Decompression error during unzip

[Gargoyl]

I have downloaded TOAW III three times, and each time I get the same message when I try to install the game that a decompression error occurs at (#5) fran?ise.dll (question mark looks like a garble). When I skip that particular file the game continues to install but when I try to play, I get the message "TOAW cannot find expected registry information." As I have said, I attempted three different downloads of the zip file and got the same message. This is my third Matrix game I've purchased through downloading, but the first problem I've encountered. I hope I can fix this as I have fond memories of the TOAW series.

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: Anton

I have downloaded TOAW III three times, and each time I get the same message when I try to install the game that a decompression error occurs at (#5) fran?ise.dll (question mark looks like a garble). When I skip that particular file the game continues to install but when I try to play, I get the message "TOAW cannot find expected registry information." As I have said, I attempted three different downloads of the zip file and got the same message. This is my third Matrix game I've purchased through downloading, but the first problem I've encountered. I hope I can fix this as I have fond memories of the TOAW series.

I think someone else may have had a similar problem. What language to you have as your default language on your PC?

Can you swtich it to English, install, then switch back?

Thanks,
Ralph

[Gargoyl]

My computer's default language is Korean, but I never had any problem before with language as it is able to read English. Frankly, my Korean's not so good, but it's pretty much the same as th English version of Win XP. I noticed that the two language files set up in the game's directory after installation is English and Deutch, so I'm wondering if it's not able to read the French. I also noticed that the uninstall wouldn't work, so I had to delete the game directly. I didn't see any manual either, just a catalogue. Anyway, I'll try a fresh install in the morning. I'm not sure about being able to switch the PC to English, though as I said, it reads English and Korean no problem.

[Gargoyl]

I work in Korea, so the computer I purchased is in Korean. I know the layout of WinXP is pretty much the same as the English version, but I'm not sure where I go to switch to English (my Korean's not very good, I end up using a Korean-English dictionary and a Windows XP English manual).

[ralphtricky]

You might try running the program after the failed install too, to see if it only failed to install that file.

The option is in the control panel under regional and language settings.

Ralph

[JAMiAM]

Check Windows Update for foreign language support for your computer. Download and install any French language and international character support files. I believe that the problem is that your computer is not translating the "ç" character.

[Gargoyl]

I switched my default language to English, which allowed the French files to load, but then when the program files were almost totally decompressed I got a message that said "could not create uninstall shortcut." After this, I tried to run the game but I got the same message as before that "TOAW can't find expected registry information." I took a look at the files downloaded--the uninstall files look similar to those in my other Matrix games. But I ought to say that there is no TOAW shortcut icon on my desktop or program files window. When I first was where to place the game, it created a separate Matrix Games file not connected to the one holding my other two Matrix games. When that didn't work, I deleted the game and set it up again, this time inside the Matrix folder in its own game folder along the other Matrix game folders from games that I've purchased previously and that do have proper shortcut icons on the desktop. Either way, I got the same error messages. Is there a way to override the shortcut? It seems that I am given two choices, an icon for my use only or one for general use, but in both cases the uninstall shortcut isn't created.

[larryfulkerson]

Is your OS Windows XP for Home ? That OS doesn't allow "third parties" to write to the C: drive except in the "my documents" folder. I ran into that problemo on my mom's laptop. The workaround I used was to create the shortcut manually, but I'm afraid that may not work with the "uninstall" shortcut....because I'm not sure what uninstall executes to do it's work. Maybe Ralph can lend his expertise here. Hint, hint.

[Gargoyl]

Yes, my OS is the Home edition of WinXP.  Any ideas on a workaround?

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Anton
Yes, my OS is the Home edition of WinXP.  Any ideas on a workaround?

Yes, perhaps you can try to do this:



Creating a shortcut on your desktop manually might just do the trick, incase you ever need to uninstall, just click on the shortcut.

[Gargoyl]

Well, I tried creating my own shortcut but the game still doesn't play.  I get the same message that TOAW cannot find expected registry information and I may have to reinstall the game. 

[ralphtricky]

I don't have any experience with XP home.

Here are some things to try...

Install to C:\Program Files\TOAW, or to C:|TOAW

Can you log in as the administrator? I know that I can with XP Pro.

Ralph

[Gargoyl]

I tried C:\Program Files\TOAW, but the same results as before.  It always gets to the uninstall shortcut and sas it is unable to create this.  And of course when I attempt to play the game, the message is the same on being unable to find the expected registry and that I may have to reinstall the game.  What I wonder is how my other two Matrix games donwloaded perfectly.  I also wonder that since the icon that would normally be on the desktop is labled as Opart 3, if that would work as a location when asked to create an uninstall location.  I am not all that computer savvy, I'm afraid, but I figure there must be a way to make this work.  I mentioned my troubles to a guy at work who is familiar with WinXp and he said he didn't think their were that many differences between Home and Professonal.  Lastly, where or what does it mean to use C:l TOAW instead of backslash? 

