Trouble starting N2K2

Just spent the afternoon trying to help a friend get N2K2 to run again, with no luck. As of last Thursday everything was working fine for him. Now when we try to run the .exe file, nothing happens. Never changes from the desktop (and no, we're not trying to just run from a shortcut. Happens even trying to directly run the .exe file in the N2K2 directory). The very strange part is the same thing happens with N4 installed on the same machine, but all other programs seem to work fine. Here's what we've tried so far: 1. Reinstalled Win 98 2, Reinstalled (fresh) N2K2 3. Updated all video, sound, etc drivers 4. Swapped video card 5. Pulled modem and NIC cards 6. Ran defrag and scan disk System specs as near as I can remember are: PIII 1000 256k RAM Asus 7700 GeForce 2 SB Live Anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong? TIA, Bob G

Try setting N2002's screen mode to something absolutely standard, like 640x480x8 and see if that works. If it does, maybe there's something wrong with the graphics drivers and due to that error your system doesn't support the resolution N2002 has been set to. Achim

On Sun, 6 Oct 2002 20:28:13 -0700, "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>Just spent the afternoon trying to help a friend get N2K2 to run again, with >no luck. > >As of last Thursday everything was working fine for him. Now when we try to >run the .exe file, nothing happens. Never changes from the desktop (and no, >we're not trying to just run from a shortcut. Happens even trying to >directly run the .exe file in the N2K2 directory). > >The very strange part is the same thing happens with N4 installed on the >same machine, but all other programs seem to work fine. > >Here's what we've tried so far: > >1. Reinstalled Win 98 >2, Reinstalled (fresh) N2K2 >3. Updated all video, sound, etc drivers >4. Swapped video card >5. Pulled modem and NIC cards >6. Ran defrag and scan disk > >System specs as near as I can remember are: > >PIII 1000 >256k RAM >Asus 7700 GeForce 2 >SB Live > >Anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong?

A longshot, but, any changes to his CD-ROM drive? As you may know, NR4 and (apparently) NR2002 have a somewhat sensitive copy protection. I had installed NR4 and it stopped working for me (it would report "Kernel error" at start-up). I later tracked it down to a non-obvious CD-ROM drive hardware failure. This caused the copy protection to fail. YMMV. "But in a way, fear is a big part of racing, because if there was nothing to be frightened of, and no limit, any fool could get into a motor car and racing would not exist as a sport." -- Jim Clark

Thanks for the response, AT We tried all kinds of different screen resolutions between desktop and game. Now the real strange part is, that his wife's computer, networked to this one, is doing the same thing. Tried installing N4 on her machine, try to run the program, and nothing. Never even tries to leave the desktop. Bob "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:anrdtl$ggfj2$[email hidden]... > Try setting N2002's screen mode to something absolutely standard, like > 640x480x8 and see if that works. If it does, maybe there's something wrong > with the graphics drivers and due to that error your system doesn'tsupport > the resolution N2002 has been set to. > > Achim > >

Thanks for the response, Jeff. I had heard about this error in the past, but this doesn't seem to be the problem. It just never goes past the desktop at all. See my reply to AT....now doing similar thing on different networked computer. Was working fine...made no software or hardware changes at all, and then this. This one really has me stumped. "Jeff Vincent" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > On Sun, 6 Oct 2002 20:28:13 -0700, "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > >Just spent the afternoon trying to help a friend get N2K2 to run again,with > >no luck. > > > >As of last Thursday everything was working fine for him. Now when we tryto > >run the .exe file, nothing happens. Never changes from the desktop (andno,

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> >we're not trying to just run from a shortcut. Happens even trying to > >directly run the .exe file in the N2K2 directory). > > > >The very strange part is the same thing happens with N4 installed on the > >same machine, but all other programs seem to work fine. > > > >Here's what we've tried so far: > > > >1. Reinstalled Win 98 > >2, Reinstalled (fresh) N2K2 > >3. Updated all video, sound, etc drivers > >4. Swapped video card > >5. Pulled modem and NIC cards > >6. Ran defrag and scan disk > > > >System specs as near as I can remember are: > > > >PIII 1000 > >256k RAM > >Asus 7700 GeForce 2 > >SB Live > > > >Anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong? > > A longshot, but, any changes to his CD-ROM drive? > > As you may know, NR4 and (apparently) NR2002 have a somewhat > sensitive copy protection. I had installed NR4 and it stopped working > for me (it would report "Kernel error" at start-up). I later tracked > it down to a non-obvious CD-ROM drive hardware failure. This caused > the copy protection to fail. YMMV. > > "But in a way, fear is a big part of racing, because if there was > nothing to be frightened of, and no limit, any fool could get into > a motor car and racing would not exist as a sport." -- Jim Clark

I don't really have a clue what this could be right now, but could you run a process viewer when starting N2002 or N4 and see if the exe appears in the process list at all, even for a brief moment? If it happens on two machines coexisting on the same network, could it have to do with the network? Something like either the network preventing N2002 or N4 from finding the CD, or like N2002 or N4 upon startup checking the network and not liking what it finds? It doesn't look like a network issue, but if the common denominator between the two machines is the network, this should at least be checked. Could you try to briefly pull the network cable or even the network card and see if that changes anything? Achim "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3da1d7a8$[email hidden]... > Thanks for the response, AT > > We tried all kinds of different screen resolutions between desktop andgame.

