At a boy Bugs!! Don't give up just yet!
I'm guessing you've seen
this sticky thread by AVGWarhawk?
Before you jump to patching your game to version 1.4, try getting your original DVD version 1.0 working first. As Mikemike47 points out, go to your "Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific" main game folder (where ever you've put it) and open the "sh4.exe" file found there. It will have a black sub as an icon:
The above image is the "Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific" main game folder (version 1.0), with the addition of the JSGME app folders and files included. Right click the "sh4.exe" execution file, go to Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, then change to XP SP3 or XP SP2. Save your changes. Back at the main game folder, double left click the SH4.exe file to start the game. See if this gets you started.
I always go to the "Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific" folder to start the game using this .exe file. I don't use a shortcut simply because I'm always using JSGME (found in the main game folder) changing out mods.
If things seem to work using this process, you could make a shortcut of the amended sh4.exe file and put it on your desktop (if that's where you like starting the game).
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One thing I notice about your system is you've got 4 gigs of memory to play with. Dependent on whether you get your game working or not......since you've got 4 gigs of memory, you can use a program called
Large Address Aware to
make the game use more than the 2 gigs of memory it was intended to only use (the game won't use over two gigs unless you tell it to...even if you've got plenty of memory installed). This LAA has helped many gamers who are using older games (SH4 was released in 2007, that's
old in computer terms) to have the game run much better. A 32 bit computer will need a special switch thrown in order to use the extra memory boost that comes from using LAA. The procedure is in the documentation. A 64 bit won't need anything special. Just install as documented. A 32 bit system will get an additional 1 gig boost with LAA. A 64 bit system can use up to 4 gigs of memory for this old game. Twice the amount the Developer's had in mind when the game was first released!
A couple of notes about LAA. The documentation states you'll need to have ".NET Framework 3.5" or better, loaded on your computer. You can check to see if you've got it by going to: (On a Vista OS) "Control Panel/Programs and Features". If you don't see a program called "MicroSoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1" or something simular....you'll need to install it from "Windows Update/Optional Updates". Also, follow the "Spoiler" process for your Win7 system found on the LAA page. This is the "Switch" I'm talking about for a 32 bit system.
I can confirm this LAA works as described. It helped an older game called "Sid Meier's Railroad's" run on a new 4 gig laptop without a hick up. Before loading it....CTD's in less than 5 minutes.
But, lets get your game working first.
