Problem with Steel Panthers 1 & 2

Von Rom · Post by **Von Rom** » Fri Jun 16, 2000 2:00 pm

Please excuse my going off topic in this forum - but everyone has been so helpful in the past that I just had to post here again

My problem:

I installed Steel Panthers 1 and 2 on my computer. Thanks to Wild Bill I got them up and running and have been playing a lot of scenarios with them. A few days passed when I didn't play them very much. Then when I went to start them up today, nothing happened! Instead, I received the following message:

"vesa 480.dll load failed" (huh?)

I have never received that message before. This message appeared when I tried to start up both SP1 and SP2. Yet ALL of my other DOS games (The Great Naval Battles) and Win'98 games work fine.

My question is, is the above "vesa 480.dll" a Windows program? or is it found only in the Steel Panther games? Does this message mean that the Steel Panthers vesa drivers are no good? Or do I have to reconfigure Windows in some way?

What I have done already:

1) I have deleted both games and reinstalled them. Same problem.

2) I installed through Win' 98 and through DOS - still same problem.

3) I have checked all of my other games - none of them are affected like these two SP games are.

4) I have checked my system, soundcard, and video card configurations, and there are no conflicts or problems in my computer.

The problem only seems to involve Sp 1 and 2 and it involves a "vesa 480.dll" not loading.

My system: Win'98, PII 350, Voodoo3 2000 video card, 128MB RAM, SoundBlaster Live! sound card.

I sure would appreciate finding a solution to this problem. Otherwise I'll have to shelve one of my favorite games *sigh*.

Thanks

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

Jeff_Hradkowsky · Post by **Jeff_Hradkowsky** » Fri Jun 16, 2000 3:28 pm

vesa refers to the video drivers. I would suggest checking the website of the manufacturer of your video card for the latest and greatest drivers (then reinstall them), or possibly a patch for the video card

O de B · Post by **O de B** » Fri Jun 16, 2000 4:46 pm

Tried to run Scandisk ?
Maybe you've installed something on your PC during the few days you did'nt play ?
Perhaps it's a problem of base memory (the memory under 640 Ko ) ?
Try to run the game with no sound, and maybe in safe mode, when windows/DOS don't load too many drivers. Don't forget to be in full screen

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Fri Jun 16, 2000 7:13 pm

Hey Von Rom,

Something has been added or changed on your computer to make these two games react this way. The fact it is both of them indicates to me that you might have made some changes on the computer itself, a new program, new hardware, etc.

If that is the case, you might want to try removing that program or change and see if they work.

Other steps to take.

1. Which OS are you using? Win95-98?
2. How do you start the games - clicking on *.exe or with a shortcut?
3. If a shortcut, have you changed or modified the shortcut recently?
4.Have you removed the steel.prf file from your save directory in each game?

Let me know about all of this and we will see what we can do to help. Glad I was of help before. We'll try again!..WB

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Dean Robb · Post by **Dean Robb** » Fri Jun 16, 2000 8:35 pm

VESA is an old, DOS standard for video cards. It has been superceded several times. You don't need the driver, your card's W9x drivers handle the requirements just fine.

The game SHOULD continue to load and run. I get the same message (Monster Fusion card) but continue on and play just fine.

Von Rom · Post by **Von Rom** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 1:19 am

Thanks everyone, for all of your kind and thoughtful suggestions.

Here is what I have done today to try to resolve the problem. Nothing has worked.

1) I ran scandisk - no problems detected.

2) I reinstalled all of the original software drivers and tools for the 3dfx video card.

3) I installed 3 up-dates from the 3dfx website: 2 from Oct and Nov/99 and one from April/00. Version 1.04 is the latest version of this video card.

4) I reinstalled SP1 - the sound was detected OK and at the DOS prompt, right after the initial installation, the game worked fine! Then I exited the game, and started it by clicking on the desk-top icon - that's when I got that "vesa 480.dll not loaded" message again.

Next I maximized my DOS windows - same message.

Then I normalized the DOS windows - same message.

Then I tried to start SP1 via the DOS window. Instead of the "vesa" message - the game started, then all the colours started to run together and the game froze.

I turned the game sound off - same thing happened to SP1, either I received the "vesa" message or the colours ran together.

Wild Bill - I do have Win'98, and I didn't touch any "keys" in the save directories of the SP games before this happened.

I am completely baffled.

Although, it's interesting Wild Bill that you mention that it sounds like something happened to my computer. Two days ago - I was using Download Demon to download a number of files from the internet, and I started to get the message "DGI - error". So I had a heck of a time shutting off the downloader and deleting any remaining files that were going to be downloaded. I got off the internet and re-started my computer. That seems to be the time when I started to encounter these problems.

Initially, the SP games didn't even recognize that I had a sound card, even after repeated tries. But eventually, that problem just went away!

I had a problem loading my Great Naval Battles games too (they are DOS games as well) - at first no sound was detected. Then, miraculously that problem cleared up!

