Help Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[steinbeck]

I uninstalled SHIV via the disc, removed the folder from 'Programs' removed JGSME, ran regedit.exe, removed 'Ubisoft from the registry. Ran 'Search' and removed all SHIV things found. On trying to re-install It tells me that there is a previous game still on which is patched to 1.4 and won't install ?????????? I have even looked in Sys32 and 'Windows' itself.......can't find anything at all relating to SHIV. Ran 'Search again looking for 'Silent Hunter 4'...'Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific'...And finally Silent Hunter IV..................Nothing remotely like the game on there. Still won't load Any ideas please!!!!

steinbeck

[Doolittle81]

I had the same exact problem beginnning the day of the 1.4 release. It took me 8 days to work through a hundred possible solutions and re-installs and uninstalls and total frustration and following LOTS of advice on these forums...to no avail. Ultimately I disovered the solution. Since then I had to do the same thing again when I twice messed up the 1.5 installation/patch...and some associated MOD messups.

Anyway, here's what you do...virtually guaranteed (Well, I can't really say that... it's at your own risk, of course):

FIRST, create a System Restore Point. This is easy, accessible through Control Panel or simply by directly Running "System Restore" and the process is also described/accessed in any Windows OS Help section. Then follow the Steps below:

It is assumed that you have encountered the Installation(Re-installation) problem/weirdness subsequent to your having attempted/completed an SH4 Uninstall(Program removal) using the Control Panel option. It is even likely that the Uninstall/Removal operation, itself, caused the registry problem. In any event, if you have not already done so, copy/backup your MOD folders/sub-folders/files...and Sound\Gramaphone files/music, etc, to a new/separate location on your Drive(s). Then, go to Control Panel and Uninstall your SH4 program(s) showing there. after you have done that, follow the steps below:


1. On your C:\ drive, using Explorer/MyComputer delete manually all remaining SH4 folders and files, including the SH4 folder in your Desktop\Documents folder.
[[Needless to say, before you delete your SH4 files, backup/copy any possible remaining folders/files of your stuff like MOD folders/files...Sound\Gramaphone files/music, etc. You can then simply place those back into your SH4 once you are up and running again after a fresh install....Some people also recommend copying over (backing up) the Saved Game files from the Documents\SH4\ folder and attempt to put them back into the final Re-Installed Game...or even to skip the step entirely and leave the Documents\SH4 folder untouched; I have no experience with that, so it's your call if you want to try that.]] Personally, I also delete all JSGME folders/files at the same time.

2. Special Caution: While it is possible to follow step by step instructions in order to edit the registry, the first precaution necessary, prior to even attempting to make alterations, is to ensure that you have a current backup of the registry, either as a full backup or a backup of the respective registry hive.[Don't worry about this term] Should disaster strike and a registry edit go wrong you will, at least, have a working backup with which to replace the damaged registry.
To backup the registry proceed as follows:
1/ Click Start
2/ From the menu click Run
3/ In the Run dialog box type: regedit (Or, in other words, Run/Open "regedit.exe" which is located in your C:\windows root directory).
4/ The Windows registry Editor will now open
5/ Click the File option on the main toolbar and, from the drop down menu, select Export
6/ In the Export Registry File dialog box select All
7/ Now name the file
8/ Finally click the Save button
9/ To return the registry back to its original state should something go wrong, simply click on the File option on the main registry editor toolbar and then select Import.


3. Now, in the Registry, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Uninstall{{0D005F09-A5F4-473B-A901-5735C6AF5628} key. [This was the designation associated with SH4 version 1.4] Delete that key (looks like a file/folder).

4. You can also, in addition, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ubisoft folder and delete all the Silent Hunter folder(s) there......you will have one or two or more. These don't seem to have any direct effect, but you can do without them. I'd say get rid of them. I did. [Note that it is this entry which identifies the specific designation of the associated key/file which you should delete from the previously mentioned HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Uninstall folder]


5. Exit/close Regedit.

6. Re-boot your 'Puter.

7. Install SH4 1.0 from your DVD.

I'd reboot again just for the heck of it.

