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Mar 3, 2001
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I've just bought EU2, and am having some difficulty installing it under Win95. Can you help, please?

An error occurred when the installation program tried to install DirectX 8.1 (I have an earlier version installed). I tried to install it manually by running file DX81eng.exe from the CD-ROM, and I got the error message "This version of DirectX is not compatible with the version of Windows currently installed." I know Win95 is pretty ancient, but the box does list it as an O/S which EU2 will run under.

If I go ahread and run EU2 anyway, I get the error message "A required .DLL file, WS2_32.DLL, was not found."

Perhaps I should mention that I only have a 166 MHz (Pentium I?) processor, not the 200 MHz Pentium II which is specified, so I'm prepared to accept that EU2 might not run on my system anyway. But it seems like my current problem has nothing to do with the processor type.

I couldn't find anything about this problem in the self-help guide. I've read the "IMPORTANT: READ BEFORE POSTING HERE" thread. Here are all the technical details you asked for:

I am using the EU2 Ubisoft Exclusive version
I am running Win95 OSR2 ("Windows version 4.0")
Gateway 2000 desktop w/ Intel Pentium 166 MHz MMX
64 Mb RAM
33 Gb free on my HDD
Video chip: 3D Rage LT Pro with 2 Mb RAM
Sound chip: Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16
DirectX v7.0 (4.07.00.0700)

Regards,
Richard Wein.
 
That might solve the missing winsock DLL issue, but I doubt that DirectX will funtion correctly.

Somewhere between version 1.00 and the current version of EU2, the requirement for DirectX moved from 8.0 to 8.1, which is now also on the distributed media for at least the Ubisoft version.

Microsoft has added specific detection logic in the installer of DirectX 8.1, that makes it refuse to install on a Windows 95 platform. The same has been done to the more recent Office installers, Visual Studia installers, etc. It is also a requirement for third party software vendors, if they want the 'Designed for Windows' logo certification.

It's all part of the grander scheme to force Windows 95 off the market, and to make people upgrade their OS.

The bottom line is: Upgrade your os to at least Windows 98SE or Windows 2K. Otherwise you sooner or later will run into trouble, if not with DirectX (9.0 will also refuse to work on Windows 95) then with other Microsoft software or certified third party software.

Jan Peter
 
Win95 works with 8.0a, which works with EU2 1.07.

See the microsoft page:http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx?url=/windows/directx/downloads/default.htm


Given the speed/RAM of your computer, I would not recommend upgrading past Windows 98 anyway, and realise that EU2 will certainly run like a dog (I've used a Celeron 450 with a 2mb PCI graphics card, and it was not pleasant. Upgrading the graphics card has helped a bit).

(OT: Bloody microsoft's detection logic. It's not just Windows 95: the latest Visual Studio refuses to install on a non-NT based OS - i.e. no 98/ME. I wish they'd just say 'this is not supported' but allow you to install anyway, since in most cases at least the 98 API should support this stuff.)
 
Well as of June, Win 98 is off MS support list. It is therefore unsupported. :(
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. I've decided to splash with the cash, and upgrade my PC. I was thinking about it anyway, and this was the last straw. It's the fourth time in the last few weeks I've been told that Win95 wouldn't run something I was thinking of getting (the others were DVD rewriter s/w, printer driver and broadband internet connection).

I'll go for a bog-standard Athlon 2400+, 256 Mb system, with WinXP and re-use my old monitor. That won't break the bank. ;)
 
My only suggestion is to get a MB that does not use VIA drivers, since they have been known to be buggy, and cannot be changed if using WinXP.
 
Check with the store before you buy.
 
Originally posted by Richard Wein
I don't know what a "VIA driver" is or how I would know if I had one!. The system I have my eye on has an ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard.
Click to expand...
This is an nVidia nForce based mobo. Hence, no VIA chipset and thus no problems with buggy VIA mobo drivers :D

One warning though. This Asus board is rather picky about which memory modules (brand, in particular) it fully supports. Get the wrong ones, and you'll experience a lot of strange behaviour. Get your shop to sell memory + mobo combined, with a guarantee you can swap the memory if it turns out not to be the right combination.

Jan Peter
 
You need to write a FAQ on the VIA drivers jpd. :D
 
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