Please note: this thread is currently outdated, and although it might contain useful information, it is scattered along thousands of posts. Please refer to the SS2 Technical FAQ or, if you have any specific questions, try posting them in the Legacy Gaming Technical Help forum.
! - Update 22nd October 2008 - !
Please forward all new contributions to rocketreplay@gmail.com
! - Update 8th January 2008 - !
I got an email today from someone named Twinsanity Ntranced at the email address twinsanityntranced@hotmail.com. This is what he had to say:
"ME AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW HOW TO PLAY FUCKING SYSTEM SHOCK 2 ON AN XP PC DOWNLOADED
WE HAVE TO DOWNLOAD THE GAME BECAUSE IT IS NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ANYMORE
GAMESWAREHOUSE DISCONTINUED IT
AND DONT SAY FUCKING EBAY I CANNOT USE IT, NOT EVERYONE HAS THE MEANS TO USE EBAY"
I just want to say that EVERYONE has the means to use ebay if they have the internet. I have a problem with people pirating system shock 2, so I've replied to this guy's email with some extremely vulgar language and informed him how simple it is to sign up to ebay and pay for something using a money order. If anyone else here has a problem with people pirating this game, I suggest you email him too.
If anyone sends me an email asking for help playing a pirated copy of this game, I am going to sign you up to every porn website I can find.
! - Update 15th June 2007 - !
If you email me asking why your downloaded version of system shock 2 doesn't work, I will reply with lots of swearing. Don't email me and don't post in this thread if you can't afford to buy a working copy of the game from www.gameswarehouse.com.au
! - Update August 28th 2006 - !
If there are any important new problems/methods to be added, please email with specific and anecdotal information on them at cthulhu@rocketreplay.com.au and I'll add them to this OP with credit to whoever emails me the info. Just keeping things updated for once in a million years.
THE GOOD STUFF!: Running System Shock 2 And Windows XP
About:
=======================================
This FAQ was created because I've personally
encountered alot of different variations
of System Shock 2's incompatibilities with
Windows XP or 2000. System Shock 2, right
out of the box, will not run under Windows
XP. If a bug occurs, the installer will not
detect that you are running XP, and will
successfully install. But under perfect
circumstances, the game will NOT run.
This guide is sorted by the name of the
problem you are encountering, or certain
characteristics of the system running
the game. If you see a topic that is
related to your system
(EG: Duel CPU Systems/Hyperthreading Systems)
then read the text for this topic and
it should help a little, or alot.
The topic "All XP Systems" are things
that all users attempting to run
Systetm Shock 2 should perform first to
attempt to fix the problem.
All XP Systems
=======================================
Symptoms:
Graphical glitches ingame, no sound or
corrupt/echoing sounds, crashing at
random points.
Reason:
System Shock 2 just wasn't designed for
your operating system.
Solution:
Right Click on "shock2.exe" in your
System Shock 2 folder and select
"Compatibility", select a Windows version
to test, Apply the settings, then run
the game. If your problem is fixed, good,
if not, try another windows version or
look to other sections of this document.
EXE Fix/Patch:
To my knowlegde there is no Fix to force
the EXE to always run in a certain
compatibility mode.
Incompatible Windows Version
=======================================
Symptoms:
When attempting to install, you are presented
with a dialogue box stating that your version
of Windows is incompatible with System Shock 2.
Reason:
System Shock 2 has no real support for NT
kernel operating systems, so to avoid
people complaining of all the bugs that
appear under NT, the game refuses to install,
giving a legitimate reason.
Solution:
Run SETUP.EXE from the CD-ROM with the
parametre "-lgntforce".
To do so, select "Run" from your start menu,
enter "x:\setup.exe -lgntforce", however you
will need to replace the "x" with the letter
that your CD-ROM uses.
EXE Fix/Patch:
No updated installer has been released, as
it would just be inconvinient and useless
as the SETUP.EXE is on a non-rewritable
CD.
Movies Fail To Play
========================================
Symptoms:
All FMV Cutscenes in the game are skipped
instantly, failing to play
Reason:
The old codecs used to encode the movies
is very unsupported under Windows XP.
