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can't run ToMI on Vista

shellbotshellbot
edited August 2009 in Game Support
Hello all. I'm posting because of a technical problem that TTG support hasn't been able to help me with so far. We installed the first game on my wife's laptop, but the performance was less than stellar, so we decided to install it on my mega gaming rig:

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB
4GB DDR2 1200Mhz RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @3.0GHz
Gigabyte P35 Mobo
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit


The game will not run. I look in my processes and it is there, but nothing ever displays on the screen. I downloaded the demo and it is the same thing. I downloaded the demo from multiple locations, same thing. I disabled UAC, uninstalled and installed as administrator, ran the game as administrator, same thing. I updated my graphics, audio, and mobo drivers, same thing. I even used Event Viewer to see if there were any system-level errors and there were not. It's very frustrating because I know this system would run the game in all its glory if I could just get it to launch!

Has anybody had this specific problem and been able to fix it?

I also ran a Securom analysis and sent it to support@securom.com, but I haven't heard back yet.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • KolgaxKolgax
    edited August 2009
    Try deleting your temp files...it works fine for me...

    I did have a problem with an application setup program that was solved that way...You could also try updating DirectX drivers or running in XP compatibility mode...

    Here's the rig I'm running:

    Sony Vaio running Windows 7 RC
    Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz
    ATI Radeon 9800
    1.5 gb ram

    And it does okay...less so if other programs running.
  • shellbotshellbot
    edited August 2009
    I should have mentioned that I have tried compatibility mode, and have also tried the 'prefs.prop' file provided by support. I just uninstalled the game, removed all temp files, and reinstalled the game as administrator, also ran the game as administrator as well as with and without XP compatibility mode and still can't get it to run. My suspicion is that this has something to do with securom and the fact that I had it installed on another computer previously, but I'm not so sure since I have the exact same problem with the demo. This is very frustrating.
  • jortlabanjortlaban
    edited August 2009
    The game should run on Vista without any problems.
    There could be some memory issues since you have 4GB internal and use a 32bit OS.
    you will then only have 3GB available for use.

    The game should just run fine (at detail level 7, level 9 will cause small stutters in the animation) without any compatibility mode.

    If you are able to do so, try a 64bit OS or physicly remove 1GB.. since this could cause some sort of confilcts in the system causing this game (and maybe others) not to run.
  • shellbotshellbot
    edited August 2009
    I'm hesitant to remove RAM from my computer. I run many graphically demanding games on this machine as well as graphics and video applications that have never balked at my 4GB of RAM on a 32-bit OS. It only prevents RAM over 3-3.5GB from being addressed.
  • jortlabanjortlaban
    edited August 2009
    shellbot wrote: »
    I'm hesitant to remove RAM from my computer. I run many graphically demanding games on this machine as well as graphics and video applications that have never balked at my 4GB of RAM on a 32-bit OS. It only prevents RAM over 3-3.5GB from being addressed.
    That's my point... it SHOULDN'T be a problem (other than a waste of an entire GB of RAM), but the ToMI's engine is not very well written, so that COULD be a problem....

    other than that... I've seen the game run on XP, Vista x32, Vista 64, Win7 x32 and Win7 64.... all without any problems of the kind you described.

    from what I know, it looks like some sort of hardware/software conflict with the game.... but wherein the problem lies is pretty much impossible to fix without seeing what the PC does with the process.
  • JazzyJazzy
    edited August 2009
    Just an extra point, while XP CAN access up to 4GB of RAM, the allocated memory is made up of physical RAM AND any I/O space needed by drivers, hence why you will see less than 4GB used. When systems have 4GB of RAM and only a 32-bit OS then the I/O devices will overlap with the last Gig. The I/O devices will take precedence and the amount of usable RAM will be reduced from 4 to whatever is left. Considering that this includes things like system BIOS you will never be able to utilise the full 4GB on a 32-bit system...
  • DjNDBDjNDB Moderator
    edited August 2009
    shellbot wrote: »
    My suspicion is that this has something to do with securom and the fact that I had it installed on another computer previously, but I'm not so sure since I have the exact same problem with the demo.
    It's perfectly fine to run the game on multiple computers. You can read about it in the Shopping/Activation Forum and in the Support FAQ.


    Does the second episode work?

    Anyway, there are a few things you could try.


    Check if the game works after a clean boot.

    Msconfig for Windows Vista:
    To Boot Clean in Windows Vista

    1. Click Start --> Run --> Type MSCONFIG --> Click OK
    2. On the General tab, choose Selective Startup
    3. Uncheck Load Startup Items
    4. Select the Services tab
    5. Check Hide all Microsoft services
    6. Click Disable all
    7. Click on OK
    8. Click Restart.
    9. After reboot, run game to see if it works.

    After performing the necessary steps, restore your system by doing the following:

    1. Click Start --> Run --> Type MSCONFIG--> Click OK
    2. On the General tab, choose Normal Startup
    3. Click Ok
    4. Click Yes, when asked to restart your computer

    Based on Will's post


    Please give us some more detailed information on your system
    Please start dxdiag:
    Windows XP: Go to your start menu and click on run. Type in "dxdiag" and hit enter
    Windows Vista: Press the windows key on your keyboard or click on the start menu. Type in "dxdiag" and hit enter.

    Now click on the button that says "save all information".
    It will prompt you to save a file. Save it where you can find it.


    Now you have two options to make it accessible to us. Pick the one that works best for you:
    1. If you know how, you can zip the file and attach it to a message.
    2. You can upload it to Rapidshare and copy the link to the file into a new message.
  • charliestumpycharliestumpy
    edited August 2009
    IMO it should run on you fine spec - it is a programming fault that it doesn't - even I on ancient 30 month old basic Vista HPremium 1.5 mb-Intel CPU-gfx can run it (after 10 hour load).
  • JohanShogunJohanShogun
    edited August 2009
    Jazzy wrote: »
    Just an extra point, while XP CAN access up to 4GB of RAM, the allocated memory is made up of physical RAM AND any I/O space needed by drivers, hence why you will see less than 4GB used. When systems have 4GB of RAM and only a 32-bit OS then the I/O devices will overlap with the last Gig. The I/O devices will take precedence and the amount of usable RAM will be reduced from 4 to whatever is left. Considering that this includes things like system BIOS you will never be able to utilise the full 4GB on a 32-bit system...

    A 32 bit system can never access up to 4 GB of ram, it doesn't have enough addresses to give to the physical ram. It's not the I/O devices.
This discussion has been closed.