8. Download and install the Patch 1.4. (This step may be skipped if you do not want to install a separate SH4 1.4 version on your hard drive. If that is the case, proceed to Step #10)

9. Reboot the PC. (If you do want a separate install of the SH4 1.4 version, copy your SH4 1.4 Folder(s) to a new location on your hard drive...before proceeding).


10. Install Patch 1.5, (UBOAT Addon), if you wish. (Patch 1.5 can be installed directly over SH4 1.0 or over 1.4)

11. Reboot the PC.

12. Download/reinstall JSGME. Do the setup, being sure to include taking the "Snapshot" of your clean install.

13. Run/Play your default install to see that it all works.

14. Copy back all your previously saved MOD folders into your new MOD folder, copy back all your previously saved music files into your "...Data\Sound\Gramaphone" folder, etc etc.

15. Enable selected MODs with JSGME.

You should be good to go!

[steinbeck]

Backup a copy of your "regedit" file (located in your C:\windows\ root directory.

This is in my C:\Windows?? which when I open, I see a blue bricks icon,entitled 'regedit' is this the one you mean to back up? because when I open that I go to the registry as if using regedit.exe. I already cleared everything else you mentioned!!
Thanks for this swift answer, I am contemplating a re format actually so I'll look at this if that's the right 'regedit' thing

steinbeck

[steinbeck]

It worked!! Haven't installed as yet but wil now. Just ran the disc and it will install. shut it so as to come thank you again: So here as a repayment is todays joke.for you,,,,,,,,,,,The year is 2222 and after accumulating enough frequent flier miles, Mike
and Maureen land on Mars. They meet a Martian couple and are talking about
all sorts of
things. Mike asks if Mars has a stock market, if they have laptop
computers, how
They make money, etc. Finally, Maureen brings up the subject of sex.

"Just how do you guys do it?" asks Maureen. "Pretty much the way you do,"
responds the Martian.

Discussion ensues and finally the couples decide to swap partners for the
night and experience one another. Maureen and the male Martian go off to a
bedroom where the Martian strips. He's got only a teeny, weenie member -
about half an inch long and just a quarter inch thick.

"I don't think this is going to work," says Maureen.
''Why?" he asks, "What's th e matter?"
"Well," she replies, "It's just not long enough to reach me!"
"No problem," he says, and proceeds to slap his forehead with his palm.
With each slap of his forehead, his member grows until it's quite
impressively long.

"Well," she says, "That's quite impressive, but it looks like a long
pencil, it's still pretty narrow...."

''No problem," he says, and starts pulling his ears. With each pull, his
member grows wider and wider until the entire measurement is extremely
exciting to the woman.

"Wow!" she exclaims, as they fell into bed and made mad, passionate love.

The next day the couples rejoin their normal partners and go their
separate ways. As they walk along, Mike asks "Well, was it any good?"

"I hate to say it," says Maureen, "but it was damn good. How about you?"

"It was horrible," he replies. "All I got was a headache. She kept
slapping my forehead and pulling my ears.

Can't wait now to get it back on the computer!!

[longam]

This reg cleaner is great for cleaning up. I use it both on XP and Vista.

http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by steinbeck

It worked!! Haven't installed as yet but wil now. Just ran the disc and it will install. shut it so as to come thank you again....!!

Let us know if you get SH4 working again for you...

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

Let us know if you get SH4 working again for you...

That's the most bulletproof a method I've come across. Mind if I steal it for people I help with SH4 weirdness syndrome? I'll quote and credit you.

One minor quibble. All patches contain the previous patches. So if you were going to patch 1.5, you could skip the 1.4 step. No consequences if you don't, you just save some time.

Would you explain why the reboots are important? I'm sure some have gone through the process without rebooting and got away with it. So it would be a great idea to tell why that makes the process a lot more bulletproof. Lots more people would do it right if they knew why.

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

That's the most bulletproof a method I've come across. Mind if I steal it for people I help with SH4 weirdness syndrome? I'll quote and credit you.

