Losing my mind

SSI01 · 05-16-17, 10:01 PM

Greetings all, sorry to have been away for so long. This evening I tried to access my SH4 installation but for some reason the shortcut doesn't direct to anything. Worse - I tried to find the sim in my computer to use the .exe that comes with the sim. I can't find it anyway - not in any Ubisoft folder I have. During the process of looking I saw a write-up that said SH4 is supposed to run with Vista/WXP. I'm running Win7 Home Premium SP1 and prior to this insanity the sim played fine on this version of Windows. How could I have lost this sim right out of my machine?

propbeanie · 05-16-17, 10:14 PM

If you haven't noodled with your Windows install too much, click on the Windows Start button, and type in the "Search programs and files" box, using something like "Submarine", and see if the index brings up anything. If you get hits, right-click on a file, and choose "Open file location". If you don't get any hits, click on the "See more results" at the bottom of that little window. If nothing there, open the Trash Can, and see if maybe it was accidentally deleted. How long has it been since you played the game on this particular computer, and do you have family members that are maybe concerned with hard drive space?...

SSI01 · 05-17-17, 05:51 AM

All good things to do, and I just did them. There are all sorts of things relating to the mods I installed, I kept those in a folder post-installation - but there is no trace whatever of the sim. I have a number of iterations of FS9 on this machine, and have been copying and moving files from one drive where there was a very large installation of that sim (that took 45 minutes to boot up) to other versions by time period, that take much less time to boot up. I review each of those files before I delete them, couldn't have deleted it by accident that way. I'm inclined to favor your one possibility of it being deleted as an unused program -without my permission - by this computer. It does other things without my permission as well - like put itself to sleep in the evening even though I don't want it to do that. I do have the disk so can reinstall, and this isn't the first time I'll have to reinstall a sim. I will probably need some advice from older hands re: the best mods to put in. One thing, however - does that advice I read about this sim being non-compatible with Windows 7 still hold?

propbeanie · 05-17-17, 07:23 AM

I wouldn't say "non-compatible", but I would say that Windows take an antagonistic stand against anything that attempts to alter anything it (Windows) considers "system" or "protected", unless it comes through Windows and Windows only... ie: UAC, User Access Control. Let's point you at some links here:

1. [REL] Silent Hunter 4 Corruption Management System (SH4CMS) by Rockin Robbins. Download and unzip that utility and read up on how RR says to set-up your folder structure. Do NOT install SH4 into the windows Program Files (x86) folder. Windows ~will~ "protect" that folder from any changes, such as you would do with mods. Also, very important NOT to play the game before using SH4CMS, so that you get a proper backup.

2. Included in RR's utility is MultiSH4, which will allow you to do multiple installs on SH4, so that you can have several different mods active at the same time, and not have them cross-contaminate each other with their Save folder data, which is a very real problem if you do much playing with mods. There is a version in SH4CMS, but might not be v1.5

3. Also included with RR's SH4CMS is LAA (Large Address Aware), but it might be an older version also. LAA allows older 32-bit apps to use memory addresses larger than 3.4 gig, if they're able. CapnScurvy has done what could be considered the ultimate write-up on its use and installation in Windows10; Large Address Aware; SH4 Install. This applies actually to all versions of Windows that can run SH4, though XP would benefit the least from it, due to its being 32-bit also, and can't go above 4 gig in its own addressing. Folder names and file locations are different across all versions of Windows, so you'd have to adjust a bit for your Win7 install.

Once you get things set on your install, you won't have to worry about doing things to that degree again on any particular computer, since you'd just use SH4CMS, and have everything back hunky-dory in a matter of minutes instead of hours.

Zero Niner · 05-17-17, 10:36 PM

I'm no techie but I'm running SH4 on a Win 10 platform. I figure that if it can run on this, it can also run on Win 7.

mikesn9 · 05-18-17, 05:57 AM

It does run on window 7 64 bit. I have v1.5, and LAA installed.

aanker · 05-18-17, 12:52 PM

Yes, I'm running SH4 1.5 on Windows 7 x64 SP1 with LAA, JSGME & MultiSH4.

Did you try a search for sh4.exe?

05-16-17, 10:01 PM	#1
SSI01 Loader Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 88 Downloads: 56 Uploads: 0	Losing my mind Greetings all, sorry to have been away for so long. This evening I tried to access my SH4 installation but for some reason the shortcut doesn't direct to anything. Worse - I tried to find the sim in my computer to use the .exe that comes with the sim. I can't find it anyway - not in any Ubisoft folder I have. During the process of looking I saw a write-up that said SH4 is supposed to run with Vista/WXP. I'm running Win7 Home Premium SP1 and prior to this insanity the sim played fine on this version of Windows. How could I have lost this sim right out of my machine?

