ETO Expansion Download Links, Comments, Questions"

[Phil]

Americano

I am sorry Cris. But Friday after the sixth installation failure, I ran off to my favorite OutHouse to try to get me out of the ETO STUFF I had fallen into. Hence the parallel question.
I received your two advisories this morning. I had thought also of the Regedit approach, but having created problems elsewhere when I attempt any form of registry edit I have withdrawn from neurosurgery to my computer. Given how "stable" CFS3 is as a platform already I am very, very reticent to do anything other than a rename of the existing folder to "trick" a new installation . The Martin Multi Install has already created a new folder to my Documents and Settings profile. I am just trying to see if there is a "less radical" procedure than registry manipulations to create a NEW base install for ETO.
Being AMERICANO, I like pictures. Words can be misinterpreted, particularly by me.
I am thus looking forward to the pictures of HAIRYSPIN

 

[hairyspin]

Okay, here goes. I've tried this out on my own XP installation today which already has ETO, MAW and a development installation of CFS3 for aircraft building. Having done all the steps I describe on my own rig, I can report that all these installations still work on at least a cursory look with Quick Combat.

In Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E), go to the folder where CFS3 is installed - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games. Yes I know the screenshots show my E: drive, that's where XP is on my rig - I'm a faffer who plans a multiple-boot setup when Windows 7 arrives. In all other respects my installation is bog standard.

Right-click on the Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder in the right-hand pane and select Copy on the menu that appears

Then right-click on the pane and select Paste on the menu

After some minutes of file and folder copying by the system, you will see you have a folder named Copy of Combat Flight Simulator 3.

Rename this folder to something meaningful. I've used Personal CFS3 version in this instance. Go to this folder and copy MultiCFS3 to it.

Run this copy of MultiCFS3 (double-click on it) and the following is seen:-

Type a new name in the box at the top - again I've used Personal CFS3 version and click on Accept. The confirmation message appears.

You can run this copy of your modded CFS3 now to check it. You'll want to make shortcuts for your desktop or a Start menu folder so you can find it easily again.

However, if you continue with the following steps, do NOT attempt to run the copy or MAW, Korea etc until you have finished and tested.

Be brave! Uninstall CFS3 and make sure any add-on aircraft or effect folders etc are also deleted. Then reinstall CFS3 to its default location, run it in Quick Combat, then patch it to 3.1 and run QC again. Finally patch it to 3.1a and run it again to make sure it's working properly. That concludes the testing and you have a vanilla CFS3.1a installation.

Now you can fire up MAW, Korea etc and make sure they are also working properly. You'll probably have to reset the screen resolution etc via CFS3config - beware of the gotcha that you must exit CFS3config by the File/Exit option or you lose any changes you've made.

You now have a vanilla CFS3.1a, a modded CFS3.1a and some other CFS3 installations happily cohabiting on your rig and you can make sure there are no traces of ETO left and install the thing properly.

But read all the instructions again!

Hope this helps!

 

[grizzly50]

Phil, I can't send send screenshots of files, but I can do the best thing.

You didn't specifiy whether you're using Windows XP or Vista.

1. Simply delete (not un-install) your vanilla CFS3 and CFS3 ETO expansion installs completely. To do this, you have to delete (not un-install) three folders for each install.

For CFS3:

Combat Flight Simulator 3 (Program Files/Microsoft Games)
Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 (Application Data/Microsoft)
Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 (My Documents)

For ETO:

CFS3 ETO Expansion (Program Files/Microsoft Games)
CFS3 ETO Expansion (Application Data/Microsoft)
CFS3 ETO Expansion (My Documents)

The locations are:

For XP:

Combat Flight Simulator 3 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games. This is the main game folder.

Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Documents and Settings\User Name (Your Name)\Application Data/Microsoft. This is the Application Data/Microsoft folder.

Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Documents and Settings\User Name (Your Name)/My Documents. This is the My Documents folder.

Note: There are two indentical folder names, but they each contain different things, and are thus in different locations.

For Vista:

Combat Flight Simulator 3 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games. This is the main game folder.

Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft. This is the equivalent to XP's Application Data/Microsoft folder.

Combat Flight Simulator 3.0 and CFS3 ETO Expansion: C:\Users\\Documents. This is the equivalent of XP's My Documents folder.

For the CFS3 vanilla and ETO installs, make sure you delete all six folders from the above three locations.

After you have done so, simply re-install CFS3 and update it (both 3.1 and 3.1a). Get this up and runnig to your liking, then install ETO per installation instructions. You must have 1.0 installed and run at least once before installing 1.20.

Note: Start ETO in Era 1 and exit, then set the ETO Spawn Selector to 1 before installing 1.20.

I hope this helps.:d

 

[Phil]

Another D-DAY

Sixty-Five years ago yesterday, Americans-British, and a collection of other nations, invaded Europe, to stop the spread of Nazism.To the East, the Russians waited impatiently after having fought for three years their own bloody cataclysm to stop Nazisim.

This reinstall of ETO is an ironic attempt at establishing a second front, and now my eighth attempt, on my computer. Your tremendous outline has been read by this author carefully as has the great advice of my dear friend Cristiano who in parallel sent me an encouraging email with the following advice:

" Maybe I found something that can help You; I remembered that within the MAW's installation instructions there were some references about maintaining a customized CFS3 version in order to be able to install a temporary new clean install, this is what the Desert Rats suggested.

1) Note the location of your existing CFS3 installation, in case You want to keep it but You are not sure whether it's clean or not (your case). this location is probably something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3. Now we have to rename it to something different - only temporarily.Using Windows Explorer, change the existing CFS3 location name to something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\OLDCombat Flight Simulator 3

2) Back-up your registry: installing CFS3 again will over-write the registry entry in your computer.If You already have a primary install of CFS3 and You'd like to keep thing that way, then You would make a back-up of your registry. Later on, after we've installed MAW (ETO in your case), we'll restore these settings. Make the back-up as follow:
a) Click START, then RUN and then type regedit in the window.
b) In the window that appears, select FILE and then EXPORT
c) Save it to a name and make sure You can remember that name. Click SAVE and You are done
d) Later on, we'll use regedit to FILE - IMPORT the registry file we created.

3) Reinstall CFS3 and patch it to v3.1 and then v3.1a

4) Install the Mission Builder

5) Start CFS3 by clicking on its icon. Make sure You are starting the clean CFS3 install and not your existing one.

6) When CFS3 is started and You are watching that P47 sitting on the airfield, exit CFS3.

7) Install MAW (ETO in your case)

8) Once the installation is complete remember that in step 1) You have renamed your original CFS3 install as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\OLDCombat Flight Simulator 3. Well it's time to change it back and so use Window Explorer to edit the folder name. Also if You intended to maintain that copy as your main CFS3 install, thus allowing You to delete the new clean CFS3 install, then You'll need to reload your old registry settings. Do this by using the IMPORT function of regedit utility we used in step 2).


That is what was suggested but I allow myself to add that I should back-up all the CFS3 related files in C:\..........\Documents and C:\........|Application Data, You never know"

I now have a February reinstallation on my system of CFS3 and a June 6 install of a shadow European Flight Simulator 3.0 which is a creation of the the Mr. Martin Mutli-Install program in my Documents and Settings fil,nn, which follows a monumental rebuild of my entire XP system, an Athlon64, Nvidia7800, 3GbDRAM, approx 2 terabytes of data. Not a meager system. but an older system.

After reading all the inputs sent by yourself and Cristiano, and having spent about a week laboring already to try to reninstall ETO, I thought it of some benefit to summarize my many, many mistakes for the education of others at this Forum.

I agree that a Fresh install is necessary. I do not, however, want to risk the established CFS3 installation, which itself was apparently an unfinshed product escape with many problems of its own before it was released to market some years ago. I also do not want to risk the very hard fought for installations of MAW, PTO and DPC Korea tInhat work and were test this morning as functional despite my bumblings. To a large extent I have an immense house of cards built upon a house of cards.

The help of the SimOUtHouse community, especially yourself and Cristiano,is personally inspiring.

