using save games from xp in windows 7/8

[eloy2030 0]

Does anyone know if I they are compatible?, becouse I've been working on a region in xp and now I'm going to buy a new PC which will have one of those OS.

 

Thank u!

[cogeo 960]

There should be no problem. It's the same program that creates, reads and writes them after all.

 

It's also very simple to transfer the whole installation. Just copy your Plugins and Region folders to the new computer.

[Cyclone Boom 16,851]

Yes, the format of saved cities remain identical, no matter what OS is used. I remember trying my old Windows XP cities on Win 7 without issues.

The most important thing, as cogeo mentioned, is to fully transfer your plugins. Any saved cities will need these files to be present. This includes any in "Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Plugins". It doesn't matter how you organise the plugins from here on. Though files in the root (no subfolders) should be left alone, such as the Extra Cheats DLL, and anything requiring a specific loading order.

Also, if using the disk version (as apposed to the digital download), remember to update your game on the new PC.

[AcronShinra 60]

I've moved some time ago from XP 32bit to 7 64bit.

All copied cities and plugins from old system works flawlessly. Just don't forget, as Boom said, to update game before starting it for the first time.

[Lot Creator 304]

I have moved my saves twice, from Vista to Win 7 then to another PC with Win 7, haven't had a problem other than to maintain plugin consistency between saves. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

These are DATA files in a given format that hasn't changed.  Why should anyone expect them to be incompatible?

 

Now, mind you, if they were O/S related, then you might have a problem.  How ever this is not the case.  These files are readable on Linux and OS/X as well, as they should be.

[Prophet42 1,500]

When you move to the new OS, make sure that you launch SC4 (assuming it is properly updated and patched) with the CPU count set to 1.  SC4 does not like to run on multiple processors.  Also it helps if you patch the SC4 .exe file with the 4GB fix.  This will allow Simcity to handle more than 4GB of memory being used on a 64 bit CPU and not crashing.  I found this very useful when dealing with NAM 31.1 or higher.  You can find it here.  http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php  I made the switch about a year ago from XP to Windows 7.  Moving the plugin folder was no problem, but the CPU count and 4GB patch were somewhat of a nuisance to figure out.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The 4GB patch does not patch the game exe.  It changes an option in windows to allow a larger user space.

[z1 566]

The one thing you should do is to reinstall the NAM, as it has important registry entries that need to be reconstructed.  If you use the TSCT, that needs to be reinstalled as well.

 

The 4GB patch does not patch the game exe.  It changes an option in windows to allow a larger user space.

 

To the contrary, the 4GB patch always patches the executable; that's all it does.  In 32-bit or pre-Vista systems, the NAM installer also makes changes to the Windows startup options to enable the 4 GB patch.  (This is unnecessary in 64-bit systems.)  This is all done automatically when you run the installer, although it may prompt you at various points.

[Prophet42 1,500]

The 4GB patch does not patch the game exe.  It changes an option in windows to allow a larger user space.

Um, you might want to read the description in the link I provided.  The 4GB patch modifies the executable so it can access 4GB memory instead of 2GB.  Old x86 executables (like SC4) can only access 2GB of virtual memory with the other 2GB reserved for the system.  On x64 systems, all 4GB of virtual memory are now available to programs.  32 bit x86 programs need the patch to be able to take full advantage of the available memory.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

 

The 4GB patch does not patch the game exe.  It changes an option in windows to allow a larger user space.

Um, you might want to read the description in the link I provided.  The 4GB patch modifies the executable so it can access 4GB memory instead of 2GB.  Old x86 executables (like SC4) can only access 2GB of virtual memory with the other 2GB reserved for the system.  On x64 systems, all 4GB of virtual memory are now available to programs.  32 bit x86 programs need the patch to be able to take full advantage of the available memory.

 

So, you violate our most basic agreement with EA? 

[Prophet42 1,500]

 

 

So, you violate our most basic agreement with EA? 

 

Then so does NAM (or at least condones it) because they suggest doing the same thing in the read me file:  As stated from the NAM documentation:

 

"The difference between the s-series and e-series is that the s-series disables SAM ultra-stability, and the higher elevated RealHighway networks (Level 3/22.5m and Level 4/30m).

The s-series is installed by default. Users who desire the larger e-series controller can select the option from the installer, using the Custom Installation option. It is recommended that if you are using the e-series controller on one of the crash-prone processors, such as a Sandy Bridge Core i7, and especially if you have a large plugins folder (at least 3GB), that you should patch your SimCity 4.exe file to be Large Address Aware. A suitable Large Access Aware patch can be found here. You should have more than 4GB of RAM if using Large Access Aware mode."