One minor quibble. All patches contain the previous patches. So if you were going to patch 1.5, you could skip the 1.4 step. No consequences if you don't, you just save some time.

Would you explain why the reboots are important? I'm sure some have gone through the process without rebooting and got away with it. So it would be a great idea to tell why that makes the process a lot more bulletproof. Lots more people would do it right if they knew why.

I'm no computer expert...but I've been willing to take some risks and methodically follow the guidance and advice of others who have a greater degree of expertise and PC knowledge. I learned the basics of my proposed "installation repair" from comments by another Subsim (or UBI) forum member, but along the way had gotten some Completely Wrong (potentially 'damaging') advice as well. Methodically applying advice step-by-step and employing some trial-and-error approaches, I found out what works for me. As I noted in my first post in this thread, I have had many days...many...of very worrisome frustrations wondering if I would ever get a particular application/program running again (SH4, IL2 specifically)...or if I had done major damage to my PC or Operating System, etc..

With that in mind, the process I described does work and, always with the caveat/caution that one must personally acknowledge/accept the risk of entering the registry, I have no objections to your providing my suggested process to anyone experiencing "re-installation weirdness". A true expert might see it and come along with a more expert/refined process.

You are correct that the 1.5 patch(Add-on) can be applied directly to the DVD SH4 1.0 version, without first upgrading 1.0 to 1.4. I have actually done it both ways...In fact, subsequent to my earlier post I once again had to follow the re-installation path and used the direct 1.5 over 1.0 patch path and it worked fine for me this time....so that would be the preferred/simpler process. [However, some folks may want to install and retain the SH4 1.4 version (copying it to another location) and then patch one version from 1.4 to 1.5].

As for the repetitive re-booting, that has been recommended to me by many others as a step to always follow when patching: Patch, re-Boot, then execute the Application/Game. It may not be absolutely necessary, but it can do no harm and it only takes a couple of minutes to re-boot. On at least one occasion, I had found myself with a 'failed' re-installation/patch after following my process and surmised without hard evidence that my failure to have re-booted May have been responsible.

[Rockin Robbins]

I'm putting a link to your instructions in barndog's "I'm real tired of corruped saves in 1.5" thread.

Take some risks???!!!! Your procedure is remarkable because it is so conservative. It leaves NOTHING to chance and ensures a squeaky clean install. Great set of instructions! You'll see it a lot. We have a rush on complaints that usually come from corrupted files.

[skwasjer]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

I2. Backup a copy of your "regedit" file (located in your C:\windows\ root directory.

Why backup the executable? You need to backup the registry, not the interface to access it...

Best way to ensure you can revert your system back to a last working state - before messing with the registry (or any other thing that may break the system) - is to create a restore point. You can't just 'backup' the registry by copying a file, because you can't simply place it back so that everything works again. You could export all keys that you are about to remove but if a system goes into a corrupt state, you'd have a hard time getting it back up. A system restore point is the easy, noobproof way.

[edit] Disable antivirus software when installing 'safe/trusted' software. This, and the fact that files that the (un)installer touches may be in use by other software, are the common cause why reboots are required.

[Rockin Robbins]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Can't believe we missed it! I'm sure doolittle did the same thing as me and just took it for granted that it meant back up the registry. Regedit ain't the registry! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Well, that's how easy it is to mess up a set of instructions! You get the sophisticated stuff right and screw up on the easy stuff. Thanks for the correction.

Doolittle, why don't you do a rewrite of the uninstall/reinstall procedure (plug in the system restore also, replacing the registry backup) and we'll ask the moderators to sticky it? Stand by for proofreading, skwasjr!

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by skwasjer

Why backup the executable? You need to backup the registry, not the interface to access it...

Best way to ensure you can revert your system back to a last working state - before messing with the registry (or any other thing that may break the system) - is to create a restore point. ...

Excellent points, skwasjer . I always create a System Restore point before I start making significant installations, uninstalls, or other odd "experimentations". I should have added that to the process; I guess I had subconsciously assumed that folks would have that very basic understanding or they have absolutely NO business dabbling around with ANY installations of any software...of course, Windows Autosaves/Restore Points by default will cover most situations.