I have followed the Martin Wright instructions and have created a shadow CFS3, but with no real data supporting it other than the original install. I can start afresh with a new ETO install and hope for the best. Yet I do not wish to risk all the accumulated material by deleting the host program or manipulating the registry files.

For me, this has become a D-Day event in its planning. The excution so far has led to a disasterous series of beach exercies.

 

[grizzly50]

Phil,


"1) Note the location of your existing CFS3 installation, in case You want to keep it but You are not sure whether it's clean or not (your case). this location is probably something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3. Now we have to rename it to something different - only temporarily.Using Windows Explorer, change the existing CFS3 location name to something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\OLDCombat Flight Simulator 3."

Special Note on Step 1: Yes, he's definitely right, but you can take it a bit further. You can re-name all three folders temporarily: the one in Program Files/Microsoft games (Combat Flight Simulator 3, the main game folder), the one in Application Data/Microsoft (Combat Flight Simulator 3.0), and the one in My Documents (Combat Flight Simulator 3.0), by only adding one little word or even a single character.

Then Re-install CFS3 normally, put in the two updates (3.1 and 3.1a), and install the Mission Builder, but do not run it until you get Martin Wright's MultiCFS3.exe, available here: http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/ CFS3/Utilities/Multi Install/MultiCFS3 (click the yellow dot to download). Then extract it and copy it into your new Combat Flight Simulator main game folder. Now, run it and use it to rename your new install. Then change the name on the new CFS3 main game folder to reflect this change. When you run it, you will have a complete new, clean, vanilla install.

Lastly go back into the three above locations and change the three folders you had renamed temporarily to their original names.

You still have your old install, and a brand new one.

I hope this helps.:d

 

[Phil]

Stumbling towards success.

While others were doing intelligent Sunday Things, I was conspiring as to how to install ETO without surgery to my registration files or obliteration of the CFS3 I have come to know and develop contempt.

Since I established a Martin Wright Folder named European Simulator 3.0, I downloaded the contents of ETO version 1.0 into it, then created a folder called CFS3 ETO Expansion in Microsoft Games folder.

From there, I transferred the CFS3 executable from MAW and from there performed a step by step cut and paste from PTO and MAW to the ETO "monster".

This almost worked. I could get a launch, an EULA verification, the introductory ERA Splash Screen. But after a few seconds, the program crashed to desktop.

Mr. Grizzly I will give your idea focus on Monday, 8 June. Yet if anyone knows how to make the bridge from Splash to into movie and airbase, please let me know. I am thinking it is some .InI or .Bat or some direction giving file which I failed to obtain on the transfer or did not copy from the host CFS3 directory.

Sounds small, but the realization of Splash screens and the correct ones, is a step forward from earlier in the week.

 

[Phil]

Diplomacy, not destruction

After a week of deletions and recompilings, I now have a credible ETO linked to CFS3. Credible in that I launches without a post video "ping" for a file conflict crash and it goes to the airfield, not the desktop.

Many, Many thanks and sincere appreciation to Grizzly, Hairyspin and Cristano. I did not have to destroy the established CFS3 mess that had been created over time, nor with that terminate my PTO, MAW or DPC Korea installs. No registry work with Regedit, nor Martin Wright's tool which is imbedded in ETO v1.0 anyway.

I did the diplomatic thing: If one does not like someone or something, JUST RENAME IT. So what was impossible was assigned a new name and existence. Nothing was destroyed. The creation of a new CFS3 install had no apparent effect on PTO, MAW and DPC. They all respond as before the troubles.

With the name change which included the program file, My Document, My Applications\Microsoft\CFS3, there was no problem with a new installation. My first FFU, however, was a small install. For some reason this created major graphic resolution problems. This was repaired by a complete install of all files, including the introduction video for 1.5Gb, and a pre-launch setting of the Configuration file application to the desired resolution level.

From here problems of a week evaporated. v1.0 was installed, "Splash" screens appeared in correct era sequence,and the planes flew without problem for program initialization purposes. The Cumulative 1.20 was installed without problem as was the music extension files. A P47 in the first or 1936 era is astounding, but "Lily Marlene" makes up for any visual transgression.

