Installing SE IV on New Machine. What a Nightmare

[Suicide Junkie]

What OS is that?

Try installing to c:\games\SE instead of program files.

[dumbluck]

Atrocities: I had EXACTLY that same problem. the only way I fixed it was to uninstall, and then NOT install it to the default folder. (As per SJ's suggestion, I installed it in C: Games) After that, it worked fine.

[Tomokatu]

Originally Posted by Suicide Junkie

What OS is that?

Try installing to c:\games\SE instead of program files.

My problem may be similar in nature.

I keep several identities on my PC (OS:Win XP Home) but I prefer to play games as a plain user, not with Admin privileges. At the moment I have transferred SEIV (with a solo game in progress) over the home LAN from my old (creak, groan) Win98SE machine satisfactorily and it's playable *IF* I login as an Admin-level ID.

How do I install SEIV (and all the mods I have) keeping the game engine in H:\Program Files\Games|Space Empires but saving my games and notes and other stuff in ...\Document&Settings\UserXXXX\Games|Space Empires ... ??

Can this even be done?
I've tried various edits of the PIF unsuccessfully but I suspect that I need a list of files that HAVE to be writable in my User location.
Anyway - HAAALP!!! (Please)

[capnq]

Originally Posted by Tomokatu

I keep several identities on my PC (OS:Win XP Home) but I prefer to play games as a plain user, not with Admin privileges. At the moment I have transferred SEIV (with a solo game in progress) over the home LAN from my old (creak, groan) Win98SE machine satisfactorily and it's playable *IF* I login as an Admin-level ID.

How do I install SEIV (and all the mods I have) keeping the game engine in H:\Program Files\Games|Space Empires but saving my games and notes and other stuff in ...\Document&Settings\UserXXXX\Games|Space Empires ... ??

Can this even be done?

I imagine it can, in theory, but the user account that I set up for myself under WinXP Pro was so frustrating to use that I eventually gave up and deleted the user account.

[Fyron]

Originally Posted by Tomokatu

How do I install SEIV (and all the mods I have) keeping the game engine in H:\Program Files\Games|Space Empires but saving my games and notes and other stuff in ...\Document&Settings\UserXXXX\Games|Space Empires ... ??

You could probably create a bunch of NTFS fake symlinks (forget what they are called) for the various folders (eg: savegame, maps), but its more hassle than it could possibly be worth. Just install the game outside of Program Files and you'll be ok.

[Tomokatu]

Thank you.

That's ultimately what I have done but I had regarded it as only a workaround. If there's no definitive body of knowledeg on the topic then that's what I shall have to stick to.

[pathfinder]

Hi all, long time me no post

Just went thru same deal getting the B5 mod to work again.

Thanks to those who worked on the mod after I quit it.