Anyway, as for backing up the “registry”, that is done through/by the regedit executable….as far as I have understood it (I've never had to specifically restore a registry,thankfully)….and I did overlook/mis-state that specific step(s). Sorry. In any event, oddly enough, rather than using the term ‘backup’ the regedit provides for ‘Exporting’ the registry, or parts thereof, as a file which then can be later 'Imported' if necessary. You say tomayto, I say tomahto. In any event, the necessary steps are below, along with another Cautionary warning, extracted from a Windows(Vista) support site:

While it is possible to follow step by step instructions in order to edit the registry, the first precaution necessary, prior to even attempting to make alterations, is to ensure that you have a current backup of the registry, either as a full backup or a backup of the respective registry hive. Should disaster strike and a registry edit go wrong you will, at least, have a working backup with which to replace the damaged registry hive.
To backup the registry proceed as follows:
1/ Click Start
2/ From the menu click Run
3/ In the Run dialog box type: regedit
4/ The Windows registry Editor will now open
5/ Click the File option on the main toolbar and, from the drop down menu, select Export
6/ In the Export Registry File dialog box select All
7/ Now name the file
8/ Finally click the Save button
9/ To return the registry back to its original state should something go wrong simply click on the File option on the main registry editor toolbar and then select Import.



If all agree that the above steps are correct and clear, I'll add them to my earlier post, along with the initial System Restore Creation step. I don't think much more can/should be added without turning this relatively simple 'guide' on SH4 installation "weirdness" into a full Chapter of "Windows for Dummies".

EDIT: I went ahead and made the changes to my original post, above. Please check it out and advise of any necessary corrections or clarifications.



.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

Excellent points, skwasjer . I always create a System Restore point before I start making significant installations, uninstalls, or other odd "experimentations". I should have added that to the process; I guess I had subconsciously assumed that folks would have that very basic understanding or they have absolutely NO business dabbling around with ANY installations of any software...of course, Windows Autosaves/Restore Points by default will cover most situations.

Anyway, as for backing up the “registry”, that is done through/by the regedit executable….as far as I have understood it (I've never had to specifically restore a registry,thankfully)….and I did overlook/mis-state that specific step(s). Sorry. In any event, oddly enough, rather than using the term ‘backup’ the regedit provides for ‘Exporting’ the registry, or parts thereof, as a file which then can be later 'Imported' if necessary. You say tomayto, I say tomahto. In any event, the necessary steps are below, along with another Cautionary warning, extracted from a Windows(Vista) support site:

While it is possible to follow step by step instructions in order to edit the registry, the first precaution necessary, prior to even attempting to make alterations, is to ensure that you have a current backup of the registry, either as a full backup or a backup of the respective registry hive. Should disaster strike and a registry edit go wrong you will, at least, have a working backup with which to replace the damaged registry hive.
To backup the registry proceed as follows:
1/ Click Start
2/ From the menu click Run
3/ In the Run dialog box type: regedit
4/ The Windows registry Editor will now open
5/ Click the File option on the main toolbar and, from the drop down menu, select Export
6/ In the Export Registry File dialog box select All
7/ Now name the file
8/ Finally click the Save button
9/ To return the registry back to its original state should something go wrong simply click on the File option on the main registry editor toolbar and then select Import.



If all agree that the above steps are correct and clear, I'll add them to my earlier post, along with the initial System Restore Creation step. I don't think much more can/should be added without turning this relatively simple 'guide' on SH4 installation "weirdness" into a full Chapter of "Windows for Dummies".

EDIT: I went ahead and made the changes to my original post, above. Please check it out and advise of any necessary corrections or clarifications.



.

[Doolittle81]

skwasjer and RR:

I've tweaked the Process in my first post above. Please review it again and see if it is clear and correct.

[steinbeck]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

Let us know if you get SH4 working again for you...

.................................................. .................................................. ................


Sorry I haven't posted a reply earlier,, Yes it did the job as you suggested. SH$ workis fine now. Again Thanks for yopur help.

steinbeck