SH4 ME & Win 8

[cdrsubron7]

Just wondering if anyone has been able to use the Mission Editor from SH4 in Win 8? When I open it up and type in a starting date all I get is a black screen instead of the world map. :hmm2: :huh:

[Admiral Halsey]

I have the exact same problem.

[CalolinaCoyote]

I've been able to.

[cdrsubron7]

I've been able to.

Are you doing anything out of the ordinary?

[CalolinaCoyote]

no, I just pick the date and it works.

[cdrsubron7]

no, I just pick the date and it works.



Thanks, for the info.

[Rockin Robbins]

What in Sam hill are you guys doing with that abortion known as W8? I have a copy of W8.1 safety imprisoned in a Virtualbox virtual machine, from which it will never escape. At least Microsoft stole enough from Ubuntu to restore minimal function to the sub-operating system formerly known as Metro.

But Microsoft did NOT restore the start menu, so you're stuck with capet bombing your desktop with icons or using the search function to find programs by name, not the way humans work. What happened to the days when prompts let you know the possibilities of what the operating system and programs could do and we could operate sophisticated programs we aren't familiar with without cracking a manual?

Under that horrid shell lives a smaller faster and more capable kernel than Windows 7, but no one will ever care. Microsoft has well and truly screwed the pooch on this one! And we thought they'd never be able to top Windows 98 ME.

[Admiral Halsey]

That in Sam hill are you guys doing with that abortion known as W8? I have a copy of W8.1 safety imprisoned in a Virtualbox virtual machine, from which it will never escape. At least Microsoft stole enough from Ubuntu to restore minimal function to the sub-operating system formerly known as Metro.

But Microsoft did NOT restore the start menu, so you're stuck with capet bombing your desktop with icons or using the search function to find programs by name, not the way humans work. What happened to the days when prompts let you know the possibilities of what the operating system and programs could do and we could operate sophisticated programs we aren't familiar with without cracking a manual?

Under that horrid shell lives a smaller faster and more capable kernel than Windows 7, but no one will ever care. Microsoft has well and truly screwed the pooch on this one! And we thought they'd never be able to top Windows 98 ME.

Wasn't the last update for it supposed to restore the start menu?

[Rockin Robbins]

Wasn't the last update for it supposed to restore the start menu?

They lied. AGAIN! How many times can that happen before we run to Ubuntu? I played Counterstrike Source on Steam in Ubuntu yesterday and other than higher fps I couldn't tell the difference from Windows. Ubuntu is free,not over $100.00. That leaves a lot more money for games, doesn't it?

[Admiral Halsey]

They lied. AGAIN! How many times can that happen before we run to Ubuntu? I played Counterstrike Source on Steam in Ubuntu yesterday and other than higher fps I couldn't tell the difference from Windows. Ubuntu is free,not over $100.00. That leaves a lot more money for games, doesn't it?

I don't use my computer for much more then gaming so it seems like i'm stuck with Windows for now.

[Rockin Robbins]

At least get a REAL operating system. Windows 7 is great. Buy it before it's gone. Microsoft will get tired of trying to convince us and will just remove all other choices soon in desperation to separate our money from our wallets.

Lenovo still sells computers with Windows 7 for $50.00 more than W8. They still sell more Windows 7. Should tell them something but Microsoft has lost all respect for customers.

[Admiral Halsey]

Eh I still have my old computer that has Vista on it so if a game that works on that doesn't work on this one I can still play it.

[in_vino_vomitus]

I have W8 on my machine and it has the start menu - also have no probs with the mission editor, apart from I don't know how to use it properly yet.

FWIW I have all my installs on the D:\ drive, but I can't see that making a difference - although I'm frequently wrong about these things.

[Rockin Robbins]

I have W8 on my machine and it has the start menu - also have no probs with the mission editor, apart from I don't know how to use it properly yet.

FWIW I have all my installs on the D:\ drive, but I can't see that making a difference - although I'm frequently wrong about these things.
What are you calling "the start menu?" Windows 8 has no start menu at all. The only way to pick real computer programs is the aforementioned carpet bombing your desktop or hit the Windows key and start typing the program name.

