Topic: Now I am mad

[deadmansix]

   Ok just bought a brand new copy of OP loaded it patched it the works tryed to get on the forge and  got " can not detect starfleetop.exe" what the hell is going on!!!!

[Strat]

you got that in game?

[Capt Jeff]

Error in your registry?   Does SFC require it be on a certain hard drive?   Like it only will look in drive "C" ?   What drive do you have it loaded on your computer?

[GotAFarmYet?]

hmmm....

Remember something about you have to run the game once before patching, might not be SFC though getting old here.
The other question is did you run the other .exe file, there are two but only one will work after patching the one that doesn't run the video file

[Bonk]

I checked the EAW source and the means by which the app is accessing the location of itself is via the windows GetCommandLine() function. (I assume OP would do the same, though it is not guaranteed).

So my recommendation is to make a new shortcut to OP and use that to launch the game. (find the copy of StarFleetOP.exe that you want to run, copy it and then right click on the desktop and paste it as a shortcut. - that should create the proper shortcut for you and at least eliminate that as a cause).

Give it a go and let me know, or if you already have done so we can keep digging. If it takes a remote session of some kind to take a look then I'm willing. Though lets try a few of the basic usual steps first.

I'm also curious if EAW is working for you or not, that would be helpful to know.

[deadmansix]

  EAW works as far as I know as there are no servers up for me to try, that is where I get the message in op when I try to log on to the forge Guys other wise I can play the singel player area it locks up when I try to leave but other than that I can play it.

[FA Frey XC]

My friend, it is good to see you .

1.)  Where did you buy your copy of OP from?

2.) Have you looked at THIS thread?

Regards,

[Bonk]

http://www.dynaverse.net/info/activeservers.php  <-- Shows Strayys is running on EAW.

Are you in the beta group? If not, why not?

Install Teamviewer and let me know when we can coordinate a remote session.

I am away at the moment and won't be back at home till the evening of the 24th, so some time after that should be good.

[atheorhaven]

2.) Have you looked at THIS thread?
Regards,

Frey, Bonk..

Just to mention, I tried the FTP links to the model files for OP 4.0+ listed in that thread, and all pointed to dead links on Ftp.Dynaverse.. have they moved?  Can the links in the thread be updated?

[Bonk]

Just to mention, I tried the FTP links to the model files for OP 4.0+ listed in that thread, and all pointed to dead links on Ftp.Dynaverse.. have they moved?  Can the links in the thread be updated?

Thanks, edited with link to FireSoul's new site.

[deadmansix]

 Good to see you to you Frey, looked at the link and that was for windsucks 7 dont run 7  run XP pro with service pack 3.

 was wondering bonk got OP 4.1 would that cause all this problem, couldnt hurt to try I guses

 got a brand new copy still in the wraper from Amazon.

[deadmansix]

 bonk just shoot me a message and give me a time just tell me if it west coast or east coast  so I know how much I need TO adjust and no Mondays.

[Bonk]

I should be around for the next few days. I'm Atlantic Time. (1 hour later than NY) [Safe to discuss time of Teamviewer session publicly.]

Let's try for say 8pm Atlantic today. But if you logon and see me, just check for me on the teamspeak 2 server, and if I'm on we can coordinate. I should be around all day.

[Bonk]

OK, after having had a look at it and some time to think about it, the only thing I can possibly blame it on is the USB modem connection, not sure why, but it is the one thing that is different on your system that is obvious. No guarantees that using the ethernet interface will solve the problem though.

But I just thought of a reason why the USB interface may be an issue - CPU use? ( a quality hardware ethernet adapter requires little to no cpu to run, whereas a USB network connection requires considerable CPU use - might be just enough time to bugger up the CRC on the StarFleetOP.exe?)

Anyway, care to fill me in on how/why the ethernet connection to your surfboard did not work? It would be pretty much impossible for me to set that up for you over remote, but I can assist you with it in forum posts and on teamspeak.

P.S. I am totally impressed with TeamViewer's capabilities now. I was awed that I could run SFC over it - on dialup!    (not in tactical of course though)

[deadmansix]

dont have a clue why it wouldnt work on my new board, cus it worked on my old one.

and that was cool, and its my mic that is bad so I would have to buy a new head set to talk to ya over ts

[Bonk]

What happens if you enable the ethernet adapters on the new board? Do they work? Are the drivers present?

Did you try to connect the SB5120 via ethernet? What happened when you did? Did you use a crossover cable?

[FA Frey XC]

I'm going to stay out of this except for this :

if you created a new shortcut for OP, you MUST fill in the following:

Right click on the shortcut, left click on "properties"

FILL IN the START IN : [Drive]: [path to root of Starfleet Command Orion Pirates]\

(This can change depending on where you installed the game to, the default is like :

C:\Program Files\Taldren Software Inc\Starfleet Command Orion Pirates)

You must also use the StarFleetOP.exe executable. Using the other default one will cause issues.

Regards,

[Bonk]

Thanks, but that was pretty much the first thing I checked during our remote session. It is the logical thing to check, so thanks for mentioning it, you never know, we both might have forgotten about that. (But OP+ fixes it anyway, and it was installed)

I went over everything and could find no reason for this behaviour in deadmans OP install.

