GTA4 Save game restore

Rob Turbo · 29 Mar 2013 at 20:49

I've just fitted a SSD, fresh install of windows 7 because copying my old windows partition was being a real PITA, reinstalled GTA4 and tried to copy my old save game from the old partition to the new drive but it won't recognize it, I copied all the files from the xlive folder and the save game folder and it just says there's something wrong with it and starts a new game.

On my old install I was using xliveless and a no cd patch, this time around I was going to use live and keep the cd in the drive so I could play online, at the minute I can play online just fine but in the single player mode I'm right back to the beginning.

Is there any way to fix this? I'm sure I've seen 100% save games to download for this game so there must be a way to use my old save game!

RanxZy · 29 Mar 2013 at 20:51

Have you tried using xliveless again with your old save file?

Rob Turbo · 29 Mar 2013 at 21:04

Yeah, it works fine with xliveless, but I can't go online with it, as soon as I remove xlive.dll it goes back to the start again.

almoststew1990 · 29 Mar 2013 at 21:10

There should be two meaninglessly named (numbered?) Folders in the original save location in your hidden app data folder. One would refer to the live and one to the liveless. I'd just copy the save folder in app data of the old drive to The app data in the new drive and both 'accounts' should be present. Ignore this if this is what you did originally and I read the question wrong!

Rob Turbo · 29 Mar 2013 at 21:19

That's what I've done and it says there's something wrong and I have to check my hard drive, then starts from the beginning.

I've also tried deleting the account folders on the SSD, starting the game and signing into my live account so it makes the folders again, finishing the first "mission" so it saves the game, then overwriting the save files with the ones from my HDD and I get the same results.

Witcher1979 · 29 Mar 2013 at 21:42

Did you use an offline local profile? you can't use the save from that with an online profile.

Rob Turbo · 29 Mar 2013 at 22:09

I don't know, I installed the game, replaced launchgtaiv.exe, added xlive.dll, played the game (quite a bit) and saved it, if that's an offline local profile then oh bugger!!

Looks like I'm stuck with having to rename xlive.dll every time I want to play online, which is usually during playing single player, doh!!