Win10, and EAWPRO not working for me.

[MarkEAW 63]

Hey,

When I click to run eaw.exe in EAWPRO Basic (the latest version and the previous version), it will now open, black screen, then closes, won't run.

Win10 doesn't even write a compatibility reg entry for it, and the eaw.ini file does not get written either. and since the older version loaded before, I think its my system only...or win10 only.
All other EAW games load and run...just not EAWPRO. Maybe a corrupt file??

So I manually added the primary comp reg entry to the registry. It didn't help. I think eaw.exe is closing before Win10 can try to even load a screen.

I tried other exe Properties and doubled check windows settings for eaw.exe in its database, alll seemed fine, but its just not running.

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by MarkEAW

[VonBeerhofen 63]

Did you add this new version to an old install?

VonBeerhofen

[MarkEAW 63]

I took a copy of EAWv1.2 and pasted EAWPRO over it.

I even tried to run the previous EAWPRO that I assumed I had running before, and it failed the same way.

I have a Windows Log, from event viewer, it says something about a faulty module, that of eaw.exe.

I dropped v1.26 exe into the EAWPRO, and it gave me the 7217 error., the graphical error.

 

[MarkEAW 63]

I tried a strong wrapper program to add in known settings that run EAW12 perfectly. Even added a bunch of settings for Win95 and WinME...like memoery handling and swaping, lie versions etc... nothing could get the game to load.

Has to be an issue with the game data perhaps, the menu screens?

[VonBeerhofen 63]

All I did was to take the 3 zips from your site and loaded each one subsequently into a single ZIP, so people with a working install need not to bother with it as nothing was changed.  I did the same as you, used a clean v1.2 after verifying it ran OK first and copied it to my C drive. It ran fine but in 640x480 and no key bindings were present in the INI after I exited. I tried a 2nd install on a different drive but omitted the EAW.INI and let the game create it's own. It also ran fine, result same as above. I then extracted the ZIP a 2nd time into that install and it also ran as above, so no problems here. I also added the INI from the ZIP at later stage and it ran as above but in 1024x768 and I then changed that to my preferred wide screen setting.

Have you tried running your clean v1.2 before adding the ZIP to make sure it's not damaged? The stock game requires the game to be run first too, maybe there's a difference for a version which wasn't run first. I also always tell people to reboot after dropping in the ZIP to allow Windows to finalize the install.

VBH

[MarkEAW 63]

Yup, did all that.

I just plugged a joystick in, that didn't help. Its not getting in far enough to write its own ini file. Just black screen then closes.

 

I'll see what I got of yours from before what you sent me and see if i can get it to run.

[MarkEAW 63]

I was able to get a EAWPRO from 2018 or so to run. (The date comes from when I DL it, not file date)

Although when I picked quick mission it crashed the game or if i went single mission and picked a plane it then crashed the game.

So overall it seems my system now hates EAWPRO. I can't find anything to keep it going or go in the first place when it comes to the last version.

 

I tried hard and all kinds of things, unless there's something going on with the display driver i got from MS a few days ago, I don't know. I'll eventually install from Nvidia next time.
 

[MarkEAW 63]

I tried the INI file you sent(just realized its in my mail), no joy.

[VonBeerhofen 63]

Sorry to hear that Mark,

I still have the previous version and will upload it so you can give it a try.

VBH

[MarkEAW 63]

Sure, I'll try it. If I didn't already. maybe your version is different then what i have??

Thanks.....

[VonBeerhofen 63]

Can't be different as it was constructed from the 3 download versions at your website, but it could make sense if you didn't install the new pilot map changes. I sent you a previous version of the EXE by mail which should work on top of your new install. I tested it in my own and it too works fine here.

VBH

Edited June 29, 2023 by VonBeerhofen

[MarkEAW 63]

I used the exe you sent.....

It still crashes, but it gives the 7217 error now.

