SOS !!! I hate those Micro's....

...Microsoft for releasing DX7 without an option to go back to 6.1 and Microprose for installing this piece of sh** on my system without asking me first! And what happened? My LWFF is dead, of course! I read about this problem and avoided DX7 like the devil the holy water, but then I was stupid enough to try out the SOS demo, even when 99% of the people in RAS said it was totally crap! (Damned curiousity - I just wanted to know, if it really were *that* bad) So I sit there, DX7 installed, SOS demo wiped out from my HD and unable to drive GPL. :-( Think, this was the last game demo I'll try for the next couple of months! Is anybody out there able to tell me, how I can get rid of DX7 without reformatting my HD or how I can get the LWFF to work with it? Do the new drivers work with it? I'm using 3.20, but I don't use the Profiler (it just messes up the dead-zone and linearity). Can I do that with the new ones (3.30, I think) also and be able to set the properties in the control panel? (I've heard, this only works through the Profiler now?) Please help! Peter (*really* hot at the moment) Vienna, Austria

Ditto! Got done installing SOS, noted DX7 had been installed WITHOUT MY PERMISSION and spent the next 2 hours undoing the damage it did. Nice. -- Shannon "Gritz" Petty "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

WHy?? The game is abismal.. I was literally laughing after 3 seconds!!!! But then.. I discover it installed DX7!!!!! No warning!!!!! No messagees!!! Shit.. I hope GPL still works.. as well as everything else.... Very annoyed... James Pickard

Peter, The 3.25 Profiler can be uninstalled, and just keep the drivers like 3.20. 3.30 screws this up for a FF wheel I believe. Haven't actually tried my LT FF since I installed 3.30. I agree the Profiler screws up my car control in GPL. I have seen an uninstall utility for DX7 talked about somewhere, but I didn't keep an address. Kevin Caldwell

No problems with GPL (or any other program) with DX7 but Liveware 3 for the Live! soundcard and (Voodoo 3-3000) caused N3 and GPL not to work! Curiously not on my second computer with Voodoo 2 Alan

There's a DX 7 uninstaller at this URL.. Basically, what it does is label your latest version as, say, DX1, then when you reinstall DX6.1 it'll go right over the top of it. http://www.heise.de/ct/ftp/99/03/204/english.shtml Colin (Bom)

There is problem with LiveWare 3 and Voodoo 3 cards. Something to do with the Launcher, if you exit this before running a game it should be OK. I ended up doing a reformat to get rid DX7 because I though that was the problem, it wasn't - mind you I'm only running 6.1 at the moment but I can still simulate the game crashes in GPL and SCGT. Andi.

I've been running DX7 since it first came available off of MS website, and haven't had a single problem with my LWFF.... You might want to try re-installing your LWFF driver again and see if that doesn't clear up your problems? BTW, are you running the USB or Serial version, because I'm running the USB version, so I don't know if that would make a difference or not.

Many thanks for the link, Colin! I'll try it out, but in the moment I have problems downloading it (hopefully caused by Inet-traffic) Peter Vienna, Austria

Strange... I'm running the USB version too. Since DX7 has invaded my system, nothing happens in the GPL calibration, it seems not to 'see' the wheel. Same thing with the SOS demo. But in the control panel, everything is OK. Maybe a driver reinstall helps, I'll try that out. Peter Vienna, Austria

Well, I didn't actually uninstall it, just prevented it from loading at system start. I don't know. But I remember reading somewhere, that all the settings regarding split axis and strength of forces moved from the control panel to the profiler with 3.30. The question is, if these settings remain, when the profiler is not loaded. Haven't actually tried my LT Yep. Stupid, that Logi didn't include an untweaked setting in the profiler! Well, I've got a link from Colin Harris in another reply, just fighting to d/l this thingy. Peter Vienna, Austria

I also have a SBLive and a V3 3000, but I'm still on Liveware 2. So Lw 3 seems to be another thing to avoid, if you want to play (sorry..., drive!) GPL Peter Vienna, Austria

Jeez, that's sick, I didn't even know this damn demo had basically acted like a malicious virus on my system. Joe McGinn ========================================== Staff Writer for the Sports *** Network [link lost in import: /***.com/] ==========================================

That is unbelievably rude. I can't believe any modern software developer is dumb enough to do that.

