PoR vs WIN2K

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Without spamming too much details, just to say I’m currently on this game... it is warezed version – there is no PoR in Europe yet and I can’t wait! Whatever.

I’m researching every possible detail about this game and I found something that pissed me completely. It is possible that the reason is because it is not original, but I really don’t think so.
Let me just say I have a variety of possibilities to test the installations – that is what I in fact sometimes do at work. So here are my findings about PoR. UNPATCHED.

Installing on WIN98 works fine. Dunno about uninstall – that is what I won’t test without the patch. Reinstalling complete OS just because of bugged uninstall sequence is something I don’t want to perform.
Anyway, instead of uninstall I just deleted the game files and registry entries manually.
According to my previous experience, anything that goes on WIN98 should also work on WIN95 and WINme, so I won’t test those. If you do have those two and have a problems with installation, post it.
Summary: play the game on WIN98, but for uninstall get the patch or delete the game manually.

Next I tried with install on WINNT 4.0 SP 6a. It is not very often that a game works on that OS. But all other games this site covers work on WINNT and I wanted to see what’s with PoR.
Installation proceeds without any possible complain. But the game won’t start! It is not much surprise – the game needs DirectX 8.0a, and you can’t have that on NT 4.0.
Ok, since it was NT, I started uninstall – there were no problems, system remained untouched, uninstallation sequence finished without problems.
Summary: you can install PoR on NT, but you can’t play it.

Finally I took the discs on WIN2K. Installation started. And then the setup dropped an error: “Not enough space”!?!?
Excuse me, I said, but there is about 20 GB free space there... And the game asks for about 1,2 GB for full installation.
OK, tried with minimal (about 0,6 GB), again the same message.
Checked HD – everything is OK. Testing the machine more with another installation (that asks 3GB) works?!
Hmmm....

The machine carries:
- WIN2K (SP1)
- MS Office
- WinZip
- Sophos Anti-Virus (disabled)
- all drivers needed
- nothing else

On this machine I tested many things and never got this kind of problem. Then I tried the installation on another WIN2K machine and goth the same problem.

But then I remembered something – DirectX! And yes, the version of DirectX installed was DirectX 7.0!
Ok, there is DirectX 8.0a on the PoR disc 1, let’s install it.
Surprise, surprise – it CAN’T be installed on 2K!?!? The version included on the disc is WIN9x and WINme ONLY!

Now I got pissed. And then I downloaded DirectX 8.0a for WIN2K from MS site. And installed it. Thank god, now it should work...

ARGH! The setup AGAIN returns an error with “not enough space”

Now I got back to my notes. There was a problem similar to this one – in the game called Outcast (great game btw, graphically not very shiny, any old crap computer can run it, a must have classic for quests and action lovers). But in case of Outcast, creators were aware of the “not enough space” problem that occured BEFORE they released the game, so there was a special patch on installation discs for those who might get that problem. Such patch IS NOT included on PoR installation disc (at least not on warez).
Ok, then I remembered something else. Remember the game Magic the Gathering? Yes, WOTC version for PC? It CAN’T be installed on WIN2K too! Does this means that WOTC games hate WIN2K?

The most interesting thing in all this is that readme file says nothing about WIN2K. Like noone will play this game on that OS. What were they thinking?

Beautiful, I say. I’m aware that there are many members on SP that use WIN2K. Unless there is a patch that removes this problem with wrong info on HD space, I advise all of you who use WIN2K – DO NOT BUY Pool of Radiance!!!

I’m sorry if this is misinformative post, I really haven’t checked PoR site to see if something is said about this problem. I play the game on WIN98.
If you have any info on “not enough space” problem, please post it. Not for me, but for this community.

 

The uninstallation works as long as you've had no problems installing the game. In which case do not try to uninstall. Remove the game and reg entries manually as extremist has done.

I've seen many people playing the game without a glitch with win2k in the PoR forums. Could it be that you were trying to install to some other drive than C: ? Cause the installer goes ahead and installs to C anyway. I doubt this is the reason for your problem tho.

I have a question myself:
Each time I play this game, when I reboot windows, I get the message updating system files or such. How come the game plays around with windows settings each time ? Has anyone else seen this ?

 

Indeed invoker - I tried to install it on D: ?!?! Hmmm, can't remember free space on C:...

Yes, I've spotted registry messing (system updating) on WIN98 like you did. This game installation is most crazy I ever seen.

[This message has been edited by Extremist (edited October 20, 2001).]

 

I used the installer patch in Windows 2000, and had no problems with that. Without the installer patch the game was always installed at cprogram files..., but it always worked. I did by mistake try to install it on my d: once (short of space), but the installer just warned me to install the minimum version.

Pool of Radiance works fine in Windows 2000.