After a week approaching the practice of Voodoo, it was certainly rewarding to have a responsive program. Now that the Frankenstein Monster of CFS3 past has been put aside, a very, very careful compilation thread will commence on the "clean" and supportive install. The Wings of Power series is the beginning, and probably the end of such an exercise for a long period.

I again wish to thank those who offered constructive council. All worked well with the teamwork available at this Forum.

 

[cristiano103]

At last

Hi Phil

I am very happy to know that all your troubles with ETO install came to an end and You finally have a working sim.
Enjoy your new toy, it certainly has many many things to offer which makes all your install problems to be forgot forever.

Cheers :ernae: my Friend and have finally good flying
Cris "Astore"

 

[hairyspin]

Too many heads working on this not to get there eventually! Glad to hear you got there.

 

[flying_spud]

I have had it for a few days now and all I can say is well done one and all!



A couple of queries.

1. I notice that there are fewer nationalities. Some removals I can understand, but where are the commonwealth countries from the original nationalities expansion pack, especially the Canadians, the Aussies are there so why not the Canucks? I have a couple of RCAF Gunners Mossies and would like to see them with approriate pilots.
2. Are there any plans to add more bases? If so I would dearly like to see Lorient in France so that I can fly Ted's V/KG40 Ju88C-6's from. There are some KG40 bases, but this is the big one.

TTFN

Beau

That's amazing - the canucks played a far greater role in europe than the aussies!! Could there be an aussie on the development team me wonders......

 

[tobob]

I have installed ETO several times, including the updates and from clean installs. It works fine at first, then it will just freeze up in the middle of play and eventually crash to the desktop, usually within a minute of starting a regular or quick mission. I used the bdp zapper also. It's even corrupted my original CFS3. I have deleted everything and started with a clean CFS3 install. I'm afraid to try again even though for the few moments I did play, ETO was incredible and visually enticing. The people that worked on this did a bang up job, so I can't give up yet.

Any suggestions on what could be causing this and how to fix it would be greatly appreciated?

P.S I find myself looking at other combat sims to try and quelch my hunger! I can't help it.

 

[cristiano103]

Hi tobob

From what You wrote it seems a case of hardware overheating, ETO is heavy stressing the PC hardware especially if You set the config sliders at high level.
It is possible that your system can handle that power requirement for a while then the cpu or gpu hit too high temperatures and the system crash.
The first thing I should do is to check the cpu heat sinking device maybe it should be full of dust and don't do its job.
If it is not so I can't go further, sorry.
Cheers :ernae: and may You have always good flying
Cris

 

[tobob]

Hi Cris,

I will try cleaning out the old g-card, though I'm not sure that's it. I will also try turning down the settings. I run other video intensive games without any problems. (Fallout 3, MSFS 2004, etc...)

I am using a Dell E521 with dual core AMD and a 8600 XXX nvidia, 2 gigs memory, as well as an aftermarket power supply. Not the greatest gaming machine but it has served me pretty well and rarely gives me any graphic problems beside an occasional flicker or slight slow down. Never had a program shut itself down due to graphic overload. Can ETO be more intensive than these other games?

The program seems to degrade after using it a few times. Because I can play it fine for the first couple times then it just gets worse. All this is done over a few days, and not playing mission after mission. Which is where heat problems would likely effect the program.

Dan

 

[Capt. Winters]

That's amazing - the canucks played a far greater role in europe than the aussies!! Could there be an aussie on the development team me wonders......

Hi Guys,

Hi Flying Spud,

Yep I'm an Aussie, and there are some Aussie planes in the list (Mostly for Italian area), but Canada is in the list as well.

I think what's happened is people are looking in the aircraft list and they cant see Canada, but thats only becuase we dont have any planes listed as Canadian yet in the xdp files.

If you look in the pilot list you see Canada with several biographies, if you go into one of your planes xdp files and change the nationality to canada you will then see Canada in your aircraft list.