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>WHy?? >The game is abismal.. I was literally laughing after 3 seconds!!!! >But then.. I discover it installed DX7!!!!! No warning!!!!! No >messagees!!! Shit.. I hope GPL still works.. as well as everything >else.... >Very annoyed... >James Pickard >> ...Microsoft for releasing DX7 without an option to go back to 6.1 and >> Microprose for installing this piece of sh** on my system without asking >me >> first! >> And what happened? My LWFF is dead, of course! I read about this problem >and >> avoided DX7 like the devil the holy water, but then I was stupid enough to >> try out the SOS demo, even when 99% of the people in RAS said it was >totally >> crap! (Damned curiousity - I just wanted to know, if it really were *that* >> bad) >> So I sit there, DX7 installed, SOS demo wiped out from my HD and unable to >> drive GPL. :-( Think, this was the last game demo I'll try for the next >> couple of months! >> Is anybody out there able to tell me, how I can get rid of DX7 without >> reformatting my HD or how I can get the LWFF to work with it? Do the new >> drivers work with it? I'm using 3.20, but I don't use the Profiler (it >just >> messes up the dead-zone and linearity). Can I do that with the new ones >> (3.30, I think) also and be able to set the properties in the control >panel? >> (I've heard, this only works through the Profiler now?) >> Please help! >> Peter (*really* hot at the moment) >> Vienna, Austria

Joe McGinn ========================================== Staff Writer for the Sports *** Network [link lost in import: /***.com/] ==========================================

Make sure you have the latest drivers for your LWFF. I've got a friend who was running 3.2 and when he upgraded to DX7 the wheel wouldn't work. As soon as he went to 3.3 it worked fine. -- Michael Horton Webmaster of http://www.bus.nait.ab.ca/staff/mikeh/gpl GPL F2/F3 Hotlaps and http://www.bus.nait.ab.ca/staff/mikeh/html HTML for Begineers > > I've been running DX7 since it first came available off of MS website, and > > haven't had a single problem with my LWFF.... > > You might want to try re-installing your LWFF driver again and see if that > > doesn't clear up your problems? > > BTW, are you running the USB or Serial version, because I'm running the > USB > > version, so I don't know if that would make a difference or not. > Strange... I'm running the USB version too. Since DX7 has invaded my system, > nothing happens in the GPL calibration, it seems not to 'see' the wheel. > Same thing with the SOS demo. But in the control panel, everything is OK. > Maybe a driver reinstall helps, I'll try that out. > Peter > Vienna, Austria

Hmm, I'm running DX7 , SB Live with Liveware 3.0 drivers, and V3 3000 and have no problems running any of my games. I do close down creative launcher before launching the sims though. -- Don Burnette > > No problems with GPL (or any other program) with DX7 but Liveware 3 for > the > > Live! soundcard and (Voodoo 3-3000) caused N3 and GPL not to work! > Curiously > > not on my second computer with Voodoo 2 > > Alan > I also have a SBLive and a V3 3000, but I'm still on Liveware 2. So Lw 3 > seems to be another thing to avoid, if you want to play (sorry..., drive!) > GPL > Peter > Vienna, Austria

Depends. If the game needs Dx7 and it says so in the literature, then by electing to install the game you are electing by default to install DX7. Its rather pointless to install a game that needs whatever new version of DX [or any other API]. However, the installer program SHOULD at least inform you it needs to install DX version whatever and at least give you the option of not installing the demo at that time. But all this whining about DX7 being a malicious virus, "infecting the system", being installed "without your permission", etc, etc. is the same tired bs that happens at about every release of DX it seems. Before complaining, try updating ALL your drivers for audio, video and any other *** periperhals. And btw, when you click that "install ok" button in any installer program you are giving that program your permission to install anything it needs, period. Try reading all the readme.txt and other information files that come with a demo or other program to make sure agree for the most part with what it is installing and the requirements, such as DX7, to run the software. If you don't agree with any of it, don't install the program.

