SimCity Box: Cannot locate SimCity4 Deluxe play disk

[JasonMel 0]

"Cannot locate the SimCity 4 Deluxe play disk

Please insert the SimCity 4 Deluxe play disk, select OK and restart the game"

That's the pop-up notice I get when I try to launch SimCity 4 Deluxe. I've got the SimCity Box, and SimCity Societies works as it's supposed to. But I can't launch SC4, except that when it launches automatically after installing (which no program should ever do, I might add), it runs fine.

dxdiag.txt follows.

DxDiag10.txt

[hamsterTK 93]

that's funky

I had a similiar problem when my cd drive started to crap out. It could partially recognize the disc but then fail.

[tungston 19]

Have you tried both disc? I have a game that labeled the wrong play disc. I think it was Civ 4.

[chris0101 8]

Apparently, the game uses Disk 2 as the main play disk. This is annoying as Disk 1 is the play disk for every other PC game that I've tried. I have no idea why EA never bothered to release a DVD version of SC4 Deluxe.

[futurama2506sim 7]

I'm having the same problem here with the disk, I put in disk two and it tells me to put the disk in. Then I go to my computer, and the CD drive (F says it's empty. Should I buy a new disk or something?

[pielover94 83]

same problem

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I'm having the same problem here with the disk, I put in disk two and it tells me to put the disk in. Then I go to my computer, and the CD drive (F says it's empty. Should I buy a new disk or something?

Fix your operating system preferences on mounting a data CD. This is buried somewhere in the options for Windows Explorer. Just set it up so that if a data CD is mounted, do nothing. You should pre-mount the disk. Wait until the disk shows up on your desktop, then start the game from the short cut.

  Edited November 21, 2011 by A Nonny Moose  

[Ar0socc3r 0]

It still did not work for me!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

It still did not work for me!

Welcome to Simtropolis.

After you installed the game, did it start?

[Ar0socc3r 0]

It still did not work for me!

Welcome to Simtropolis.

After you installed the game, did it start?

Nope. I got the error message: can not locate game disk.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

It still did not work for me!

Welcome to Simtropolis.

After you installed the game, did it start?

Nope. I got the error message: can not locate game disk.

Sounds like yet another defective version found in the Simcity Box. The game disk is the second one, and if it doesn't work, you should return the whole works for a replacement.

[Ar0socc3r 0]

It still did not work for me!

Welcome to Simtropolis.

After you installed the game, did it start?

Nope. I got the error message: can not locate game disk.

Sounds like yet another defective version found in the Simcity Box. The game disk is the second one, and if it doesn't work, you should return the whole works for a replacement.

The whole box or just Simcity 4?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

It still did not work for me!

Welcome to Simtropolis.

After you installed the game, did it start?

Nope. I got the error message: can not locate game disk.

Sounds like yet another defective version found in the Simcity Box. The game disk is the second one, and if it doesn't work, you should return the whole works for a replacement.

The whole box or just Simcity 4?

Since you bought it as a unit, return the whole thing. They can't take back part of a product.

[soonersleddog 0]

Same problem. Have been using Disk 1 for weeks with numerous cities. Now it won't load.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Same problem. Have been using Disk 1 for weeks with numerous cities. Now it won't load.

Unless you have rush hour (only one disk) the play disk is disk 2. Try cleaning it with a soft cloth moving radially from the center to the edge. Do not swipe along the grooves.

Failing that, check to see if the disk appears on your desktop. If it is not mounted, the system cannot find it.

[REFUND 0]

i bought the simcity box, sim city 4 didn't work, took it back, tried again, same results.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

i bought the simcity box, sim city 4 didn't work, took it back, tried again, same results.

The play disk is the second one of the set. Were you looking for something else?

[Swift110 0]

Ok, I bought my copy of this months ago, and just got around to installing it onto one of my PC's. It is really annoying to even have this issue at all, and like what was mentioned before, and it was stupid to not just release Sim City 4 Deluxe as a DVD set anyway.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Ok, I bought my copy of this months ago, and just got around to installing it onto one of my PC's. It is really annoying to even have this issue at all, and like what was mentioned before, and it was stupid to not just release Sim City 4 Deluxe as a DVD set anyway.

Go get a refund and purchase the game on-line from Amazon or gamersgate. The digital download is diskless, fully patched and ready to go.

[zebulon_stonehenge 135]

I'm having the same problem as everyone else.  I bought a 5-game boxed set (SimCity Societies, SimCity Destinations, SimCity 4, SimCity Rush Hour, Snap City) a couple of years ago (circa 2010), and just now tried to install it (April 2013). Can't return it, don't even remember where I got it, and even if I did, no receipt, and even if I had one, stores that sell this kind of game have been going out of business lately.  HENCE, need to find a fix or a work-around, else I'll have to chuck this in trash and buy another copy elsewhere, provided that any EXIST elsewhere (which is doubtful at this point). Anyone have any solutions other than "take it back" (which won't work)?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

This is the formal installation procedure:

 

1. Install SimCity 4.  Do not patch it or try to run it.
2. Install Rush Hour.  The rush hour install will patch the original game.
3. Install the EP1 patch  -> version 1,1,638
4. Install the update4BAT patch -> 1,1,640

At this point you should have version 1,1,640.  The play disk is the second one in the Rush Hour set.