Now I just have the problem with the SP games not loading the "vesa 480.dll".

Could my DOS files have been corrupted? But if so, how can I play all of my other DOS games except Steel Panthers? (D'oh).

I hope you can help

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

[This message has been edited by Von Rom (edited 06-16-2000).]

Drake666 · Post by **Drake666** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 2:02 am

Just a few ideas you might want to try. They have worked for me more thin once.

1. Do a search for that file to see if it is even on your C: Drive.

2. If you dont find it on your C: drive. Search your CDs ontill you find that file. That way you will have a ideas what you will have to reinstall.

3. If it is on your C: Drive. What is its location, this may hilp you to find out what to reinstall.

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 3:18 am

That one is now beyond me, Von Rom. I am going to write you personally and have you write someone who may be able to help you.

He is pretty tough on this vesa issue.

I do think, however, that the problem relates to something that you have added or changed in recent days.

Write him anyway. Address on the way to you.

Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Schrullenhaft · Post by **Schrullenhaft** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 3:22 am

Have you tried running the games from a DOS prompt (after exiting Windows to DOS) ? A .dll file is usually associated with Windows. As Drake666 said you should do a search to see if this file comes up on your drive. If it is in the Windows directory (or Windows/System directory more than likely) you are looking at a file that is used by Windows.

If your game runs from DOS (you'll need device drivers for your CD and mouse loaded up - some from C:\CONFIG.SYS and others from C:\WINDOWS\DOSSTART.BAT or C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT) then you are having a problem with a Windows program. Possibly drivers from your video card. The "vesa 480.dll" file is possibly associated with your Voodoo3 drivers, but I'm not sure of that.

As stated earlier by Dean Robb - VESA is an old video standard. DOS games (like the SP series) used it exclusively to draw to the screen in a standard manner. VESA compatiblity is usually built into the ROM of almost all video cards since 1993 or so (other video cards required a file to be loaded up to gain VESA compatibility).

I need to go home and see if I can find that file on my system and see if it is associated with the installation of the SP series games.

U235 · Post by **U235** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 4:11 am

Von Rom, if all else fails you may want to make a DOS boot disk to pop in before you start your machine. Some older DOS games had some great boot disk utilities or you can make one from scratch. You can get a start by running MSconfig.exe, it's located in your Windows system file. Good luck.

Von Rom · Post by **Von Rom** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 6:26 am

Thanks for all of your input fellas. I really appreciate it

And thanks Wild Bill for the email addresses - I'll have to send out an email describing my problem.

Just an up-date on what I have done up until now:

1) I lowered the accelerator rate on my Voodoo3 2000 card - nada - same problem.

2) I installed SP3 - it works like a charm.

3) The only problems I have been having are with SP 1 and 2. Both DOS games.

Now, this is just speculation, but I was wondering if the problem might be my Creative Soundblaster Live! sound card. I have heard that some DOS games hate this card (the DOS subsim Silent Hunter comes to mind). Does anyone else have this sound card? And have you had any problem playing DOS games (especially Sp 1 and 2?) with it?

Thanks again everyone for all of your help

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

Von Rom · Post by **Von Rom** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 7:38 am

Success!

I finally got both Sp 1 and 2 to work

Not one to give up easily, I decided to take U-235's advice and I made a boot disk. Well, waddya know - presto - it works.

But there is a special proceedure I had to go through, so I'll let you know what I did, just in case others run into the same problem I did.

Proceedure:

1) I created a single "Boot Disk" to run with both SP 1 and 2.

2) I maximized the DOS window for both SP 1 and 2.

3) But, in order for the games to load and play properly, both games must be started from within their respective game directories (I discovered this after a bit of trial and error). Both will not work if you try to start the games from a desktop shortcut (don't ask me why - I don't have the foggiest idea - D'oh).

Anyway, that solved the problem (at least for now

) Whew - talk about a finicky game LOL - they are worse than 2 year old children - always demanding my time and attention.

Thanks everyone I really appreciate ALL of your wonderful help. And Wild Bill thanks very much for your kind and individual attention to my insignificant problem.

Now you know why people come to this forum to get answers to game problems - there is a ton of knowledge and experience here...

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 11:56 am

Great! Good news indeed. I think something in your shortcuts is short-circuiting your start, but let's just leave that for now (G). If it works, leave it be!

And that is why I love SPWAW. It is a Windows game now!

Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

U235 · Post by **U235** » Sat Jun 17, 2000 6:25 pm

Glad everything worked out!

Billy Yank · Post by **Billy Yank** » Mon Jun 19, 2000 7:44 pm

Originally posted by Von Rom:
3) But, in order for the games to load and play properly, both games must be started from within their respective game directories (I discovered this after a bit of trial and error). Both will not work if you try to start the games from a desktop shortcut (don't ask me why - I don't have the foggiest idea - D'oh).

Check the properties on the shortcut. Is the 'Start In:' box filled in with the game directory?

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Billy Yank
I don't define "my own" the way you want me to.