Solution:
Run the file iv5play.exe located on the
System Shock 2 CD-ROM, this will install
the drivers and codecs needed to view the
movies. You may need to do this after each
reboot of your system. You can also register
the video drivers by running from the start
menu's Run command:
regsvr32 "x:\ss2\LGVID.AX"
You will need to change x:\ss2\ to the
directory where you installed System Shock 2
into.
Duel CPU Systems/Hyperthreading Systems
========================================
Symptoms:
Movies may or may not work, this problem
has no effect on movies.
The game will install fully, and the EXE
will load in compatibility modes.
The first level will load, controls will
work, sounds will work.
The game will halt after a few seconds of
movement, or of sitting still.
Reason:
System Shock 2 under Windows XP will not
run under a duel processor envornment,
Solution:
First of all, run the System Shock 2
Multiplayer patch, it fixes many small
bugs.
This problem is fixed easily by
assigning only one CPU to the System
Shock 2 process.
To do this, launch the game, and before
starting a the game (while in the menu)
hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and select "Task Manager".
In "Applications" select System Shock 2,
right click on it and select
"Goto Process", right click on the process
and select "Set Affinity". Here you are
able to set whatever CPUs you want to the
System Shock 2 Process. Select only a
single CPU to run the process, and apply
the new settings. Return to System Shock 2
and play the game, the symptoms of running
Duel CPUs should dissapear.
EXE Fix/Patch:
Use ImageCfg.exe as explained in Lardzor's post below this FAQ
Illegal Operation at Runtime
========================================
Symptoms:
You are presented with an Error Reporting
dialogue at runtime, and the program fails
to load, or you recieve a blue screen at
runtime.
Reason:
The copy protection "SafeDisc" is very
unreliable under Windows XP, and often causes
this type of error.
Solution:
Locate a safedisc unwrapper, and run it on the
shock2.icd file to generate an unwrapped EXE,
this should solve the problem.
EXE Fix/Patch:
Because unwrapping the ICD file compramises
copy protection, I refrain from providing
direct links to this type of file. Various
crack websites are where you should look for
this type of file.
Intel or ATI Rage Video Cards
========================================
Symptoms:
Graphical glitches may occur with these video
cards, or the game may not load at all.
Reason:
Unknown, possibly just due to outdated drivers.
Solution:
Create a file called user.cfg in your System
Shock 2 folder, or if the file is already
present, open it for editing.
Anywhere in the file enter the text:
safe_texture_manager
on a line of it's own. Save the file and run
System Shock 2, your problem should be solved.
EXE Fix/Patch:
None known.
Other Graphical Glitches
========================================
Symptoms:
Uusual screen flashing, corrupt or odly coloured
textures, certain textures not appearing, etc.
Reason:
Lack of testing for unpopular graphics cards, or
use of outdated and incompatible drivers.
Solution:
Locate the newest most upto date drivers for your
video card, and install them. If this fails, try
locating slightly older than newest drivers, or
old than your current drivers.
EXE Fix/Patch:
None known.
Cannot Use Ingame Menu
========================================
Symptoms:
When pressing Esc ingame, the mouse arrow is
restricted to a small area and cannot reach any
of the options in the menu.
Reason:
Most likley resolution/visual themes confusing
the way System Shock 2 uses the ingame menus.
Solution:
Right click on your shock2.exe, and in the
Compatibility tab, check "Disable Visual Themes"
EXE Fix/Patch:
None Known
===Written By Mug===
If anyone else has any other sections to add, or problems running the game under XP that aren't addressed here, could you please post details? I would like to have a decent list of as many windows XP/2000 problems and solutions as possible to provide in a .txt file on the web. (By the way, mug is me)
The following was contributed by Lardzor:
My System: Windows XP-SP2, Core2 Duo e6400, Nvidia 6600GT Driver v163.44
beta
'ffdshow' is fast and feature filled codec and filtering tool. It is
installed with many codec packs by default and can cause problems with
certain applications including System Shock 2.
After MUCH effort (most of it in the wrong direction), I resolved my
problem.