 

It doesn't matter what plugins you have as long as there are no conflicts.

 

If this doesn't work, please tell us where it fails.

 

You may have to uninstall the game to do this, but the game will preserve your user area unless you say you don't want it.

[General Lee 9]

This is the formal installation procedure:

 

1. Install SimCity 4.  Do not patch it or try to run it.
2. Install Rush Hour.  The rush hour install will patch the original game.
3. Install the EP1 patch  -> version 1,1,638
4. Install the update4BAT patch -> 1,1,640

At this point you should have version 1,1,640.  The play disk is the second one in the Rush Hour set.

 

It doesn't matter what plugins you have as long as there are no conflicts.

 

If this doesn't work, please tell us where it fails.

 

You may have to uninstall the game to do this, but the game will preserve your user area unless you say you don't want it.

 

1. This problem is NOT caused by "defective discs". Try Yahoo! searching this problem. You'll come up with dozens of forums with TONS of people having this problem. Even when it worked for them before.

 

2. This is a Windows Vista and up problem. Most forum posts show that when people had Windows XP installed, the game worked. When they upgraded to Windows Vista or 7, this problem started happening. Anothing thing to note, this might be a x64 bit problem as well.

 

3. What is, and where would you even get a "update4BAT patch -> 1.1640.000"?? I've never heard of that, and it isn't listed on the SimCity 4 page at EA.

 

4. The only version of the game that I got to work was GameStop's Impulse version, and that says, "1.1641.002". That's a whole entire patch above your "update4BAT" patch! Where did they get THAT patch???

 

The reason I am posting this, even though I have an Impulse version, is because I bought an authentic NEW FACTORY SEALED "SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition" in CD ROM form as kind of a "collectors edition". And I am now having these problems. I would like to run the game from the CD if possible. I would not want to resort to the Impulse version, except as a last resort. Besides, if we can get this solved here and now, then people who don't own the Impulse version will be able to get the game to work. And that in and of itself is useful.

[APSMS 1,893]

The patch (the BAT one) is installed when you install the SC4 BAT update, which allows you to make your own buildings, as well as see nightlights on custom content.

 

This patch can be found here. It should be noted that MAXIS ended SC4 support a while ago, and thus it surprises me that they even have and SC4 page on their website.

 

Also, important to note is that digital download versions (Gamestop's Impulse version? I assume it isn't a disc) come pre-patched with all the necessary accoutrements and thus are given a version bump to delineate them from their disk-bound brethren.

 

Not sure what the disc solution might be; I'm running Win7 and have no problems. I ripped the disc to an .iso image ages ago (for disk-less operation), and it seems to work without a hitch, but I've never encountered this issue, so on that front I am clueless.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Quoting an old post of mine is fine.  If you have the original game and the rush hour expansion pack, it will work just fine.  You have to source the patches which can be found on SC4Devotion under the EA Support link.

 

Version 1,1,641 was EAs last gasp to give vendors a clean version of the game, fully patched and diskless operation.  It can only be had through authorized vendors.

 

There are now several versions of the game in the marketplace:

1. The original SimCity 4 without rush hour (2 disks).  Separate (different) patch.
2. The Rush Hour expansion pack.  Required 1 installed.  Applies first patch, needs two more.
3. SimCity 4 Deluxe on CD.  2 disks.  Same as 1 + 2.
4. SimCity 4 Deluxe digital download.  All EA patches applied and the security stuff removed.  Runs diskless.  Available from most on-line retailers who choose to have it.

[General Lee 9]

The patch (the BAT one) is installed when you install the SC4 BAT update, which allows you to make your own buildings, as well as see nightlights on custom content.

 

This patch can be found here. It should be noted that MAXIS ended SC4 support a while ago, and thus it surprises me that they even have and SC4 page on their website.

 

Also, important to note is that digital download versions (Gamestop's Impulse version? I assume it isn't a disc) come pre-patched with all the necessary accoutrements and thus are given a version bump to delineate them from their disk-bound brethren.

 

Not sure what the disc solution might be; I'm running Win7 and have no problems. I ripped the disc to an .iso image ages ago (for disk-less operation), and it seems to work without a hitch, but I've never encountered this issue, so on that front I am clueless.

WOOOOOO! Dude, you are a freaken genius. Who would have thought .iso would have worked? Actually, now I want to know WHY it works.

 

But yeah, set up Alcohol 120% (after I found out it worked, I went back and purchased a paid version. I want to support this company!), extracted disc 2 (and all I needed was JUST disc 2) as a disc image (used SafeDisc 2/3/4 profile), mounted it to a virtual drive, and voilà it indeed worked.

 

And without a hitch indeed!! Here me and a TON of people are wracking our brains out of our heads trying to come up with a solution for this:

And here all I did was mount to the virtual drive, start the game, configure the settings to run in "Hardware" mode (ALL THE WAY HIGH FOR EVERYTHING including 32 bit colors and color cursor), and I get up to 60 FPS!! And even with the above mentioned Graphics Rules.sgr "fix" forum post, I was only getting no more than 25 FPS. With mounting to a virtual drive, I get 60 with NO ADJUSTMENT to the Graphics Rules.sgr file. This is just unbelievable. I can't believe this works. Actually, I want to know WHY this works. Can anyone explain  this to me? I am just surprised that something like this works, and would like to know why.