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> > Now the real strange part is, that his wife's computer, networked to this > one, is doing the same thing. Tried installing N4 on her machine, try to > run the program, and nothing. Never even tries to leave the desktop. > > Bob > "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:anrdtl$ggfj2$[email hidden]... > > Try setting N2002's screen mode to something absolutely standard, like > > 640x480x8 and see if that works. If it does, maybe there's something

wrong

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> > with the graphics drivers and due to that error your system doesn't > support > > the resolution N2002 has been set to. > > > > Achim > > > > > >

Yes, we did pull NIC and modem, even tried a different video card....no luck. Going to bite the bullet and reformat and install XP Thanks again for your suggestions. Bob "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ansv79$gl7fi$[email hidden]... > I don't really have a clue what this could be right now, but could you runa > process viewer when starting N2002 or N4 and see if the exe appears in the > process list at all, even for a brief moment? > > If it happens on two machines coexisting on the same network, could ithave > to do with the network? Something like either the network preventing N2002 > or N4 from finding the CD, or like N2002 or N4 upon startup checking the > network and not liking what it finds? It doesn't look like a networkissue, > but if the common denominator between the two machines is the network,this > should at least be checked. > > Could you try to briefly pull the network cable or even the network cardand

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> see if that changes anything? > > Achim > > > "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:3da1d7a8$[email hidden]... > > Thanks for the response, AT > > > > We tried all kinds of different screen resolutions between desktop and > game. > > > > Now the real strange part is, that his wife's computer, networked to

this > > one, is doing the same thing. Tried installing N4 on her machine, tryto

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> > run the program, and nothing. Never even tries to leave the desktop. > > > > Bob > > "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > > news:anrdtl$ggfj2$[email hidden]... > > > Try setting N2002's screen mode to something absolutely standard, like > > > 640x480x8 and see if that works. If it does, maybe there's something > wrong > > > with the graphics drivers and due to that error your system doesn't > > support > > > the resolution N2002 has been set to. > > > > > > Achim > > > > > > > > > > > >

Try the appropriate no-cd patch for your version, and see if that cures the problem. If it does, you know that something on your systems is not securerom compatible. The no-cd patches can be found any number of sites but i know they can be had a www.theuspits.com -- Biz "Don't touch that please, your primitive intellect wouldn't understand alloys and compositions and,......things with molecular structures,....and the....." - Ash Bob G <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Just spent the afternoon trying to help a friend get N2K2 to run again, with > no luck. > > As of last Thursday everything was working fine for him. Now when we try to > run the .exe file, nothing happens. Never changes from the desktop (and no, > we're not trying to just run from a shortcut. Happens even trying to > directly run the .exe file in the N2K2 directory). > > The very strange part is the same thing happens with N4 installed on the > same machine, but all other programs seem to work fine. > > Here's what we've tried so far: > > 1. Reinstalled Win 98 > 2, Reinstalled (fresh) N2K2 > 3. Updated all video, sound, etc drivers > 4. Swapped video card > 5. Pulled modem and NIC cards > 6. Ran defrag and scan disk > > System specs as near as I can remember are: > > PIII 1000 > 256k RAM > Asus 7700 GeForce 2 > SB Live > > Anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong? > > TIA, > Bob G > >

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. But I'd try Biz' idea before reformatting. Achim "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3da231d4$[email hidden]...

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> Yes, we did pull NIC and modem, even tried a different video card....no > luck. > > Going to bite the bullet and reformat and install XP > > Thanks again for your suggestions. > > Bob

Have you scanned for viruses lately? "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Just spent the afternoon trying to help a friend get N2K2 to run again,with > no luck. > > As of last Thursday everything was working fine for him. Now when we tryto > run the .exe file, nothing happens. Never changes from the desktop (andno,

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> we're not trying to just run from a shortcut. Happens even trying to > directly run the .exe file in the N2K2 directory). > > The very strange part is the same thing happens with N4 installed on the > same machine, but all other programs seem to work fine. > > Here's what we've tried so far: > > 1. Reinstalled Win 98 > 2, Reinstalled (fresh) N2K2 > 3. Updated all video, sound, etc drivers > 4. Swapped video card > 5. Pulled modem and NIC cards > 6. Ran defrag and scan disk > > System specs as near as I can remember are: > > PIII 1000 > 256k RAM > Asus 7700 GeForce 2 > SB Live > > Anybody have any ideas on what might be wrong? > > TIA, > Bob G > >