 

If you follow the link in the NAM documentation telling you to patch the exe file, you will see it is the same link I provided.

[eloy2030 0]

thanks for all the answers! that's good, couse i'd had been sad otherwise... thanks again

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Actually after 10 years and EAs recent behaviour, I have a feeling that monkeying with the .exe by changing a loading option is not much of a threat to them.  Too bad, in fact, that it is not a command-line option.

 

You know, I didn't understand that this change is in the program prefix.  I got the impression that it was an option in the O/S.

[NCGAIO 562]

You know, I didn't understand that this change is in the program prefix.  I got the impression that it was an option in the O/S.

 

This issue and so recurrent that deserved to be set somewhere.

 

NTcore actually make a modification of the exe (legal or not) that was already available through the S.O.  and is well documented in link below

 

"msdn.microsoft 4-Gigabyte Tuning"

 

Implications of the use upon the various OS

 

 Memory Limits for Windows Releases

 

A note relevant

 

Most applications that  do not have the flag set LARGEADDRESSAWARE already set  were probably not considering their use so is a chance of failure when  access higher regions of memory is great.(Read the link )

 

Also to understand possible problems

 

Using WoW64 to processes 32-bit

 

Running 32-bit Applications

The virtual memory.

 

Virtual Address Space-32-bit

Virtual Address Space-64-bit

note: moose / I'm also of those times of the PC / AT

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I'd already been in the computer game for about 20 years before the first PC was announced by IBM.  My first home machine was a trash 80.  The first "big" machine I got to use was a UNIVAC II.

[NCGAIO 562]

Hum! so really am a bit more new at this.

 

My first ones were the appleII and one CP200  that was a national version of the zx80 bought before I mount my first XT.

 

I was curious .... the first IBM PC bus are the decade of 80 and thus the 20 years before we would put in the decade of 60 I presume so what were computer games in this decade?

[infamousjbe 592]

Aaah, the days of text based adventuring.  Go North [enter]

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Well, there was a diagnostic for the U II that played Yankee Doodle if there were no problems.  At that time, pretty much everything was main-frames except for a few small machines with dedicated functions.  You don't play games on million dollar hardware.  Computer gaming is a child of the 1970s time-sharing systems revolution.  The advent of BASIC on student systems gave rise to games.  The first developments in this area were using the deskside computer system and terminals at Dartmouth College.  And yes, I met Grace Hopper when she was a Captain.

Aaah, the days of text based adventuring.  Go North [enter]

You are standing at a rift with a beautiful view.  A hollow voice says 'PLUGH'.

 

I used to have the source for Adventure but it was lost in a move.  It was written in FORTRAN.  One conference I went to, someone handed out colour printed maps of that dungeon.

 

If you are interested in a successor, try Angband.  The Linux versions are better than the windows implementation.  Currently I am a level 46 Paladin trying not to get killed on dungeon level 58.

[infamousjbe 592]

Cause I never actually kept directional notes while playing, I'd always end up lost and just quit with frustration. Wasn't till there were some illustrations and multiple choice did I actually start enjoying text based adventures. 

 

First PC based graphical interactive game was on my elementary school's "new" computers (around '83ish). Believe it was called "Pipes" or something to that matter. Consisted of puzzle pieces of various angled "pipe" pieces that were needed to be arranged in a way for the flow of "water" could make it from point A to point B within a certain amount of time. 

 

Other than that, was lucky to have a farther that introduced me to Atari, Intelivision, & Coleco Vision from the very beginning. Practically grew up with a controller in my hands. And that was only till I was old enough to hang at the arcades or any other spot that had a video game to be played.

 

Not so much computer games. Didn't even have my own personal computer till very late '90s.

[z1 566]

I was curious .... the first IBM PC bus are the decade of 80 and thus the 20 years before we would put in the decade of 60 I presume so what were computer games in this decade?

 

Space War!  What a classic, and a true video game to boot, with gravity and everything.  I used to play it on the PDP-1.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Neat.  I used to program a PDP-8.  It was pretty bare, but we did have good old PAL and a teletype.  Two pass assembler with paper tape as the intermediate file.  But that was much later than the NCR 310 that you programmed by toggling your program in from the console.

 

Here, now pass me that box of chad, I want to plug up a few holes in this tape to fix an error.