Vista help thread

[warrior 169]

Basically this is for users who run vista and need any help. I own Vista so I thought I might help.

Please remove this thread if I shouldn't post this.

[Empowered One 41]

A lot of downloads don't get recognized. The programs have the "blanco" icon wich makes you, if you double-click, search for a program to open it from a list or the internet.

Becuase of this weird problem, I can't make things like sunken highways or change the skins of my trains and trams.

[tungston 19]

If you list some of the files you are downloading, that you can't open, then we might be able to point you in the right direction.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

"Unrecognized downloads" meaning you can't find a program to open them?  You probably need to download an archiver such as WinRAR.  XP could open .zip files, but I don't think this made it to Vista.

[tungston 19]

If the files are WinRar compressed, Windows XP, or WinZip, either one could not open WinRAR files. I have not tried opening WinRAR with Vista.

[warrior 169]

WinRAR can extract .zip files and .rar files and compress files to zip and to .rar

Windows XP can only extract .zip files not .rar files.

I'm not sure if XP can compress files to .zip. And I'm not sure about winzip. WinRAR does work with Vista as I use it all the time. Vista can open/extract .zip files but not .rar files. The best thing to do is just download WinRAR.

[tungston 19]

Originally posted by: warrior WinRAR can extract .zip files and .rar files and compress files to zip and to .rar

Windows XP can only extract .zip files not .rar files.

I'm not sure if XP can compress files to .zip. And I'm not sure about winzip. WinRAR does work with Vista as I use it all the time.quote>

 

I don't doubt WinRAR works with Windows Vista, but can Vista open WinRAR compressed files?

BTW:  Both Windows versions can compress files, Windows calls the function compressed folders.

[toxicpiano 125]

Originally posted by: tungston

Originally posted by: warrior WinRAR can extract .zip files and .rar files and compress files to zip and to .rar

Windows XP can only extract .zip files not .rar files.

I'm not sure if XP can compress files to .zip. And I'm not sure about winzip. WinRAR does work with Vista as I use it all the time.quote>

 

I don't doubt WinRAR works with Windows Vista, but can Vista open WinRAR compressed files?

BTW:  Both Windows versions can compress files, Windows calls the function compressed folders.quote>

No I'm almost 100% sure that Vista can't open RAR files without WinRAR being installed.

Vista can definately open Zips, there is even a sexy icon for them.

[scififan68 23]

Vista by it self can't open a rar, but a free program called alzip can extact rar but not compress files into rar's. Btw: Toxicpiano that is very true.

[artforce1 5]

This seemed like the best place to ask this question.  I am about a week away from buying a brand new Laptop.  I am looking at a Sony Vaio with an Intel Core Duo Process T2450, Intel 945GM Chipset, etc.  My only concern is will the game run on Windows Vista OS?  I have seen people going back and forth on the issue here and I just want a straight yes or no anwser.  Please help!

[warrior 169]

Yes. that is my straight forward answer, I have a core 2 duo E6600 and i don't do anything to the game like set the affininty and piroity and it works better than on my xp machine. Although I know that some people do ave to set the affinity and priority 1st. The only problem I had was a lot of graphics problems but that was sorted out when I changed the renderer to software. So Yes it does work with Vista.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

I've been experiencing CTDs with Vista, which I just got. I got a city to ~20,000 res but then it crashed and whenever I re open the city, it crashes within 30 seconds. I had another city nearby with garbage and power facilities but no RCI and I can still play that city fine. I've only got the NAM modd, nothing else. Anyone know how I can prevent this? Thanks

[Glasnost 3]

I have no problem with playing simcity on Vista. It doesn't need a disc for me and I downloaded several mod to makes game more fun. I have experienced such problem by downloading a bunch of mod. After you delete the ones that cause trouble everything works fine. ONE problem about the game on my computer is when you zoom in too much (2nd level) it blacks out and than return with everything turns in to lines, but i usually play on one level and it seems just fine.

[warrior 169]

PerrierBaroudeur: Are you an administrator?