The only way to get some kind of start menu back is to load external software that kind of simulates a start menu. Why bother? Get a real operating system. I just bought a copy of Windows 7 for $69. It will sit on a shelf until Microsoft makes its customer friendly move to force all of us XP users to buy Windows 8. Then I'll install 7 and laugh in their general direction.

Just last night I had three S3D windows open, a Notepad++ window open and JSGME, all tiled nicely so I could truly multi-task and cut/paste between them. My desktop has rotating multiple 1600x900 millions of colors photos. What do I want with a 16 color monochrome Lego block monstrosity? My computer is a COMPUTER and it will never be a cell phone. How dare they try to nerf what I spent all this time buying and building? How dare they try to force me to buy what I will not permit on my computer because they can't convince anybody to buy it?

Even at the cost of losing SH4, I'd abandon Windows altogether and go to Linux (Ubunto distro) if I were left with a W8 or nothing choice from Microsoft. Steam is making more and more commercial games available on Linux and they play as well or better.

Even when Ubuntu first came out with the Unity GUI, where the first iteration was a rectangular array of tiles (over a good wallpaper of your choice unlike W8) alphabetically arrayed, there was a revolution. Actually, that is the case in Android now: little or no functional classification, just alphabetical array. The screaming was deafening. And Ubuntu's parent company, Canonical, listened. Today, Unity is a decade ahead of W8 and that assumes that Microsoft gives a rat's patootie about their customers, which remains to be proven.

But in Linux, there is a beautiful thing. You can choose from many different GUIs: KDE, Gnome, XFCE, there are dozens! It is as if you had W8's admittedly very excellent kernel and then could decide "I want the hideous (can't call it Metro) Lego block GUI!" or "Windows 7 interface it is" or "I liked how XP worked" and load up that exact interface. W8 would LOOK like XP but under the hood you would have this snarling 64 cylinder motor that blows XP in the weeds.

Well, Linux has had that exact function since the 1990s. You make your operating system work on the front end exactly how you like. Every time you log in, you can actually choose between all the available GUIs. I can even load up a GUI from another Linux distro in Ubuntu.

And of course, in the free virtual machine software, VirtualBox, I can run a copy of Windows inside Ubuntu if I need Windows for SH4. I bet you didn't know that Firefox is a refugee from Linux and it saves you from Internet Exploder prison.

My computer right now is set up for dual boot. When I'm on the Internet, chances are I'm running Ubuntu because it is totally immune from all that crazy malware. Tons of advantages to being a rebel and telling Microsoft to learn how to spell "Customer." And you don't need to miss a thing.

[in_vino_vomitus]

Wow!! - this is embarrassing - I appear to be running W7 after all, just a different version to the one on my previous machine - I've no idea how I could have thought otherwise, given the Windows 7 sticker on the casing. I'll shut up now........

[c13Garrison]

No, don't waste time shutting up, you're making a time machine remember? :up:

[cdrsubron7]

What in Sam hill are you guys doing with that abortion known as W8? I have a copy of W8.1 safety imprisoned in a Virtualbox virtual machine, from which it will never escape. At least Microsoft stole enough from Ubuntu to restore minimal function to the sub-operating system formerly known as Metro.

But Microsoft did NOT restore the start menu, so you're stuck with capet bombing your desktop with icons or using the search function to find programs by name, not the way humans work. What happened to the days when prompts let you know the possibilities of what the operating system and programs could do and we could operate sophisticated programs we aren't familiar with without cracking a manual?

Under that horrid shell lives a smaller faster and more capable kernel than Windows 7, but no one will ever care. Microsoft has well and truly screwed the pooch on this one! And we thought they'd never be able to top Windows 98 ME.

It seems I've unintentionaly opened a can of worms here. My question was to not to debate the merits of Win 7 or the demerits of Win 8. I simply wanted to know if anyone could use The ME under Win 8. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make my version work. :haha:

BTW, nice to see you these parts again RR. Welcome back. I see you haven't changed much. :har::D

[Rockin Robbins]

No, I've never been accused of being afraid of being in the same room as an opinion!:D

Actually, the better comparison would have been between W8 and Vista. Both were great kernels with crippled GUIs. In fact, the Windows 7 everybody likes is the exact same kernel as Vista. They even share the same Windows version number. The way to go is toward customer choice with multiple GUIs. Those who think cell phones are good enough could have them and those of us who use the capabilities of actual computers could have our way too.