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: Anton

I tried C:\Program Files\TOAW, but the same results as before. It always gets to the uninstall shortcut and sas it is unable to create this. And of course when I attempt to play the game, the message is the same on being unable to find the expected registry and that I may have to reinstall the game. What I wonder is how my other two Matrix games donwloaded perfectly. I also wonder that since the icon that would normally be on the desktop is labled as Opart 3, if that would work as a location when asked to create an uninstall location. I am not all that computer savvy, I'm afraid, but I figure there must be a way to make this work. I mentioned my troubles to a guy at work who is familiar with WinXp and he said he didn't think their were that many differences between Home and Professonal. Lastly, where or what does it mean to use C:l TOAW instead of backslash?

SOrry, the C:| was a typo, I meant C:\TOAW

OK, let's try one more thing...

Log in as administrator, to do this in XP Home, shut down your computer, as it starts up, hit the F8 key several times until a menu comes up the top option should be safe mode. Select that option. At the login screen, log in as administrator, I don't believe it has a password unless you set it.

Once the system comes up, try running setup again.

Let me know if that works. If it doesn't work, don't try uninstalling it, send me an email and I'll walk you through some other things to try.

Go ahead and reboot your computer and log in as yourself.

I'm not sure why you're having so many problems with the install when the other games installed fine. Have you done anything else with your computer since you installed the first games?

[Gargoyl]

I followed your instructions for reinstalling TOAW III after having logged on as administrator but I ended up with the same results--it stops just before the end and says it can't create the uninstall shortcut.  You had asked me if I'd done anything different with this game from Battles in Italy or Crown of Glory.  The only difference I can think of is that those games I downloaded and unzipped onto blank CDs and this one I downloaded into a file in my Documents folder.  I unzipped it from there.  And the other two games unzipped with no language problem even though my computer is Korean.  I have been changing the language to English to unzip this one, which got me past the first problem I had had when the unzipping would stop at the French.dll files, since as someone had suggested, the computer might not be able to read the French alphabet.  But now I wonder if I ought to change the language to French, in case it's getting hung up at the end.  It's driving me crazy because it almost completely unzips until the uninstall.  As I stated previously, my computer is XP Home Edition and I've tried everything else mentioned in the previous posts on this thread.  After the incomplete install, no icon is created on the desktop or on the programs window.  I could only access the game by clicking on "MY Computer" and opening up the specific game folder and clicking on the autorun apllication, which of course opens up the initial game screen, but when I hit play, it tells me expected registry information cannot be found and I may have to reinstall.  I did notice that an uninstall folder is created among the game files.  I'm not all that computer literate, but I hope this information helps someone who is.
Anton

[JAMiAM]

Something that is not making any sense to me, and perhaps it is just a miscommunication, but you say that it is having problems unzipping. It sounds to me that you are not even getting to the installation process. I'm not positive here, because there might be some packaging difference between the beta release candidate builds that the QA team used, but when you download, you should be downloading a .zip file. You then need to unzip the downloaded file, before "installing". This will create a separate folder, with the self-executing installer package. You should then open that file, by a simple click (or double-click) on the installer file. This will launch the installer, ask for your serial number, etc. Are you doing these steps? If so, then please state exactly where you are having a problem with "unzipping". You should not be unzipping the installer file itself.

[Gargoyl]

Sorry, my miscommunication. The download successfully unzipped. It's the setup application that gets stuck. I input my serial number and am given a folder location (I tried the variants listed in this thread previously), and a shortcut folder with the option making it available to the current user or to all users (I tried both ways). The installation of the game always hang just at the end when it gets to installing a shortcut, as I mentioned previously.

[Gargoyl]

OK, I went through several more installaton attempts. All end up stopping at the installation shortcut, giving me this message-- C:\Documents and settings\owner\????\????\The Operational Art of War III\Uninstall The Operational Art of War III.lnk

None of the installations I have tried have produced any shortcut start up icon on either the desktop or the program window such as Battles in Italy and Crown of Glory have, although when I've installed under C:\Program Files\Matrix\The Operational Art of War III I at least get an uninstall in the windows uninstall programs window which does let me uninstall the game. I have tried installing as the administrator but with the same results. My questions are why does the game installation attempt to install under documents and settings, and has anyone else with WinXP Home Edition had this problem?

[Gargoyl]

I haven't heard anything yay or nay now for a few days on this installation problem.  I've had this game two weeks now and can't get past this setup installation problem.  I've attempted over ten installations trying everything suggested in this thread, all to no avail.  I checked over old games, installing and uninstalling with no problem.  If the problem is, as was suggested in an earlier post on this thread, with using WinXp Home edition, I want to point out that upon purchasing this game I checked the requirements which state merely WinXP, not specifically WinXP Pro.  If there is no workaround then I've blown 40 bucks and two weeks of frustration all for nothing.

[larryfulkerson]

Hey Anton:

Have you tried installing the pig in c:\My documents\the rest of the name

Sometimes WinXP Home version doesn't want third parties to write their files just anywhere on the hard disk but WILL allow them to write to C:\my documents
for some reason.

I ran into that problemo with my mom's laptop. I hate WinXP home version for this reason.

Oh, and one other tip.....try installing this thing for just the one person instead of everybody. I had that problem too.