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

I'm the admin of my computer if that's what you mean. I uninstaled NAM and SC4 today, then I reinstalled them to make sure I had done everything correctly. I have the SC4 patch from EA to make the game compatible with the NAM, the NAM seems to have installed correctly as its components function properly... what else could be a problem? I have McAffee security on my cpu, could it be interfering? I've tried running SC4 in Windows XP compatibility mode, that doesn't change anything. It's frustrating. Anyone know what I can do to make it work? Thanks

[tungston 19]

PerrierBaroudeur:

I think more details are needed, I see you have Vista, and NAM, but that's not enough to diagnose the problem.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

What kind of details do you need? I'm operating on an emachines T5230 which surpasses the system requirements of SC4.

[tungston 19]

CPU, and amount of memory, general information that might be pertinent.

The requirements are for older OS's, Vista uses more memory than XP.

Model of video card, and driver.

At what speed do you run the game.

Have you tried making a new city, in a different region?

I don't have any experience with McAffee, but I run the game with Norton, and MS One Care, with no problems.  Except when the virus scan starts, it minimizes the game.

I have no trouble running with Vista, so I don't think that is the problem.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

Here's my computer's stats:

Emachines T5230 Desktop PC with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Edition

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Processor 4400+ w/ 2.3GHz , 2 x 512 KB L2 Cache and 2000 MHz System Bus

NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Graphics Manager

250GB SATA II

7200 RPM with 8MB cache

1024 MB DDR2 Dual Channel

Thank you very much for helping me with this, let me know if my stats aren't enough to play SC4. Also, I've tried running SC4 with and without XP compatibility mode and it always crashes. I've never tried to run the NAM modd in compatibility mode. Would that make a difference? Thanks

[warrior 169]

As far as I know you can't run the NAM in anything as it isn't a program. Try right clicking SC4 icon and in the compatibility tab tick disable desktop composition.

[tungston 19]

PerrierBaroudeur:

You have plenty of machine for SC4, too much maybe. I am not an AMD person, so I may not know what I am talking about. You have a 64 bit processor, somehow you need to limit it to 32 bit. I think I have read you can do that by running on one core. That applies to Vista, or XP, and I don't know what else.

I am assuming you have Vista 32 bit, and not 64 bit?

Try that, and check back and let us know how things are working.

I have never had much success using compatibility mode on anything, with any OS. It does work in some instances, but not with NAM.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

I tried warrior's method first because it looked easiest, and I think it worked. I disabled desktop composition and I've played for about an hour without the game crashing or freezing. I plan on playing at least a few more hours today to make sure that my problem is really fixed; if nothing's gone wrong at the end of today, I'll post to that effect. If not, I'll try to run the game on one processor core. My thanks go out to everyone for helping me on this.

[scififan68 23]

I tried that too, but the game was all laggy.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

Well, this is interesting. Disabling desktop composition didn't really fix the problem, it just changed the nature of it. Now instead of freezing up, the game just closes at a random time. I'd been playing for about an hour and a half when the program closed. Then Vista told me that "a problem had caused Sim City 4 to stop working" and that Vista would notify me if it found a solution to the problem. I don't know if it matters, but it closed while I was zoning residential...

[scififan68 23]

Click here for a solution. That is a link for a solution that works, It works for me.

[PerrierBaroudeur 0]

I fixed the crashing problem for good. For anyone who's interested or who's got the same troubles I had, here's how I'm running SC4 Delux:

I am running SC4 as the system administrator (compatibility tab of properties)

I have desktop composition disabled (compatibility tab of properties)

I am NOT using XP or 2000 compatibility mode

I am running the game as a high priority program (task manager)

I am running the game using both my processor cores, I haven't tried it with only one of them yet but I will sometime

The game does not lag, it runs better than it ever has; the only problem I have now is that once every hour or so the game will freeze, but if I wait 30 seconds it will catch up with itself and I'll be able to keep playing. Turning off one processor core might fix that. No more CTDs! Thanks everyone for all the help