Problems with trying to patch to 3.0...

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Author Topic:   Problems with trying to patch to 3.0...

Hawke posted 04-05-99 11:48 PM ET
I've been trying to patch to 3.0 and I continue to get the error seen in other posts when trying to patch the terran.exe:
"Old file not found...but there is one with the same name. Patch unsuccessful." or something to that effect.
I've tried your reccomendations of virus scanning, which I updated the files of two different scanners which found nothing in the SMAC directory. I also tried to fresh install but everything is the same...
So, until this seems to get a new solution or is fixed, I was considering trying to get a copy of the updated terran.exe... if I do this what other files do I need to make sure I get as well? Would that be a temp. solution?
Thanks,
Matt
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 04-06-99 08:44 AM ET
I wouldn't recommend that. Make sure you're using the right patch (US for US, UK for UK, etc.). If you're uncertain which you have, and it's in english, check the EA Technical Support help file. If it mentions the UK, it is. Otherwise it's the US. Reinstall the game just to make sure no files have been modified. If that still doesn't work, and it's hanging on the terran.exe file, you most likely DO have a virus, I'd wager the CIH virus. I'd recommend downloading the evalution copy of McAfee from www.mcafee.com.
jkm
firaxis games
MC posted 04-07-99 12:26 AM ET
I'm getting/have gotten the same or a very similar problem while trying to run both smacp3us.exe and smacpat2.exe - can't remember the exact message as I got sick of trying to upgrade some days ago, but will post it again as time permits.
I first got this error when I tried installing SMAC3 straight over the top of the base terran.exe file - I'd click the upgrade button, and immediately the error message would come up with the only option being to abort the process. Tried it several times, with patch files downloaded from different sites including alphacentauri.com
Friend suggested trying to install SMAC2 first, and then installing SMAC3 over the top - so I did this. At first, SMAC2 gave exactly the same error in exactly the same way (ie, immediately). By chance, I tried running the SMAC2 patch from the Firaxis/Alpha Centauri directory and it installed without problems. Went to play it with the patch installed, and it crashed/froze at the end of the game's first turn.
Also tried installing SMAC3 over the terran.exe file patched with SMAC2, and got the same error - but this time the install process got to 60% complete before aborting. Gave up in frustration and reinstalled the basic game (which works without problems, funnily enough .
I'm using the SMAC US Version - according to the help file - although a label on the box says 'Asia/Pacific Edition' (I'm guessing the only difference is maybe a few local catalog or advert inserts). Running a Celeron 330A, Windows 95 with DirectX 6.1 drivers (recently reinstalled), plenty of disk space, 64 Mb RAM, Matrox Millenium G200 AGP, Soundblaster AWE64.
Other people I know report similar problems, using similar setups.
The patch is a minor thing that I can (largely) live without ... but it'd be nice to actually witness all the cool features I read about here and elsewhere that it allows. Hope you can find a fix.
Doc
MC posted 04-07-99 12:27 AM ET
I'm getting/have gotten the same or a very similar problem while trying to run both smacp3us.exe and smacpat2.exe - can't remember the exact message as I got sick of trying to upgrade some days ago, but will post it again as time permits.
I first got this error when I tried installing SMAC3 straight over the top of the base terran.exe file - I'd click the upgrade button, and immediately the error message would come up with the only option being to abort the process. Tried it several times, with patch files downloaded from different sites including alphacentauri.com
Friend suggested trying to install SMAC2 first, and then installing SMAC3 over the top - so I did this. At first, SMAC2 gave exactly the same error in exactly the same way (ie, immediately). By chance, I tried running the SMAC2 patch from the Firaxis/Alpha Centauri directory and it installed without problems. Went to play it with the patch installed, and it crashed/froze at the end of the game's first turn.
Also tried installing SMAC3 over the terran.exe file patched with SMAC2, and got the same error - but this time the install process got to 60% complete before aborting. Gave up in frustration and reinstalled the basic game (which works without problems, funnily enough .
Finally, tried your own suggestion of virus scan - particularly looking for CIH amongst others. No dice, scan came up clean.
