Another problem with SC4 installation

[lilww34 15]

So I tried uninstalling and reinstalling simcity 4 deluxe, It keeps getting stuck around 80% I'm able to play the game just without Euro Contemporary, so when my city tries to build EC it's just a brown box :c any help with the installation?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Very strange.  Are you working with a CD copy of the game?

[SimCoug 5,976]

If the answer is 'yes' to the above question, perhaps the disc is scratched? 

[lilww34 15]

Yeah it has a couple scratches but usually it completes the whole installation with the scratches

[rsc204 21,867]

Well making a bit of an assumption here it would seem that some data is corrupted, since the most likely way for that to happen would be during install, if the disk is damaged it's possible that could be your problem. If the installer is stopping at 80% it's not actually complete, does the installer throw up an error or do you have to quit out of it at some point?

 

If you have a spare optical drive perhaps see if running the installer from that helps, sometimes a newer/better drive can read data that other drives have problems with. Other than that do a search about repairing disks on google, it's pretty easy but pointless for anything more than a surface scuff. Bear in mind a new disk is 7-8€ and the download is not exactly expensive, especially if you catch a sale.

[lilww34 15]

No it doesn't throw up errors, it just stops then I click it and a message pops up saying the launcher is not responding, yet I'm still able to play the game

[rsc204 21,867]

Well the thing is SC4 is not all that picky about having only parts of a file, so assuming all the important stuff needed for the game engine to run is installed before it fails, SC4 will run just fine. However, whatever content was supposed to load after the point the install fails is almost certainly all missing, hence the problems you are seeing in-game. If there is a partial file, SC4 will read all the bits it can, then simply ignore all those parts it can't (usually).

 

The problem here is who knows what else is missing, maybe you spend hours with the game and loose everything when something important is suddenly required and just simply isn't there? Given the cost of new disks (or even the possibility of repairing them free) I wouldn't bother with it personally. Another possibility, get in touch with EA customer support, explain you have the originals and they are damaged and I've heard they sometimes offer a free copy of the Digital Version on Origin, it's worth 5 minutes sending an e-mail I suppose, assuming you can live with Origin on your PC that is?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Unless the scratches are through to the metal substrate you can usually polish them out.  Use a soft cloth (lintless) and polish without much pressure from the centre of the disk to the edge and not along the grooves.  If you are successful, this should fix your problem.  If not, consider repurchasing the game from a download vendor such as GOG.com.  You will get version 1,1,641 which is fully patched and needs to play disk.  If you are stretched for cash, you could watch for a sale.