So I ran it in the Wrapper and it crashes with no error there. However it got further as the wrapper loaded up the window frame for the game, but crashes there after.
(I'm still trying to load it though with different and unusual settings)

Regarding the pilot map addition; I've added that myself.
(I can't go back as I deleted or replaced the previous archive with the new)

 

[VonBeerhofen 63]

The new EXE was in the 2nd download and the pilotmap graphics in the 3rd. I uploaded your 1st original ZIP here: 

https://rabartel.home.xs4all.nl/MembersLP/EAWPRO0.0_Basic.zip

Don't load it on top of your current wrecked install as it contains files which belong to that later version. If we get it to work I can take it from there.

VBH

Edited June 29, 2023 by VonBeerhofen
added url

[MarkEAW 63]

I dump the zip onto a 12 folder.

I get the CD-ROM is required...I used Fake CD setting on the wrapper to load up to the main screen. I can configure the game. 

Crashes when I click quick launch or when I pick a plane.

 

[VonBeerhofen 63]

Sometimes Windows will prevent changing of system files, I've seen it happen that certain files weren't added from a ZIP because they were invisible or Windows didn't allow overwrites. Add to that the taking ownership of folders, wrappers and other actions needed hasn't made things any easier. Since this is a completely fresh install I guess you've run into the same issue as hundreds of others have, including me. It's beyond me why packages which were fine for you and several others since 2018 all of sudden no longer work but I had it happen with Vista also after an OS update. I haven't got anything else to give you Mark and I'm sorry for not being able to be of more help due to my own ancient Operating Systems which go no further then Vista and if you can't make it work then that's where it ends. All I can try is to see how it behaves this evening online in XP but that's hardly going to be of any help to you. You can remove the download at your website or leave it, it's up to you what you do with it. I'll keep working on things for as long as I have players in my group and offer any new stuff via my own FTP for as long as it's still up and keep the community informed. Thx for your hard work anyway and all the best!

VonBeerhofen

EAW Launchpad Janitor

https://rabartel.home.xs4all.nl

 

[MarkEAW 63]

Yeah, sorry on my end too.

I won't remove the DL. But perhaps put some kinda of notice next to it.

I did everything I knew to get the game running. I'm not sure what's going on.
I would hope you keep the thread going though, if it comes up again, so I can read about it.

Thanks for EAWPRO VBH, it was interesting fun. :) and for those wondering, you should give it a try.

[VonBeerhofen 63]

I used the ZIP in a completely new clean version of EAW on my WinXP machine, largely unrelated to the one I used for testing in WinME although the file dates are the same coming from the CD and it worked like a charm. Don't worry Mark, I'm not going anywhere and of course I'll keep an eye out for your developments and anything else interesting and you can always contact me if you need help, even though I'm not always capable of providing it. Thx for your energy, help and support!!

VBH

[MarkEAW 63]

I found a FXEXE v1.0 archive, the earliest archive I have I think that resembles what I ran before for sure and its not running for me. Just to the main screen and what nots, no flight screen or single mission hangers etc....

So its defiantly something that MS updated in windows that's prevent the game from operating correctly. Just like you said. (or video card driver changes)

Its just so weird, it won't run in a wrapper either.

Aw well. Hopefully I'll figure something out, but I think its beyond me.

Thanks again.

 

[VonBeerhofen 63]

I borrowed my brother's Win10 laptop to see what it will do. Difference: I copied a fully working install into it but I'll have to learn about the OS as I go. I forgot to mention that your first error report wasn't about the removed OS check but the offset mentioned in the report pointed to the HD caching routine. However it doesn't mean that that's where the error is, it's just where the programmed stopped. These routines were never touched and with the OS check my version will reject anything beyond WinXP. An option is to add the newer OS identifiers into the OS check so it doesn't fail at this point.

Windows 10 had to install Direct Play stuff and after that it now shows me the main screen but framed, haven't changed resolution yet. Going to hit Quick Start and pray! Lost Direct Draw surface, try restart or reboot. 2nd run resolution not supported, no surprise there it was still set for WinXP, so I changed to widescreen 1280x768 and I was on the runway for a moment, at night with all searchlights showing in the cockpit but as I was typing this the game stopped. Trouble shooting compatibility now, I matched resolution settings to the desktop values. All screens work even the Pilotmap but no flying. Looks like an issue I've had before, brief flash of the runway and CTD, no messages. Maybe I can find error reports somewhere but don't know where to look. Taking a break now to wipe the sweat off my forehead. TL

VBH

[MarkEAW 63]

Event viewer and then windows logs, then application logs.