Problem: After Install, game crashes on launch. It verifies the copy
protection, then the screen would go black, and a few seconds later I
would get "System Shock 2 has encountered a problem and needs to close."
Clicking on more info reports it was related to the LGVID.ax node.
What DID NOT work:
I tried the multi-player patch, same problem.
I tried all versions of SHOCK2.exe I could find. All failed to solve my
problem.
I tried all compatibility modes on all SHOCK2.EXE's I found with cold
boots in between each test, and still no love.
I tried adding 'safe_texture_manager' to user.cfg, and/or cam.cfg, and/or
shock.cfg.
I tried renaming the cutscenes directory to something else.
I even re-encoded the cut-scenes to use Xvid instead of Indeo with no
success.
What DID work:
I finally tried renaming LGVID.ax to 'Copy of LGVID.ax' and FINALLY was
able to start and play the game, but this stopped all cut-scenes from
playing. I missed the cut-scenes too much to give up on them yet.
The cause turned out to be ffdshow. When a video is played on my system,
it went from the indeo codec filter, then to ffdshow, then to the renderer.
To fix my problem I had to run the ffdshow Video Decoder Configuration,
select 'Info & Debug' from the options on the left, and then in the Debug
section of the menu I placed a check in the box for 'Don't use ffdshow
in:'. I then added 'SHOCK2.EXE;' to the list by typing in the field
provided. a semicolon should separate program names if you have more than
one in that list.
example: 'Oblivion.exe;explorer.exe;shock2.exe;'
Since I have a Dual core processer, I had to use the 'imagecfg.exe' tool
to set shock2 to use only one core.
From the command line:
imagecfg.exe -u "C:\path\to\SS2\Shock2.exe" ; to set shock2 to
uniprocessor mode.
then:
imagecfg.exe -a 0x1 "C:\path\to\SS2\Shock2.exe" ; to set affinity to
processor 1
I can now play the multi-player version with all the mods for better
textures sounds and bug fixes.
Regards;
Lardzor
Last edited by D'Arcy; 28th Jul 2011 at 18:20.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is way better than System Shock 2
hmm.. i seem to be suffering from:
Illegal Operation at Runtime
but i don't even get an error dialog. i've tried unwrapping the icd to play, but the gameplay was slow and stuttery, and refused to go farther then the carreer paths.
i'll re-install tommorow and try it again. i really wanna play.
try perhaps updating to directx9, latest vid card drivers. and anything else that may need updating. tell me if u get it working
There is one patch at http://www.brave.net.nz/shock2_xp_2000_fix.zip that fixes the problem with the screen going black after starting a new game. If you use this patch you should not use any compatability modes though.
You can make compatibility mode permanent by using the Program Compatibility Wizard (start>all programs>accesories)
BTW, ss2's Screen flashing, corrupt or oddly colored textures can also be caused by messing with its's memory. (I tried to do a no clipping by messing with its colision detection).
nice faq! Now with the FAQ that I wrote and this one for shock 2, im sure all new ss players will find ease in installing the program. However, it seems that what may work for one person probably wont work for someone else. Possibly the different systems configurations and hardware could be the problem with getting these games to work under all OS's. Hopefully one day someone will pick up SS and re-release them and make them compatable.
One can only hope and dream right...........
I didn't even have to set compatiblity modes. All I had to do was Start > Run > D:\setup.exe -????? (?????= whatever you type in there, I forgot what it is)
Thanks Haunt-of-DOOM, that was a really helpful post.
Hey, guess what! All i had to do was put the cd in and install it! Thats one more person helped...
MAN I HATE PEOPLE
I wish i were a moderator...
dude, calm the hell down, he was talking about using "x:\setup.exe -lgntforce"Originally posted by Wuggles
Thanks Haunt-of-DOOM, that was a really helpful post.
Hey, guess what! All i had to do was put the cd in and install it! Thats one more person helped...
MAN I HATE PEOPLE
I wish i were a moderator...
which, even if it wasn't helpful to you, was on topic.