Here's the killer app. This, properly executed, is the eulogy for the late, great Microsloth. Whether it actually GETS properly executed is another thing but the promotional video is inspired. It's as if they said "instead of crippling all the computers to make them into cell phones and trying to sell that, why don't we inject unhealthy quantities of steroids into cell phones and replace computers! That's an upgrade and upgrades outsell downgrades every time!"
http://www.ubuntu.com/phone/ubuntu-for-android

Note that this works by auto-selecting a GUI appropriate for the screen and hardware you are running at the time. Unbelievably brilliant and obvious. That's why Microsloth never thought of it.

Had Microsoft done this they would own the world. People would be asking "what was an Apple?" There's no danger of that though.

[Rockin Robbins]

Wow!! - this is embarrassing - I appear to be running W7 after all, just a different version to the one on my previous machine - I've no idea how I could have thought otherwise, given the Windows 7 sticker on the casing. I'll shut up now........
No, no, no, no, no.......

Running WINDOWS 8 is an embarrassment. Finding out you really have Windows 7 is a RELIEF!!!:har:

[Admiral Halsey]

No, no, no, no, no.......

Running WINDOWS 8 is an embarrassment. Finding out you really have Windows 7 is a RELIEF!!!:har:

Windows 8 isn't that bad.(But like I said I pretty much only use my computer for gaming so I don't know how valid my opinion is.)

[TorpX]

If nobody minds me asking, how much of an advantage is Win7 over Vista? I have Vista, and have been thinking of upgrading.

[Rockin Robbins]

If nobody minds me asking, how much of an advantage is Win7 over Vista? I have Vista, and have been thinking of upgrading.


Actually, Torpex, the difference is somewhat minimal. The kernel is identical. They're like the 1964 Ford Falcon and Mustang. The chassis were identical -- all the power train and suspension were identical. But everybody young wanted a Mustang. They were cool! Falcons were cheap ugly pieces of horse squeeze.

Same deal with Vista and 7. They share so much that they have the same Windows version number. It's the body and accessories that differ. Because there's less weight on the chassis, Windows 7 boots quicker and shuts down quicker. Their peripheral software is different. But anything 7 has that Vista doesn't you can easily download a substitute as I do with Windows XP.

If you can live with Vista and the way it does business there's absolutely no reason I can think of to spend money to switch. If Vista makes you crazy mad all the time and you find yourself committing violence to your mouse and keyboard it would make sense to switch.

[TorpX]

At the moment, I'm mainly concerned with stability/reliability. I've been having nasty freeze - crash - no boot problems lately.

Another thing; I have the 64 bit processor, but with the 32 bit OS. I figure it would be better to have the 64 bit Win7. Does it make much difference?

[agrims]

No, a 64 bit processor can work with 32 and 64 bit processes. A 32 bit processor can't handle 64 bit programs though. You sound like you have a bug, or a corrupted update. I would personally go with a 64 bit version of any OS though, as many programs are 64 bit now in productivity. Also, you can run more memory, which is a blessing in disguise! When you are running 32 bit, 4 gigs is the max. For 64 bit OS, 8 gigs is a comfy place, and try the 4 gig patch on SH4 and watch it squirm! Also, Windows and every other program scales the ram to what it has handy, so if you are running 32 bit, you're system is probably hovering in the 1 - 1.32 gig mark on used memory. Running 64 bit, if you have 4 gigs, you will be in the same range, but the more you have, the more the system will allocate for the system, making things snappier. :D

[Rockin Robbins]

That's accurate, except that a 32 bit operating system can only address 3.2 GB of RAM. You can install 4 GB but your OS can't see all of it. Doesn't seem to be an issue with SH4. I run every mod there is at one time or other and haven't had any issues when they're properly installed and coordinated.

Still, on my shelf is a nice new 64 bit Windows 7 waiting for when they pull the plug on XP. XP is just working so well, I can't be bothered to kill it until I'm forced to. They say next April, but they've named dates before.

So I'm not real motivated to go from 32 to 64 bit. I realize there will be advantages, but they don't mean much to me because I've never had them.