For the next ETO update, I'm going to change the country designation for the radial powered Lancaster to Canada (as its a Canadian squadron depicted in the skin) this will then put Canada in the list of aircraft nationalities.

I would not write of the Aussies contribution to the ETO quite so quickly, we had few troops there, but our airforce were there in great numbers. and the RAAF squadrons (in addition to the Aussies serving in the RAF) served with great distinction and were appluaded by the English on many occasions for their involvment and sacrifices..

some quick stats (just for bomber command not fighters etc)

About 10,000 Australian airmen served with Bomber Command, making up approximately 9 per cent of its strength. A number of Australian squadrons were formed, but Australians did not always serve in these squadrons; many were dispersed among more than 500 RAF squadrons or were serving members of the RAF on short-service commissions.

Of the 125,000 aircrew, an estimated 73,741 became casualties, including 55,500 killed. In Bomber Command, 3486 Australians were killed, which accounted for almost 20 per cent of combat deaths of Australians who enlisted during World War II, and 708 Australians became prisoners of war.

The contribution of Australians, while small in numbers, was significant, especially when seen against the whole background of Australia’s obligations and achievements in the Pacific. To quote historian Dr Alan Stephens, “no single group of Australians from any service did more to help win World War II than the men who fought in Bomber Command”.

from..
http://defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4712/features/feature01.htm

regards Rob.

 

[LastPANIC]

Hi guys I was just wondering if you guys could help me with a few problems with ETO.

My first problem is that when I start up ETO, in any era, it says "mission file failed to load" or something like that and the menu splash is flickering. I can't do any campaigns it says that a general error occurs and the .xml for that campaign has failed to be found or loaded.

This just started to today.

When I had first installed ETO, some features wouldn't work, such as the music swapping and sometimes it would crash at random. But after a while they cleared up and with no help from me ETO was performing flawlessly. It would crash from time to time but that was all. Then it went to hell over night. This flickering and failure to do campaigns happened, so I did a complete re-install and it is still happening.

I also have a problem with Norton claiming that my BDP zapper is a trojan virus and for the life of me I can't keep it out of the effing quarantine, I mean right out of the install file the zapper gets put into quarantine. I dont think its a virus because it hasn't infected anything else, I think the nature of the zapper application itself scares norton. My backup.exe is also apparently a trojan virus... Is there really a virus in ETO or is Norton just failing miserably at its job. You think maybe norton got bored and decided to have some fun?

 

[grizzly50]

Hi guys I was just wondering if you guys could help me with a few problems with ETO.

My first problem is that when I start up ETO, in any era, it says "mission file failed to load" or something like that and the menu splash is flickering. I can't do any campaigns it says that a general error occurs and the .xml for that campaign has failed to be found or loaded.

This just started to today.

When I had first installed ETO, some features wouldn't work, such as the music swapping and sometimes it would crash at random. But after a while they cleared up and with no help from me ETO was performing flawlessly. It would crash from time to time but that was all. Then it went to hell over night. This flickering and failure to do campaigns happened, so I did a complete re-install and it is still happening.

I also have a problem with Norton claiming that my BDP zapper is a trojan virus and for the life of me I can't keep it out of the effing quarantine, I mean right out of the install file the zapper gets put into quarantine. I dont think its a virus because it hasn't infected anything else, I think the nature of the zapper application itself scares norton. My backup.exe is also apparently a trojan virus... Is there really a virus in ETO or is Norton just failing miserably at its job. You think maybe norton got bored and decided to have some fun?

LastPANIC, it's not a virus.

Check this post: Post #7 http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=18440

You have to instruct your AV program to ignore the BDP Zapper.