Not only did he not write lgntforce (and not edit it in either), but it was already said. There's no way that could be the least bit helpful to anybody!
Last edited by Wuggles; 11th Sep 2004 at 22:38.
Speaking of off topic... A moderator should delete all posts from haunt-of-doom down.
I'm not here to stop you lot looking like idiots, you're supposed to be able to do that yourselves.
Originally posted by David
If I removed offtopic posts from this thread, I would have to do it for all threads. I would be old and grey before I finished
Last edited by David; 20th Jun 2003 at 13:13.
And what the heck is and where I can find the 'safedisc unwrapper'?Solution:
Locate a safedisc unwrapper, and run it on the
shock2.icd file to generate an unwrapped EXE,
this should solve the problem.
[Edit]Nevermind anymore.
Last edited by Koki; 24th Jun 2003 at 05:28.
Ok, this IS a bump. My original post is above. I thought that this thread felt down so far that nobody sees it. I tried e-mailing Ninjit_Turak, but his e-mail includes space, so my e-mail sender gets fooled.
This is a helpful thread, could you stick it, David?
[Edit]Nevermind anymore.
Last edited by Koki; 24th Jun 2003 at 05:28.
90% of the FAQ part is already stickied in the FAQ I wrote.
Ummm... not to burst anyone's bubble, but I've just about always played SS2 under XP and have never encountered any of these problems. Perhaps it can't always be chalked up to the operating system?
It's not always the OS' fault. Actually, its never just the OS' fault. Its just that the OS makes other things behave differently, which causes problems.
It causes the same problems in most things though, and it is XP/2000 that causes the most trouble, which is why this thread is named accordingly.
It may be that XP doesn't like your amd 1.1GHz thunderbird, but it's the same problem with a 1.2GHz thunderbird. Thus, they have the same solution. The thread would be called something like "Problem with xp and Thunderbird" not "Problem with amd 1.1GHz" (i'm just making that up, there is no problem)
Koki, do you understand what to do or not?
a very big THX for this trick/hint/info!Originally posted by Ninjit_Turak
Duel CPU Systems/Hyperthreading Systems
========================================
Reason:
System Shock 2 under Windows XP will not
run under a duel processor envornment,
Solution:
...
Last edited by Hardcore-Evil; 26th Jun 2003 at 08:20.
Hmm... it seems the patched 2.3 version runs perfectly fine under WinXP for me... no crash no bug not any problem...
well im not 100% sure, but as i stated in my FAQ, system shock 2 is designed to NOT run under anything other than windows 95 or 98, it has specific protections in the installer to stop it from working on anything else.
if the protection doesnt kick in, i think you could classify it as a bug, altho its a good bug that makes it work, its still a bug.
I think more than 50% of windows XP users have one problem or another running ss2, so i think this guide is a good thing. But yes i am well aware that under many conditions the game will run fine without many troubles at all.
I have windows Me, and SS2 won't run on it. It'll play the opening sequence, then when it's about to load the very first level (the second the bar reaches full) the screen goes black and nothing happens. I tried waiting it out, checking if it's my crappy PC. I've tried reinstalling it three times, using patches that'd allow 2000/XPs, with no avail. I'd be very thankful if anybody has a idea to solve the problem.
I have Win2k, and it happen to me, sometimes, and not only on the beginning - any bulkhead can crush my system >:/
reinstalled w2k using a ghost of a clean install - lo and behold, ss2 works again!
I think what fucked it up was a windows update I did - after the update, when loading or starting a new game, it would ge up to the point of being about to show the level, then crashing out into windows..
tried updating graphics drivers etc to no avail - but now it works again - aaahhh... I sure as heck won't be doing any windows updates anytime soon..
Windows Update? Interesting, gotta deinstall all the updatesThey're messing up my Add/Remove Programs menu anyway...
[Edit]It won't work... this time the game crashed, when I clicked Esc to get to the game menu.
Last edited by Koki; 12th Jul 2003 at 08:56.
Yup, tried that of course... some (or is it all?) of the service packs can be uninstalled, however, most updates cannot..
thus, clean install by way of a ghost, and presto! I can play ss2 again..
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