You can use the little search for 'even viewer' on the task bar.

[VonBeerhofen 63]

OK, got it. The application error is pointing to DINPUT.DLL in System32, so I checked the INI and set it to default keyboard settings. Ofcourse this little Asus doesn't have a normal mouse and thinking it would need one for EAW I attached a remote mouse via USB but it didn't change anything. It should run without a joystick using keyboard alone and the extra mouse, but it doesn't. I did identify a few possible issues though, if you remove the INI to allow the game to create a new one then the game will default to 640x480 and if your videocard can't produce that you're pretty much screwed. That's why I added the MINIINI which sets resolution to 1024x768. I don't know if all graphics cards can do this but removing the INI isn't a very good option in many modern machines either. I also tried the objects viewer and it runs but the screen remained black so escaped back out without a problem, i.e. it didn't CTD. I see now that the configuration screen crashes as soon as I want to swap a key, maybe the game can't see the keyboard, so here's my old USB thing, will see what it'll do. Same thing, keyboard is working, i.e. typing nonsense but still can't swap a key in INI.

Coffee!

VBH

[VonBeerhofen 63]

I removed Read Only attribute in  folder properties and applied it to all files and subfolders to make sure EAW can write to it's respective files and folders but after trying the attribute switches itself back on. In all tries I ran the game as an Admin and next I tried the Windows compatibility feature and here is where the game asked me for the CD, which this little machine simply can not provide due to the lack of a CD/DVD drive. I tested keyboard functionality by setting up a TCP/IP game, which surprisingly worked well and I changed the game's shown name to some gibberish which was happily accepted, but I still couldn't swap keys in the configuration screen. I had also changed the View Camera control to keyboard since the function was grayed out, the change was accepted but when I ran the game again it had sneaked back to it's original gray spot. Can't fight without a proper viewing system or keys to control your bail out or gears and other thingies which don't work. It all reminded me of 1998 when I had acquired the game and tried to run it on a Win95 office machine and decided to put the CD back in it's case and try it again 2 years later after purchasing my own computer and ran into problems again when Dell had to revise it's video drivers 4 or 5 times before the sun finally came out and blew me away, and I lived happily ever after. The end!

VonBeerhofen

[MarkEAW 63]

Yeah I too checked the read only. Except it stayed with read only off.

I too am having the camera control greyed out, its on mouse but greyed out, so weird.

To get around the graphic error and cd check i use the DXWnd wrapper...although all other eaw games run in win10 natively.

Your efforts are welcomed, but you don't need to do this if you don't want to. to learn win10 on top of trying to get the game to run has to be painful. Up to you.

[MarkEAW 63]

I just tried running the nocd nocddevice exe you modified at a request. Back when you made it, that one for sure ran on win10 for me.

However now it behaves just like the latest release from you, it crashes quick. I defiantly think its windows configuration/and/or/updates that stop it.

Okay have a good morning anyhow :)

[VonBeerhofen 63]

It's called progress Mark, I think. I gave it one more try and deleted the INI to allow the game to create it's own but I think it's Windows which prevents me from setting the Key Bindings. I selected Quick Start and had time enough to see the landscape and the cockpit and the planes that were hurtling towards my group, I think I could even have taken a Windows screen shot but what for. I've had this same issue when I bought my Vista machine with the only known video card still capable of running the game, took me app. 3 months of messing with it and some 500 hours of tampering with the OS and EAW. I still have no idea what made it work but the pleasure was short lived and I was 2.500$ worse off with a Dell XPS which stood silently in the corner gathering dust for about 10 years. I'm no longer the nerd I used to be so I won't try any further, my WinXP and ME are still working fine for me and my friends and that's good enough for us. Progress, humbug! The laptop is already informing me that it's not capable to run Win11, who cares, I just want my game to work.

VonBeerhofen