I'm using the SMAC US Version - according to the help file - although a label on the box says 'Asia/Pacific Edition' (I'm guessing the only difference is maybe a few local catalog or advert inserts). Running a Celeron 330A, Windows 95 with DirectX 6.1 drivers (recently reinstalled), plenty of disk space, 64 Mb RAM, Matrox Millenium G200 AGP, Soundblaster AWE64.
Other people I know report similar problems, using similar setups.
The patch is a minor thing that I can (largely) live without ... but it'd be nice to actually witness all the cool features I read about here and elsewhere that it allows. Hope you can find a fix.
Doc
MC posted 04-07-99 12:50 AM ET
Bah, sorry about the spam there before ...
Anyway, tried the update straight over the basic terran.exe file.
Tried it from a /temp directory first and got no error message other then 'Upgrade Aborted' with an OK button that ended the process. Happened immediately.
Copied SMAC3 file to the AC program directory and it started upgrading. Got to 69% overall, 50% through processing terran.exe and produced the error:
Invalid Patch File: '...\FIRAXIS GAMES\SID MEIER'S ALPHA CENTAURI\SMACP3US.EXE'

Doc
JoshMartin posted 04-07-99 01:04 AM ET
I'm having the same problem. I've done everything that's been recommended and nothing works. I think the patch utility doesn't get along with my system; Sierra used it for Tribes and it didn't work, either. (I had to download the "megapatch" that overwrote the files instead of modifying them.) I'm running a Pentium II 400 with 64 MB RAM, Win 98, and a Riva TNT card.
JoshMartin posted 04-07-99 01:05 AM ET
Oh, yes, and I'm running with the latest DirectX drivers (6.1) and have the US version of the game.
Hawke posted 04-07-99 01:09 AM ET
Yeah,
I have had tons of problems with patch files recently. I would not mind a megapatch at all, though I understand downloading such might be a larger file.
I would like to thank you however for not pulling a 'sin' or a 'fallout2'. Sin's patch was 20+ megs and the game was almost 100% unplayable without it. The Fallout2 (and a lot of other patches) don't allow you to play saved games of old versions on the new version. It really sucked being that far before the patch came out... Hat's off to successes in those ares
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Author	Topic: Problems with trying to patch to 3.0...
Hawke	posted 04-05-99 11:48 PM ET I've been trying to patch to 3.0 and I continue to get the error seen in other posts when trying to patch the terran.exe: "Old file not found...but there is one with the same name. Patch unsuccessful." or something to that effect. I've tried your reccomendations of virus scanning, which I updated the files of two different scanners which found nothing in the SMAC directory. I also tried to fresh install but everything is the same... So, until this seems to get a new solution or is fixed, I was considering trying to get a copy of the updated terran.exe... if I do this what other files do I need to make sure I get as well? Would that be a temp. solution? Thanks, Matt
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 04-06-99 08:44 AM ET I wouldn't recommend that. Make sure you're using the right patch (US for US, UK for UK, etc.). If you're uncertain which you have, and it's in english, check the EA Technical Support help file. If it mentions the UK, it is. Otherwise it's the US. Reinstall the game just to make sure no files have been modified. If that still doesn't work, and it's hanging on the terran.exe file, you most likely DO have a virus, I'd wager the CIH virus. I'd recommend downloading the evalution copy of McAfee from www.mcafee.com. jkm firaxis games
MC	posted 04-07-99 12:26 AM ET I'm getting/have gotten the same or a very similar problem while trying to run both smacp3us.exe and smacpat2.exe - can't remember the exact message as I got sick of trying to upgrade some days ago, but will post it again as time permits. I first got this error when I tried installing SMAC3 straight over the top of the base terran.exe file - I'd click the upgrade button, and immediately the error message would come up with the only option being to abort the process. Tried it several times, with patch files downloaded from different sites including alphacentauri.com Friend suggested trying to install SMAC2 first, and then installing SMAC3 over the top - so I did this. At first, SMAC2 gave exactly the same error in exactly the same way (ie, immediately). By chance, I tried running the SMAC2 patch from the Firaxis/Alpha Centauri directory and it installed without problems. Went to play it with the patch