link above, and I hav Win 98. It worked just fine for me.

Did you follow the instructions carefully?

Dan

[JAMiAM]

Originally posted by Jag Commander
Thanks Dan, but if that is the same link that appears on page one of this thread, it will not work in Windows 98 (at least not for me). However, it worked fine for ME and XP.

Make sure you put the TOAWintro.smk file *inside* the nocd folder.

[KG_Jag]

Thanks guys--as I said, I got it to work on my machines running ME and XP, but not on my old reliable running 98. Maybe I did something wrong on that one, but I've checked it numerous times and can't figure out how I might have erred. My next move is to uninstall the game, reinstall and patch it to 1.04, and then try to get it to play without the the CD.

[Dan Neely]

What error are you getting? IF we know what the problem is we might be able to help you indentify it. One thing that has bitten people before is that the cd_path needs a terminating \ while the game_path will not work if you terminate it with a slash.

[KG_Jag]

The error message I get when trying to start the game is: "Your Century of Warfare CD must be in the CD-ROM drive from which the game was installed in order to play the game."

I only have one CD-ROM drive.

[Dan Neely]

you're doing one of 3 things.

1) running the original CD required exes instead of the patched ones.

2) you've improperly created the nocd folder which should either have the .smk file from the cdrom or another file with the exact same name.

3) you've forgot to change, or made an error changing the cd_path key in the registry. It needs to point to the nocd directory, and be terminated by a \. The easiest way I know to do this is to set explorer to show full paths, open the nocd folder and copy the path from the addressbar. When you paste it into regedit you only need to add a terminating \ to the end of it.

[JAMiAM]

Jag Commander,

I was having the exact same problem, until I realized the .smk file needs to be *inside* the nocd folder. So, it was Dan's #2 case that was screwing me up originally.

Also, if you created an empty text file to use instead of the real one off of the disk, you might need to rename the file, getting rid of the .txt file extension. Notepad saves all files with a .txt extension by default.

Trust me it works (when done right) and it's great! The program comes right up, almost faster than you can get your clicking finger off the mouse button.:)

[Mantis]

I can't remember the default view in 98... But there's a chance that when you created the .smk file, you had the 'hide file extensions for known file types' option selected. So the file says blahblah.smk, but windows is hiding the extension, since it knows it's a txt file. In reality, the file would be blahblah.smk.txt

Go to folder options in Win Explorer (it's under view or tools), and make sure that the hide file extensions etc box is NOT checked, hit apply if you needed to change it, and then look at the .smk file again to be sure that it's correct.

Hope this helps, good luck!

[Red]

Does this work if I use a exe edited with the Bioed?

If it doesent, how can I avoid the cd when I'm using an exe edited with Bioed?

[John Paul]

I guess i'll join the growing Legion of Questioneers,does this work for Windows 95?I am going insane trying to get the game to run,no problems at first,then slowly did this problem occur until i can't even run the game anymore.

[Mantis]

95? OUCH! Is that the only OS you have available?

Re the bioed, probably not.

[John Paul]

Wasn't joking when i said i live in the stone age.Yeah 95 is it.Like i said no problem for a couple months after getting the patch,then it happens once,then a couple times,now i'm lucky if it doesn't take an hour to finally get the CD recognized.So am i S.O.L?

[Red]

Okei,here I am quoting myself... :)

Originally posted by Red
Does this work if I use a exe edited with the Bioed?

If it doesent, how can I avoid the cd when I'm using an exe edited with Bioed?

I tried last night and it works.

Just follow the instructions, but replace the original exe's with the Bioed exe's.

[Mantis]

Well, that's odd. Makes me wonder why we need the modified EXEs in the first place...

[Dan Neely]

the .exe's that talonsoft provides *aren't* the game, they're just a program that unecrypts the actaul game executable from the .icd file and runs it. Bioed works on an extracted .exe. The CD check is part of safedisk, and is in the extractor exe, not the game exe.