New HP lap top gaming problem

[k9bliss]

Hi everyone,
Afriend had just purchased a new HP Lap Top from HP, he built it so he could do gaming on it.The spec of the machine I don't have at this time, but I will get them asap. The problem he is having is 2 fold. I think both problems are compatability problems with Vista. But here is the first one:The first error says: C:/program Files\EA Games/Command and Conquer Generals\W3D.big. Verify the file exists and that you can access it. He has contacted Hp and they are having problems figuring it out. I suguested going to game web site for possible patches or see if thee was and compatibility issues.He hasn't been able to load the game on the computer correctly.

The sec problem:The second error, that occurred while he was playing Battle For Middle Earth I said: Game Crash: Dx8 error E.Fail. Because of the severity of this error, the game will now exit......
Does anyone have any ideas on how to proceed? Thanks for any help.Jim

[pam123]

Here's a list of games that are supposed to be compatible with Vista : http://www.thinktechno.com/2007/03/13/list-of-vista-compatible-games/

Both of your friend's games are on it but...
Scroll down a bit and check out the replies.
For now you could take a poster's suggestion and try using the XP compatibility mode if he hasn't already but his best bet is still the forums for both games.

From EA about the crash in BFME see this : http://www.ea.com/official/lordoftherings/thebattleformiddleearth/us/subpage.jsp?src=patchinfo_102
I note that was 2 years ago but nVidia seems to have recycled the problem.


The last patch for C&C Generals apparently came out in 2003 and EA hasn't released anything since (careful on their forums they lump all the C&C games together.).
Patches here : http://www.ea.com/official/cc/generals/us/demos.jsp

Definitely try compatibility for BFME and check the HD to find out where C&C is in Vista.
Some games ignore that special folder Vista has for them and if it installed itself someplace else that could be the problem.
Your friend may have to browse and manually install it to the right folder or copy the disk to the HD and install it correctly from their.
You can also try what happens when the UAC (User Account Control) is disabled both during install and while attempting to play.

[k9bliss]

Thanks Pam123, the info has been very helpful. Also went to HP and they sent me to update for windows Vista ( KB932246), so hopefully this will help.Thanks for the help, I'll check out the computer to see what is going on and use your sugguestions.

Spec HP Pavillion dv6000, (RX946AV) AMD TURION(+M) 64+2, 2gh. Memory 1918MB. 32 BIt OPS. DVD/CD DBL Layer Burned, wireless set-up.HD size or make?

Jim

[k9bliss]

Hi again,
Went on to Ea games and down loaded patches and also went to MS and got all the latest up date and patches for games. Now I have a different error!
Error: 1305. error reading from file C:\Program Files|Ea Games|C & C. Generals| Audio.big, verify that the file exists and that you can access it.
I know this is a older program, do you think that one of his friend might have an new version that it might load easier. Thanks for any help. Jim
P.S. found out that he has 80gig hd and it is 43% used already, could this be a problem in the near future for loading games on it.

[pam123]

Read through this : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/248263
He's still got room on the hard drive though once it gets to 75% he'll have to think about pulling stuff off of it or getting a larger one.

[k9bliss]

Thanks Pam, I went to the site and got a lot of info, you know when I looked at the cd it had a lg amount of dirt and scratches on it,I did my best to clean it up, that why I think another cd might do the job. I do know that he had loaded it onto a lap top that belong to one of his parents and it ran fine.The same cd but it had XP though not Vista. I have to tell him about the hd, I thought over 50% was walking on the tight side of running smoothly but thats cool. I did recommend to get a external HD to do back ups and store files etc. Thanks for the help, you have been great. Jim