installed, and it crashed/froze at the end of the game's first turn. Also tried installing SMAC3 over the terran.exe file patched with SMAC2, and got the same error - but this time the install process got to 60% complete before aborting. Gave up in frustration and reinstalled the basic game (which works without problems, funnily enough . I'm using the SMAC US Version - according to the help file - although a label on the box says 'Asia/Pacific Edition' (I'm guessing the only difference is maybe a few local catalog or advert inserts). Running a Celeron 330A, Windows 95 with DirectX 6.1 drivers (recently reinstalled), plenty of disk space, 64 Mb RAM, Matrox Millenium G200 AGP, Soundblaster AWE64. Other people I know report similar problems, using similar setups. The patch is a minor thing that I can (largely) live without ... but it'd be nice to actually witness all the cool features I read about here and elsewhere that it allows. Hope you can find a fix. Doc
MC	posted 04-07-99 12:27 AM ET I'm getting/have gotten the same or a very similar problem while trying to run both smacp3us.exe and smacpat2.exe - can't remember the exact message as I got sick of trying to upgrade some days ago, but will post it again as time permits. I first got this error when I tried installing SMAC3 straight over the top of the base terran.exe file - I'd click the upgrade button, and immediately the error message would come up with the only option being to abort the process. Tried it several times, with patch files downloaded from different sites including alphacentauri.com Friend suggested trying to install SMAC2 first, and then installing SMAC3 over the top - so I did this. At first, SMAC2 gave exactly the same error in exactly the same way (ie, immediately). By chance, I tried running the SMAC2 patch from the Firaxis/Alpha Centauri directory and it installed without problems. Went to play it with the patch installed, and it crashed/froze at the end of the game's first turn. Also tried installing SMAC3 over the terran.exe file patched with SMAC2, and got the same error - but this time the install process got to 60% complete before aborting. Gave up in frustration and reinstalled the basic game (which works without problems, funnily enough . Finally, tried your own suggestion of virus scan - particularly looking for CIH amongst others. No dice, scan came up clean. I'm using the SMAC US Version - according to the help file - although a label on the box says 'Asia/Pacific Edition' (I'm guessing the only difference is maybe a few local catalog or advert inserts). Running a Celeron 330A, Windows 95 with DirectX 6.1 drivers (recently reinstalled), plenty of disk space, 64 Mb RAM, Matrox Millenium G200 AGP, Soundblaster AWE64. Other people I know report similar problems, using similar setups. The patch is a minor thing that I can (largely) live without ... but it'd be nice to actually witness all the cool features I read about here and elsewhere that it allows. Hope you can find a fix. Doc
MC	posted 04-07-99 12:50 AM ET Bah, sorry about the spam there before ... Anyway, tried the update straight over the basic terran.exe file. Tried it from a /temp directory first and got no error message other then 'Upgrade Aborted' with an OK button that ended the process. Happened immediately. Copied SMAC3 file to the AC program directory and it started upgrading. Got to 69% overall, 50% through processing terran.exe and produced the error: Invalid Patch File: '...\FIRAXIS GAMES\SID MEIER'S ALPHA CENTAURI\SMACP3US.EXE' Doc
JoshMartin	posted 04-07-99 01:04 AM ET I'm having the same problem. I've done everything that's been recommended and nothing works. I think the patch utility doesn't get along with my system; Sierra used it for Tribes and it didn't work, either. (I had to download the "megapatch" that overwrote the files instead of modifying them.) I'm running a Pentium II 400 with 64 MB RAM, Win 98, and a Riva TNT card.
JoshMartin	posted 04-07-99 01:05 AM ET Oh, yes, and I'm running with the latest DirectX drivers (6.1) and have the US version of the game.
Hawke	posted 04-07-99 01:09 AM ET Yeah, I have had tons of problems with patch files recently. I would not mind a megapatch at all, though I understand downloading such might be a larger file. I would like to thank you however for not pulling a 'sin' or a 'fallout2'. Sin's patch was 20+ megs and the game was almost 100% unplayable without it. The Fallout2 (and a lot of other patches) don't allow you to play saved games of old versions on the new version. It really sucked being that far before the patch came out... Hat's off to successes in those ares