All I could find that was out of the ordinary was a USB modem connection.  I have yet to see a usb ethernet adapter that works well. (or usb network device of any kind for that matter, they all seem to suffer from queer fits, offloading hardware jobs to the cpu via kludgey drivers and just being generally cheap.)

I figure it would be easier to try a normal connection first, before digging out the packet sniffer for the next diagnostic session.

[deadmansix]

 
 ok got my machine off the usb and on to the eathernet, and still no go my friend

[Bonk]

Thanks for trying. At least that eliminates that. (and you'll be better off in the long run anyway)

What the hell is doing this...?  Remember wayyy back when... Taldren used to advise us to update our video drivers when we ran into Dyna login troubles... I know, it makes no sense, and I still have no idea why, even with the EAW source in hand...

But updating the video drivers (or changing to a WHQL set) might be something else to try. If that doesn't do it...

I'm going to add you to the beta group, right now, check the first post in the stickied thread and grab the files. Then let me know if you get the same issue with SFC:CE, I at least have the source code for that product and may be able to address this. My concern, since your XP install is a fresh one with all fresh updates, is that Microsoft has done something to break SFC on XP recently...

edit: Oh crap, I have to add Starfleet2.exe to the validatedclientfiles folder on The Forge CE beta server (we have been using different builds sometimes), the beta server needs a reset anyway. I will advise when complete.

As a beta group member you'll see a new forum visible in the Dynaverse.net section on the board index, the sticky thread I speak of is there.

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

  EAW works as far as I know as there are no servers up for me to try, that is where I get the message in op when I try to log on to the forge Guys other wise I can play the singel player area it locks up when I try to leave but other than that I can play it.

I suspect there's either a possibility OP might be on a bad sector on the HDD or perhaps a RAM problem too, your locking up is not normal behavior either, and given it can not "detect" the EXE either... I not 100%, bonk may need to clarify for me, but the server reads the .exe from the HDD not memory right for validation, right? The locking up too could be an indication the drive couldnt grab the correct files off the drive either for display, if others say its reading from RAM then its more likely to be that however a RAM problem would probably affect a whole lot of other programs too,,

If possible maybe try running it from another drive, even a flash drive (Ive never tested it on a flash drive it might not work but in theory it should at least for test purposes)

[Bonk]

The Forge CE beta server has been reset and StarFleet2.exe (current beta build) replaced in the validatedclientfiles folder.

SFHQ, I'd have to look at the code, but I believe the server calcs the CRC32 for each file in the validatedclientfiles folder and stores them in memory (only reads the files on disk at startup) for comparison when the client sends their file CRCs. Similarly, I believe the client reads the files from disk. The values have to pass through memory at some point of course... but if I get where you're driving, I'm reasonably sure that the client does not CRC the running image of itself in memory, but rather the copy on disk, it it does not then it should and I will make it so in SFC:CE.

But the way to test the suggestion you make (bad sector) would simply to be to do a full scandisk with surface check. However I do not believe that is necessary, as during my remote session on deadmans machine, I renamed his original exe (thus still occupying the same place on disk) and placed a copy of the backup StarFleetOP.exe (2552) from our FTP. So the bad sector theory is out. (at least a bad sector in the region(s) that StarFleetOP.exe occupies)

Keep the theories coming though... I currently have no explanation for this one other than the theory that windows XP has changed somehow.

[marstone]

from what I have seen of the CRC code it reads from disk, usually only once.  Exception being the shiplist/fighterlist so someone entering a server doesn't change the list after they get into the server.

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

OK, that makes sense.. I still think it to be a hardware issue of some sorts, because if it was Windows XP other players would be having the same trouble. I would say it might be best to play around with as much hardware swapping as you can and see how it's going. The drives still hold the strongest signal to me given his additional behaviour of crash/lock-up on exit, as memory would be doing that to a lot of games other than OP if it was memory. Its possible though there is just something not right in some other random piece of the hardware though, indeed on my old Win XP computer I retired to home had serious software corruption a little while later because the 3.5" floppy drive began failing erratically, so chaotic signals were getting sent through the motherboard from it interfering with everything. While its probably not a floppy drive causing problems here I bring it up to say even if the hardware doesn't appear to have failed you never know until you play the hardware game, specifically the HDD.

[deadmansix]

  HEY GUYS I AM BACK!!!!

 well it kinda looks like it was a flaw in Windows XP pro sp3 as after my last post in the middel of doing somthin the whole operating system took a dump and would not boot back up just kept reseting over and over. so I reformated the HD put on my copy of XP pro sp2 and all is well just got off the server, and now I am doing the dance of joy!!

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

 

[FRA.E.Kehakoul_XC]

As far as i know, and its actually the reason i always run only service pack 2,..MS removed the classical audio  support,  with service pack 3 and several other game related things i forgot.

SAy it loud with ,me,.. SERVICE PACK 3 is BS....,...

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Ok. Is the forge down? I am getting the firewall message. My AV is off windows and AV firewall are open and I have gone DMZ and got no where.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I had done a fresh install and needed the directory server update. Wasn't that a part of OP 4.0?

[Strat]

thats odd, I though it was in there too. I'm glad you got it fixed though.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Thanks. It was in 4.0 as I don't recall ever having to run the directory update in the last few years. I guess it was missed in 4.1 which the forge is having it's first run with.