Of course - the original poster may not have applied
all of the patches,
in order, and was assuming that
only the 7.1 incremental patch was what was required?.
Not so! -
all of the patches must be applied to the original game!
Also - check the windows vista and seven installation thread at the top of the main forum (applies for 8 too). Basically - game must be installed to a directory outside of the new windows "managed hierarchy" (ie
not Program Files), and all patch installers must then be pointed at that folder (if the path we supplied is not used).
Missing icons/scenarios/OOBs etc usually arise from:
1) - End user has not put all patches into the same folder.
Fix - reinstall from scratch, main game, consolidated etc in order, but this time make quite sure that the paths in the installers match. (Use the navigation tool, or copy and paste it).
NB - This one should only be an issue for owners of early CDs now, as they will have the original /program files/ path that worked for XP and before. Or it will apply to others who have installed to some dir they decided to use and forgot to update the installers (I have that T-shirt!
).
2) - End user has Vista/Seven or later and has installed game into /program files/ as
we tell them not to do in the installer text destructions as well as the vista/7 thread, and the post-XP windows has then nicely installed to a folder in his /user/ account folder and
not the game's folder in /program files/. So the game has not been updated, the files have been dumped in a weird place the game knows nothing of. sometimes vista and later does this, other times it does not.
Fix - reinstall, after reading the sticky thread on vista/seven and later at the top of the main forum, and ensure you are
not installing under any sort of /program files/ path.
3) - End User has simply downloaded the patch file, and run
just that, assuming its the game. Believe it or not - some
have done this!. It has an exe - but is missing many files of course. (This one usually has missing interface and terrain graphics so its rather obvious).
Fix. Duh! -
download the base game install, and then install that, an then download and apply each patch in order. Read the Windows Vista/seven installation sticky thread above first.
4) End user has fiddled with the graphics or other data files. perhaps to install a mod.
Fix - figure out what files
you moved/deleted/whatever. You did it, so you have to fix it
. (You
did back up the original files didn't you? - if not, reinstall from scratch).
And yes, I own that T-shirt and mug as well!
.
5) Corrupt download.
It does happen, less so in today's Internet than the days of yore. If all else fails - download the files from the shrapnel site yet again. But see 5.2 thats about to follow..
5.2) Bad disk sectors.
This can cause corrupted files too. The fix is to run the usual disk correction utilities, and it is a good idea to do this before re-downloading files in 5.1 above, jut to be 100% sure. A test for bad sectors should be fine - a whole disk surface test is an extremely time-consuming affair so only do that if you suspect
really serious hardware problems!.
That should cover most cases, methinks.
Andy