Installing software and games in Vista Final

mrochester · 13 Nov 2006 at 21:39

I've got Vista Ultimate (yes, a legal copy when my MSDN key arrives shortly!) and I'm having problems with installing software and games. Just now I have tried to install Sims 2, yet it randomly decides to not be able to find a file on the specified media as it tries to install. I tried to install 4 times... twice it failed on CD3, once on CD2 and once on CD1. The DVD drive simply spins down, and the error pops up. No amount of pressing 'retry' or taking the CD out and putting it back in again makes it work.

I wouldn't mind so much if I could actually install the game, and then it couldn't run because it was incompatible with Vista. But it won't even install, so this must be a fault with Vista rather than the game itself. What are MS expecting; for EA games to write a completely new version of Sims 2 and all the expansion packs that are Vista compatible?!

Can anyone shed any light on this, and any hints and tips on how the dickens I actually get these things to install?

TIA,

Michael.

bilston · 13 Nov 2006 at 21:51

Tried running it in compatability mode?

mrochester · 13 Nov 2006 at 21:53

I know there is a compatibility mode, but I couldn't find it when I looked. Where abouts is it?

bilston · 13 Nov 2006 at 21:56

Right click setup, properties, compatability tab then select which version to run under? Cant remember if thats correct, its definately in properties though.

mrochester · 13 Nov 2006 at 22:39

Hi there,

Set it up to run in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode, but it still fails with a similar error. Any more ideas?

Daniel · 13 Nov 2006 at 23:15

It's possible their could be a fault with your DVD drive. I had games in the past that won't install but will on another drive.

Dan

mrochester · 13 Nov 2006 at 23:25

Daniel said:
It's possible their could be a fault with your DVD drive. I had games in the past that won't install but will on another drive.

Dan

That's odd because it quite happily just installed Vista from the very same drive... If anything is going to pick a fault with it, surely the Windows installation would be it?

Freakish_05 · 14 Nov 2006 at 07:13

Surely is bizarre. Like Daniel said, try another drive for giggles.

Maybe MS have coded Vista so that whenever a non-MS disk is inserted:

Code:

Error = rand()

Not sure what else could be the problem :confused:

Any forecasts on SP1?

tripitaka · 14 Nov 2006 at 09:17

Are you running it on an administrator account?

Have you tried right clicking the installer exe and selecting the 'run as administrator' option?
Sometimes seems to help, even when running in an admin account...

mrochester · 14 Nov 2006 at 11:15

tripitaka said:
Are you running it on an administrator account?

Have you tried right clicking the installer exe and selecting the 'run as administrator' option?
Sometimes seems to help, even when running in an admin account...

I tried that too, and that was no go. The next thing I'll try is a different drive, when I get a minute.

dark_matter · 14 Nov 2006 at 13:08

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

This is for RC2, but if you have the final, perhaps you could start the final compatibility wiki.

SIMs2 works in RC2.

I know the latest DT works in Vista. Perhaps if you made an image of the discs and tried to install from them?

jas72 · 14 Nov 2006 at 14:16

could also be your disks.

How clean are they and does the game install on other machines.

Although after rereading your thread it probably isn't that when it has random fails.