At this point, I would do a complete un-install/re-install. Tell your AV to ignore the files.:d

 

[LastPANIC]

Hey, I got my AV to ignore the files and a lot of things cleared up in the game because of it. However just one problem remains. I can never load a saved campaign due to and "unrecognized airbase name". How would I go about fixing this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Phil]

The adventure continues

As last reported on this thread, I was in a mortal struggle with a reinstallation of ETO. Many thanks to the help of HairySpin, Grizzly and Cristiano, I became airborne.
Recently, I upgraded my Nvidia drivers to a May09 release. I also added some CFS3 files, ignoring that the internet was open on the desktop. From one of these minor events, I suffered for a week with "flying polygons" which I corrected by fiddling with the program level configuration files.
But the only thing stable with ETO appears the continued adventure in getting it to launch reliably.
At present, I can launch and end at the airfield, BUT NO MATTER what I think I am doing by selecting era 2 or 3 or 4, the opening "Splash" screen, the music (I do like Lily Marlene, but would like to hear Glenn Miller), and the missions remain Frozen in ERA 1.
Without another reinstall, how can the Era configurations be set so they respond to selection at the opening panel, providing evidence of a change by showing a different "Splash" screen, playing different music and accessing missions contemporary to their era?
Please advise...Over

 

[Phil]

Direction needed

As a later afterthought to my afternoon frustrated ETO posting, I decided that a complete reinstall, based upon a "clean" CFS3 base, would end by spending more time that might end in the same result.

So, I am proposing some median options to the ETO community, especially its creators:

1) Some .INI or config.sys file near the early executable or launch phase of the ETO expansion is not recognizing and translating the era selection instructions. What is the .INI statement that causes this action and how should it read?
2) As the problem in era selection is a core operation to the program launch, could I get by with just a repeated V1.0 install over the existing installation or will v1.2 be also required? Better still, is there some file statement available to overlay or write in to avoid a complete and suspect recompile?

Help....Thank You in advance, Phil

 

[Phil]

I surrender

I started June with an ETO install that would not work, no matter how many times I tried to install or how many angles I tried. I did not want to risk the other CFS3 expansion programs in attempting to solve an ETO problem. Fortunately, the diplomatic renaming, instead of the drastic deletion proposal, did work. I installed a "fresh" CFS3 and from it a functional ETO to v1.20.

Not for long. In mid-June CFS3 and its compariot extensions went into fits of flying polygons and hysterical coloring. After two days of rebooting, shutting down and tinkering with the CFS3 and expansion program menu cofiguration files, this problem disappeared. Strangely, no other program, or graphic intensive program, on my computer suffered the same disease.

I spent a week doing a load, look and verify the installations subsequently. No problems with CFS3, MAW, DPC, OFF or even PTO. But as noted above, my ETO install had now, for unknown and inexplicable, reasons ignored the Era settings required at the game launch. At the airfield, the pilot was consistently approximate as in the other expansion programs and I still had Lily Marlene. But mission files and planes disappeared as did the "Splash" screens for the other Eras.

As I did not hear from anyone, I choose a mixture of the courses set above. I first cover installed a new v1.0 over the existing ETO. This brought no change. No program setup, or "Splash" screen" or mission structure changed either when I then covered over the cumulative 1.20. ETO still worked solidly. But not music or "Splash" screen differences were noted.

Out of more frustration, I name changed the existing folder of CFS3 ETO Expansion to CFS3 ETO and installed a NEW v1.0 and 1.2 based upon my almost clean CFS3 base. Almost clean means CFS3
had FirePower and some mission files added. Nothing more.

I now had CFS3 ETO and CFS3 ETO Expansion in my Microsoft Games folder. Both worked by end Friday, 26 June. But both repeated the same problem. The ERA separations were no longer. No "Splash" screens of the West Front, the Home Guard, Bomber uber Deutschland, Battle of the Bulge. No musical variance away from Lily.

Both launched repeatedly. The same standard CFS3 screens and videos. Finally, I just eliminated CFS3 ETO, while maintaining CFS3 ETO Expansion. I have what I believe is half-ETO. The era selection screen and confirmation screen appears. The airfield has the pilot in close proximity. I have stuffed all missions into an accessible Mission folder which can be accessed in game. I can not, however, access all planes. Only a limited number are accessible per country.

So, I now ask again. Is there any intelligeable way of stablizing the Era demarcations so that I avoid another June like this. At least, is there a means of expanding the portfolio of accessible aircraft without crashing the program?

For the present, I am where I was in late May until I thought I could bring my ETO up to specification. A four-week series of misadventures. I surrender.