05-16-17, 10:14 PM	#2
propbeanie CTD - it's not just a job Join Date: May 2016 Location: One hour from Music City USA! Posts: 9,738 Downloads: 439 Uploads: 2	If you haven't noodled with your Windows install too much, click on the Windows Start button, and type in the "Search programs and files" box, using something like "Submarine", and see if the index brings up anything. If you get hits, right-click on a file, and choose "Open file location". If you don't get any hits, click on the "See more results" at the bottom of that little window. If nothing there, open the Trash Can, and see if maybe it was accidentally deleted. How long has it been since you played the game on this particular computer, and do you have family members that are maybe concerned with hard drive space?... __________________ "...and bollocks to the naysayer/s" - Jimbuna

05-17-17, 07:23 AM	#4
propbeanie CTD - it's not just a job Join Date: May 2016 Location: One hour from Music City USA! Posts: 9,738 Downloads: 439 Uploads: 2	I wouldn't say "non-compatible", but I would say that Windows take an antagonistic stand against anything that attempts to alter anything it (Windows) considers "system" or "protected", unless it comes through Windows and Windows only... ie: UAC, User Access Control. Let's point you at some links here: 1. [REL] Silent Hunter 4 Corruption Management System (SH4CMS) by Rockin Robbins. Download and unzip that utility and read up on how RR says to set-up your folder structure. Do NOT install SH4 into the windows Program Files (x86) folder. Windows ~will~ "protect" that folder from any changes, such as you would do with mods. Also, very important NOT to play the game before using SH4CMS, so that you get a proper backup. 2. Included in RR's utility is MultiSH4, which will allow you to do multiple installs on SH4, so that you can have several different mods active at the same time, and not have them cross-contaminate each other with their Save folder data, which is a very real problem if you do much playing with mods. There is a version in SH4CMS, but might not be v1.5 3. Also included with RR's SH4CMS is LAA (Large Address Aware), but it might be an older version also. LAA allows older 32-bit apps to use memory addresses larger than 3.4 gig, if they're able. CapnScurvy has done what could be considered the ultimate write-up on its use and installation in Windows10; Large Address Aware; SH4 Install. This applies actually to all versions of Windows that can run SH4, though XP would benefit the least from it, due to its being 32-bit also, and can't go above 4 gig in its own addressing. Folder names and file locations are different across all versions of Windows, so you'd have to adjust a bit for your Win7 install. Once you get things set on your install, you won't have to worry about doing things to that degree again on any particular computer, since you'd just use SH4CMS, and have everything back hunky-dory in a matter of minutes instead of hours. __________________ "...and bollocks to the naysayer/s" - Jimbuna

05-18-17, 12:52 PM	#7
aanker Pacific Thunder Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yellow Sea Posts: 1,896 Downloads: 236 Uploads: 14	Yes, I'm running SH4 1.5 on Windows 7 x64 SP1 with LAA, JSGME & MultiSH4. Did you try a search for sh4.exe? Last edited by aanker; 05-19-17 at 12:39 PM.

05-17-17, 05:51 AM	#3
SSI01 Loader Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 88 Downloads: 56 Uploads: 0	All good things to do, and I just did them. There are all sorts of things relating to the mods I installed, I kept those in a folder post-installation - but there is no trace whatever of the sim. I have a number of iterations of FS9 on this machine, and have been copying and moving files from one drive where there was a very large installation of that sim (that took 45 minutes to boot up) to other versions by time period, that take much less time to boot up. I review each of those files before I delete them, couldn't have deleted it by accident that way. I'm inclined to favor your one possibility of it being deleted as an unused program -without my permission - by this computer. It does other things without my permission as well - like put itself to sleep in the evening even though I don't want it to do that. I do have the disk so can reinstall, and this isn't the first time I'll have to reinstall a sim. I will probably need some advice from older hands re: the best mods to put in. One thing, however - does that advice I read about this sim being non-compatible with Windows 7 still hold?

05-17-17, 10:36 PM	#5
Zero Niner Ace of the Deep Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,032 Downloads: 69 Uploads: 0	I'm no techie but I'm running SH4 on a Win 10 platform. I figure that if it can run on this, it can also run on Win 7.

05-18-17, 05:57 AM	#6
mikesn9 Sonar Guy Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Sarasota Florida Posts: 390 Downloads: 68 Uploads: 0	It *does* run on window 7 64 bit. I have v1.5, and LAA installed.