![]() |
Forum Guidelines | Forum FAQ | Myst IV: Revelation Website | MystWorlds.com Website |
Forums
Myst IV Revelation
Myst IV Revelation - Technical Help & Advice
Transition from Riven tech help to Revelation|
Go
![]() |
New
![]() |
Find
![]() |
Notify
![]() |
Tools
![]() |
Reply
![]() |
|
Here I am again, H_G. It looks as if I've got my work cut out for me.
Never did it occur to me that now that I have a DVD player in my computer that, because the computer is a laptop, I would not be able to play Revelation because the laptop version of the video card is not supported. *screaming* (not so silently) I see that while the PC System Requirements listed on the "Getting Started on Your PC" page from the Revelation material say "not supported," I just read in the "Before Asking For Help: Look Here First" thread here the phrase "not fully supported." Does that mean that there's a possibility that I *can* play Revelation from this old Inspiron 8200 with an NVIDIA GeForce 4 400 video card? If so, shall I just proceed with the directions for installing version 93.71 (or 45.23 or 52.16, whatever works)? |
|||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
With regard to Revelation on laptops, "not supported", "not fully supported", "not officially supported", etc., are essentially weasel words by Ubi. They didn't test the game on absolutely every laptop configuration in existence and obviously wouldn't do so because of the resorces required. If Revelation didn't run on most laptops, we'd be seeing a whole bunch more screams of agony in these Forums. Which we aren't.
So, go ahead and install Revelation from a clean boot as detailed under Installing and Re-Installing Revelation, "7. Clean-boot Revelation Install, No Previous Installation" in Myst IV: Clean Boot Install/Re-install With Win XP. -- If you haven't done so very recently, before installing you should carry out *all* of steps 1 through 5 under Overall Windows and Hard Disk Tune-up. -- If you have problems, read through "1. Preventing Installation Problems - General Comments" under Installing and Re-Installing Revelation and do whatever is appropriate. Then, if there are problems related to your video card: -- Look under Installing NVIDIA Drivers in Myst IV: Installing Video Drivers With Win XP. -- See also Myst IV: Miscellaneous Fixes for Video Problems With Win XP, especially fix 2 (video setting changes). Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|
OK!
That I can do. And the NVIDIA updated drivers - which seemed to have made the screen go black and had my long-distance techie instructing me how to reboot in safe mode to be able to do a restore - that was all taken care of by knowledgeable s&s guy when my new Princton VL1919 was installed today. Onward . . . (and thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back) |
||||
|
Yeah, I was right. Here I am again.
I was reading and following your instructions in the thread "Myst IV: Clean Boot Install/Re-install With Win XP" when I ran across this:
The problem is, I cannot find any information about removing SP2 at the end of the topic. Where do I look? What should I do? |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
During an update of Myst IV: Clean Boot Install/Re-install With Win XP, I deleted the section on removing Win XP Service Pack 2 because nobody appeared interested. But I neglected to remove the reference to it - said reference is now removed.
Here's the deleted section: Removing Win XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) ---------------------------------------- Win XP SP2 is causing many problems! At this time, I believe that installing SP2 just because it's available is NOT a good thing to do. If you're NOT having any problems that SP2 specifically fixes, and you HAVE installed all available Win XP updates (except for video drivers) via Windows Update, then I recommend that you do NOT install SP2. Take a look at: ----- List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2 ----- List of base operating system fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 2 ----- List of Outlook Express fixes that are in Windows XP Service Pack 2 ----- List of Com+ fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 2 ----- List of printing fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 2 ----- List of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 2 If you have SP2 installed and aren't having any problems with it, great! However, if SP2 is giving you fits, remove it and install SP1a. Before proceeding any further, read through: -- a. Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 Installation and Deployment Guide. You'll install SP1a as detailed under Installing Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, Scenario 1: Installing the service pack so that computers use local service pack source files (recommended). Print out at least this section for reference! -- b. How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer. You'll remove SP2 as detailed under Use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. Print out at least this section for reference! -- c. You cannot create a network connection after you restore Windows XP. If you're not familiar with editing the Registry, see also How to back up, edit, and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Print out these bulletins for reference! Here's the SP2 removal/SP1a installation procedure: -- a. Log into Windows with full Administrator privileges. Do not open any applications or programs, except as follows. -- b. Download SP1a. You'll probably lose your Internet connection after removing SP2, so download SP1a before doing so. ----- 1. Use Windows Explorer to create a folder named \XPSP1 on your C: drive (C:\XPSP1). ----- 2. Click on Network Installation under Installing SP1a on Multiple Computers. ----- 3. In the blue Download panel, select your language, then click on Go to start downloading xpsp1a_en_x86.exe, 125 MB. Save this file to C:\XPSP1. -- c. *Carefully* remove SP2. -- d. When you're certain that removal is complete, reboot, and log into Windows with full Administrator Privileges. -- e. Install SP1a. ----- 1. Using Start > Run, run xpsp1a_en_x86.exe. -- f. Reboot after SP1a installation is complete. You should have your Internet connection back. If not, see You cannot create a network connection after you restore Windows XP. And why is it that you want to remove SP2??? Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|
Only because I was slavishly following the steps in the thread for Installing/Reinstalling Revelation. If it's not something I need to do, then all the better!
|
||||
|
Oh, yes, and . . . the patches?
Are they a "given" that they should be installed? Or only if specific problems arise? |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
I'd recommend that you:
-- Install the patches. -- Do NOT remove SP2. Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|
Okey-dokey!