You have to decide what you think might be causing your freeze/crash/no boot problems. If it is associated with a single application, then a nuclear bomb and rebuild from fresh installation of the application is in order. If it is the operating system, occasionally our kernel files do get corrupted. This can cause all kinds of nonsensical behavior and it is possible to actually figure out what they are and possibly fix them. It really isn't worth the trouble.

You can try something first before you nuke your system. There's a hidden program to check and replace corrupted system files. To run it you must open an elevated command prompt. In the start menu search bar type "command prompt." You'll get some results, and just right-click "command prompt" in the results pop-up and select "run as administrator." That will open your elevated command window (known to us Linux denizens as a terminal window).

Now type "sfc /scannow" space after sfc, which stands for System File Checker. Windows will now scan all system files, replacing if necessary with uncorrupted variety files. This will render your system not updated any more and you'll have to let Windows Update do its thing to get you back to speed. If you go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833 you'll get instructions on how to find files that sfc was unable to update and what to do about that. I'd only worry if running sfc and re-updating doesn't fix your problems.

If all that fails your final solution is to back up any data you need, wipe your system clean and reinstall Windows, all programs and reinstall your data. You should do this every couple of years anyway, as it makes a tremendous difference in the zippiness of your system.

[TorpX]

For the time being, it seems to work ok now. I'm thinking it is either Windows Defender isn't playing well with my anti-virus software, or the Widows updates of 8/13 were causing problems. The crashes have happened while doing different things and seem random. I had thought maybe the hard disc was failing, but every test Windows does says the hardware is ok.

Thanks for the info about the "sfc /scannow" and all. This is good to know.

...wipe your system clean and reinstall Windows... You should do this every couple of years anyway, as it makes a tremendous difference in the zippiness of your system.

I've read some people do this, and am seriously considering it. I'd have to assemble a comprehensive list of what I want to keep and figure it all out. I'm not sure I could find/replace everything, though.

[Rockin Robbins]

I've read some people do this, and am seriously considering it. I'd have to assemble a comprehensive list of what I want to keep and figure it all out. I'm not sure I could find/replace everything, though.

Funny you should mention that. It's the major hurdle everyone has to go through when contemplating nuclear destruction. So here's the fix.

What you need is Belarc Advisor (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html). This is about the coolest thing you've ever seen. It is free, of course, and was designed to plug security holes in corporate environments. Warning: if you actually follow their security recommendations you'll end up with a much less friendly, less useful computer. It's amusing to investigate and research each of their recommendations, but I don't think it's advisable to actually follow most of them.

For instance, it recommends that you turn off the Windows function of making crash dumps. They can be used to analyze what caused a crash. In fact, a free, of course, program called Who Crashed (http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed) will automatically load up the crash dump, analyze it and tell you what most likely caused the crash. Do what Belarc suggests and you lose that ability.

But what Belarc does well is it dissects your system and gives you a full report of what is on it. It does this in excruciating detail that you actually have to see to believe. I can't possibly do it justice in a description.

So here's a two year old Belarc profile (https://app.box.com/s/i6v4ha1gx6yz8qye6v1e) of my computer. Pause while I scan the report for confidential information (there will be some and I'll expunge it). It even tells you what USB access has happened in past 30 days. Crap! It has the license numbers and install keys of all installed software. (expunge numbers only) And it has a complete list of installed software. It will not have the software that is not installed but is working with no registry install information.

For instance, I have Microsoft Process Explorer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx), a program that if Silent Hunter 4 detects on your machine, SH4 will refuse to start, installed as a portable app (no registry traces at all). That way if it is not actually running at the time SH4 starts, SecuROM can't find it. I start SH4, start Process Explorer and run them concurrently just as a snide gotcha to the stupid people at Ubi. I will decide what software is and is not allowed to run on my machine, and I politely refuse Ubi and Sony's help in that regard. As much as I love SH4, that has earned both companies the right not to collect another penny from me, ever again.

You have to ferret those not installed programs out yourself.

[Kapitan Klaffmuschel]

I have the exact same problem.

I had some serious graphics issues with a couple of other games running on Win8. The solution was to run in Windowed Mode and max the window. Eventually a patch was released by the vendor, but the windowed mode solved the immediate issue.

[TorpX]

Well, the machine crashed again today. I guess that shoots my theory about the offending software.

Thanks for the software and technical info. I think I will do a scorched earth recovery -- when I feel up to it.