need help with clean installation (vista)

[flakmonkey]

Ok this is driving me nuts, i recently downloaded gwx3 and so i removed my current install of sh3/gwx2 so i could re-install and patch everything to a fresh clean version and then install new gwx.

Now heres the annoying part, i just cant get a clean install, every time im left with files from gwx2 and some previous mods. ive tried deleting the entire ubisoft directory, going through the registry and doing the same but i always end up with version 1.4b with added gwx2 stuff!!

Just where the heck are these files coming from, im starting to think maybe my sh3 dvd has been altered to include gwx2!

Ive looked threough all hidden files/folders and found nothing. All i can think is that when i uninstall sh3 its not actually being unisntalled, just hidden, so when i re-install it it just un-hides the previous version, complete with mods etc...

(I did check the game dvd, just in case, and no it is still unaltered sh3 v1.0)

Short of formatting my pc and reinstalling windows is there anything i can do??

[GoldenRivet]

do everything you have already done again, except this time around... when you install the game

install it outside of program files

in other words your path to your SH3 folder should look like this---> c:/Ubisoft/SH3

NOT THIS ---> c:/program files/ubisoft/sh3

however... i recommend naming the entire directory something unrelated to SH3 like "Kriegsmarine"

so go to your C: and create a folder called "Kriegsmarine" or "DasBoot" or "GWX" or whatever

install SH3 to this new c:/DasBoot folder you have created and see if it works

i not... i have other suggestions

EDIT: dont forget to patch to 1.4b and all that

[flakmonkey]

Worked peferctly, now why on earth didnt i think of that instead of stubbornly trying to install to the default directory :damn:
Thanks:up:

[GoldenRivet]

I have had more than my share of heart ache with vista and SH3.

glad you got it running my friend :yeah:

[Larry U-136]

Vista is a very poor op system however when you download the manual make certain you follow the Vista directions to the letter! Glad to hear you got it going!

[GoldenRivet]

Vista is a very poor op system

I'll go ahead and respectfully disagree with you there... how poor or great it is depends on what application you thrust it into.

for business work i think it is great. and prefer it to XP.

gaming on the other hand - vista doesnt really shine in the gaming department.

depends a lot on the user and what he does with it.

I have never had Vista crash since i purchased it, nor have i seen the "blue screen of death".

[RoaldLarsen]

how poor or great [Vista] is depends on what application you thrust it into.

for business work i think it is great. and prefer it to XP.



OT, I know, but why do you prefer it for business?

[GoldenRivet]

could just be my system, but it seems to run smoother and it appears to be (over the past couple of years) more or less error free.

true there is no such thing as error free, but aside from the issues with SH3... vista has been smooth as silk on my system.

it just seems to be a more organized, security minded OS IMHO

[JScones]

Flakmonkey, you were kinda close with your "hidden" assumption. The GWX files kept returning because Vista knows best and stored them to a VirtualStore folder outside of SH3 rather than in SH3. Even though you now have a copy installed outside of the Program Files folder, this VirtualStore folder will still exist on your hard drive with these files. I've posted the full path to the folder in various other threads. Find the folder and delete it. It won't cause problems for you now, but when you forget in six months time...

[Wildhawke11]

do everything you have already done again, except this time around... when you install the game

install it outside of program files

in other words your path to your SH3 folder should look like this---> c:/Ubisoft/SH3

NOT THIS ---> c:/program files/ubisoft/sh3

however... i recommend naming the entire directory something unrelated to SH3 like "Kriegsmarine"

so go to your C: and create a folder called "Kriegsmarine" or "DasBoot" or "GWX" or whatever

install SH3 to this new c:/DasBoot folder you have created and see if it works

i not... i have other suggestions

EDIT: dont forget to patch to 1.4b and all that


I am OK now but i must admit it took me so much time also to remove all the files to get the old SH3 off my computer and i run XP Home. It was driving me NUTS. Now you have posted about if i cant remove it, i feel such a fool as the obvious was staring at me all the time :)

[GoldenRivet]

dont feel stupid...

do you have any idea how much trial and error and trouble shooting and asking on these forums it took me before a solution was made available?

:haha:

it happens to the best of us my friend

[irish1958]

Flakmonkey, you were kinda close with your "hidden" assumption. The GWX files kept returning because Vista knows best and stored them to a VirtualStore folder outside of SH3 rather than in SH3. Even though you now have a copy installed outside of the Program Files folder, this VirtualStore folder will still exist on your hard drive with these files. I've posted the full path to the folder in various other threads. Find the folder and delete it. It won't cause problems for you now, but when you forget in six months time...

1. FULLY uninstall both SH3 and SH3Cmdr, INCLUDING manual removal of the residual files and folders AND MOST IMPORTANTLY the hidden SH3 VirtualStore folder ("C:\Users\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\SilentHunterIII")
Taken from:http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146287&page=2&highlight=VirtualStore+folder

This whole mess is not Ubisoft's fault, it's Microsoft's.
They don't tell you these things about their new operating systems and they cause all sorts of problems with users.
It took telephones and automobiles over 100 years to get reliable, safe and easy to use. I suspect it will take computers at least that long.

[USAMP1980]

I had about the same issue(s).
This worked...

I uninstalled SH3.
Deleted the SH3 folder from "Documents"
Updated "StarForce"
Reinstalled SH3 (stock directory)
Patched to 1.4b
Installed GWX3.0
[Did not open game until all was finished]

It worked first time. Ive had little to no issues.

[flakmonkey]

Oops, turns out if id only bothered to read the gwx manual first i would have found the answer was right there (deleting those pesky virtual store files).

Oh well, live and learn.

[Stepe47]

Hi all
I have been looking through the threads for an explanation or directions on how to use SH3 tools like "starforce removal" or "starforce update" but I was unable even to exactly understand what tose tools are and where to find them.
Could someone kindly dispel the fog in this respect?
Thanks

[irish1958]

Welcome aboard, Stepe47
Edit your post and delete the referral to the patch, as this is against Subsim Forum rules. The starforce removal tool is available on line, see:http://www.gamehourz.com/steps-removing-StarForce-drivers-ftopict136689.html
I would also suggest that you purchase the $9.99 dvd of the game which avoids all the above problems, and is already patched to 1.4b. If you have vista, read the vista thread before you install :know:

[Stepe47]

Hello Irish1958 and thanks for replying and for the useful infos

Welcome aboard, Stepe47
Edit your post and delete the referral to the patch, as this is against Subsim Forum rules.
ooops...