I've survived the tight squeeze between the s&s computer guy and my long-distance techie over whether I'm stepping out of line to try a "clean install" on my own by following your excellent directions. (Don't ask.) So, here I go . . . Tomorrow night's the night then. |
||||
|
Back again . . .
Last night I did the minimum install, and installed both patches. But I was interrupted by an important phone call and have not tried to play the game yet. Meanwhile, this morning when Windows prompted me that I had newly installed programs, I went to look at what was listed. I opened up the Revelation configurator, and found a note saying that the graphics driver was not up to date. Now this surprises me, because I'm sure I watched my s&s guy install the latest graphics driver while he was here to install my new monitor last Saturday. But that's not what's running now, I don't think. I went in to look at drivers this morning, and I see listed version 6.13.10.4258 for my NVidia GeForce 4 400. Should I try playing the game as is? Or should I allow the configurator to take me where it thinks I should go to get an update? I've had so many problems with running this outboard monitor, I'm very tentative about what to try. |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
"Version 6.13.10.4258" means that you have Dell's version 42.58 driver installed. Although it was released on 4/18/2003, version 42.58 is the latest video driver from Dell for your GeForce4 440 Go chipset. There are later drivers available from NVIDIA, the chipset's manufacturer, but nothing specific for your laptop. Of course, Windows isn't smart enough to realize that - it just looks at the bare version number.
A laptop video driver is usually modified from the generic driver to take best advantage of the chipset as implemented in the laptop. Therefore, I recommend staying with the latest driver from a laptop's manufacturer, unless that driver gives problems. So, ignore Windows' prompting to install a new driver, and play Revelation. If the prompting gets too annoying, you can always turn off Automatic Updates. See How to change your Automatic Updates settings by using Windows Security Center. BTW, if you don't already have the URLs, Inspiron 8200 information is available from Dell for: -- Drivers and downloads -- Manuals Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|
Whee-e-e-e . . .!
So, I started a game last night and found the movement very choppy. The movies play, without the mouths synced to the sound, or vice versa, and the game play proceeds in fits and starts, jumping ahead to the next "position" after I wait a moment from the time I click. I suppose this is still playable as is, but is there anything that might improve my experience on this system? |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
Suggestions, which assume that you carried out at least step 5 under Overall Windows and Hard Disk Tune-up in Myst IV: Clean Boot Install/Re-install With Win XP:
1. Reset the Revelation in-game options as detailed in the second part of step 2 in Myst IV: Miscellaneous Fixes for Video Problems With Win XP. 2. If that doesn't help, do a full Revelation install. Since you did a minimum install, Revelation is regularly accessing the DVD, and disc drives are slow enough that sound-sync and choppiness problems can result. And since you did a clean-boot minimum install, do the full install straight from the DVD. -- a. Log into Windows with full Administrator privileges, and close all open applications. -- b. Insert Revelation Disc 1 into the drive, and let it spin up to speed. -- c. Click on Start > Run. -- d. Browse to Setup.exe on Revelation Disc 1, and double-click on the file to put it in the Open: box. -- e. Click on OK to start the installation process. Be certain to select the "full install" option. -- f. Follow the installation Wizard's instructions. Accept the install defaults whenever possible. -- g. Even if you get a "Finished" message from the install Wizard, wait for all hard disk activity to stop - then and only then close the Wizard. -- h. When installation is complete, remove the Revelation DVD from the drive. -- i. Reboot, log into Windows with full Administrator privileges, and close all open applications. -- j. Apply both patches as detailed in item 4 under Installing and Re-Installing Revelation in Myst IV: Clean Boot Install/Re-install With Win XP. -- k. Insert Revelation Disc 2 into the drive, and let it spin up to speed. -- l. Play Revelation. 3. If you still have sound-sync and choppiness problems, re-do step 1 (in-game options reset), above. Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|
Well, resetting the in-game options didn't make any difference at all, that I could discern. So next will be doing the complete install.
As I set the Game Resolution slider to the 640 x 480 option it occurred to me to wonder about the settings available in properties by opening the Revelation icon. There is a setting for that resolution under the Compatability tab there as well. Does it make any difference which one is set? Or both? Just curious. |
||||
|
Am I confused?
I cannot figure out how to do a complete install over the top of the minimum one -- or is that what you meant? When I access the setup.exe, it immediately tries to UNinstall, and I can't find an option for the "full install." |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
Unless you're running Revelation in Compatibility Mode, which you should NOT be doing, the Compatibility tab 640x480 setting doesn't do anything.
With a previous installation of Revelation, re-installing straight from the DVD's requires that you do Start > Run > Setup.exe from Disc 1 twice - first to remove the existing Revelation installation, and then a second time to re-install the game. During the second running of Setup.exe is when you select a Complete or Minimum install. This is done on the screen you see after selecting a language, accepting the license agreement, and selecting an install folder. Since you're copying about 7 GB from the DVD's to your hard disk, re-installation can take 35-40 minutes or longer, depending on hard disk and DVD drive speeds. Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi. This message has been edited. Last edited by: Heimdall G, |
|||
|
Drat.
The Install Wizard says that I need 8.36 GBs of space to do a full install, but it also tells me that I have only 8.23 GBs available -- so near, and yet so far! Might there be some way I can make space? But how does a luddite like me decide what could be eliminated? |
||||
|
|
Moderator & Community Assistant |
Please post a DxDiag report for your Inspiron 8200. You know what to do!
Heimdall Semper ubi sub ubi |
|||
|