The above paragraph is the only whining I've seen here. I'm speaking about this version, which doesn't work on my system, and was installed by a developer who would do well do learn the phrase "sufficient incompetence is indistinguishable from malice". Of course people are pissed off at them. BULLSHIT. It's MY system. No software should EVER update drivers or any other system files without asking me for permission. Fortunately most developers know this. I'm surprised that one as experienced as Microprose does not. Joe McGinn ========================================== Staff Writer for the Sports *** Network [link lost in import: /***.com/] ==========================================

<snip> Yes. You're absolutely right. In fact, I've *never* seen any program, full release or demo, which needed a certain version of DirectX, not to ask if I want to install it. The installation *has* to inform me, when it wants to make a major system change (which DirectX certainly is) *before* I click that "install ok" button. And for a demo this is even more necessary. There I don't have a box written on it "requires DirectX 7". I just want to d/l it and fire it up to give it a try and not be forced to gather infos, if it maybe could damage my system! But all these problems wouldn't be there, if the idiots at Microsoft would provide a way to uninstall DirectX (shouldn't be *that* hard, eh?). Are they really so arrogant, that they think their newest DirectX version will work with *every* hardware-driver-software combination out there? If not, why don't they do it then? Peter Vienna, Austria

> ...Microsoft for releasing DX7 without an option to go back to 6.1 and > Microprose for installing this piece of sh** on my system without asking me > first! > And what happened? My LWFF is dead, of course! I read about this problem and avoided DX7 like the devil the holy water, but then I was s hmmmn dx 7 on my system, LWFF, still working and my Aureal 2.0 sounds comming through on other sims. dunno what the problem is. The stable systems seem to tolerate DX7 quite well. But for some reason many users are having troubles with it. I do find it amusing tho...back (waaay back) when DX 6 came out. Man there was screaming and wailing and EVERYBODY needed to go back to dx5 if they wanted their systems to run. Well dangit...here is the same bleeting about dx7 and are they running back to dx5??? nope! that awful buggy unreliable dx6. dave henrie

>if they wanted their systems to run. Well dangit...here is the same >bleeting about dx7 and are they running back to dx5??? nope! that >awful buggy unreliable dx6. 6.1 actually ... Directx has become one of those things were I usually wait for the point-1 release, unless I absolutely need the upgrade for some reason. Joe McGinn ========================================== Staff Writer for the Sports *** Network [link lost in import: /***.com/] ==========================================

: Yes. You're absolutely right. In fact, I've *never* seen any program, full : release or demo, which needed a certain version of DirectX, not to ask if I : want to install it. Masters of Orion II - by... Microprose. And very annoying it was too since (IIRC) it installs direct X 2. (If you think DirectX 6 is bad, those early versions were a ***y curse). -- Richard G. Clegg Only the mind is waving Networks and Non-Linear Dynamics Group Dept. of Mathematics, Uni. of York www: http://manor.york.ac.uk/

Well, I didn't notice any problems other than my LWFF not being recognized anymore in GPL (and in the SOS demo too, so I think in every game). My system was (and *is* with DX7, except the LWFF problem) very stable before the invasion of DX7. I don't blame Microsoft for creating problems with a new DirectX version on some systems (there are so many different system configurations out there, it's very unlikely, that it instantly runs on all of them without problems), but why the hell don't they include an uninstaller with it? And given that, why does Microprose install it for a *demo* without asking for permission? When I have a working configuration, I avoid to change it, if it's not *really* necessary (i.e. a new program I 'must' have needs an upgrade, or the upgrade really improves something like fps, graphics or sound quality, etc.), but I'd never do a system upgrade for a game demo. Yes, every new DirectX version seems to have had caused problems, when it came out. I remember having DX3 on my old computer (a P133 without 3d acceleration) and everything was running fine. Then I installed DX5 for some game and it caused mayhem to my system. After a reinstall I didn't play any game, which needed anything other than DX3 until I got my new machine and installed 6.1 on it... Peter Vienna, Austria

Well..., OK! Of course I havent't tried *every* game out there. Didn't know about this one. Seems, that Microprose doesn't care, if their customers get problems with their proggys. I for one will be *very* careful with Microprose games/demos in the future! BTW, I don't think that DirectX *7* is bad, but I find it very bad, that it can't be removed from your system without a hassle. Peter Vienna, Austria