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Patches won't install - "file size" error

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Jan 13, 2003
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Either the 1.01 or 1.02 patch (Strategy First, which according to the icon on the CD/game box is correct) won't install - as soon as I try to run the 1.01 patch I get the following error box (the box is titled "Install"): "Could not initialize the installation. File size expected = 1972043840, size returned = 569104. The parameter is incorrect.". The latter number is the actual size of the installation file - if I try to run the 1.02 patch it gives the same error, except the last number is the file size of the 1.02 patch file. I've re-downloaded both the 1.01 and 1.02 files several times, from several different sites, and none of them have worked.

Here's some info about my machine/OS:

Strategy First version, unpatched (clean install)
Win98SE 4.10.2222A
(Clone) AMD-K6 3D CPU (450Mhz) with 256meg RAM
1.65GB free on C: (the actual file space is like 1,763 MB - it doesn't match up with the 1.97 GB file size the error is returning)

I don't know what other information requested in the sticky would apply here, given that it's an install issue - I can provide card info if necessary.
 
From what you have said you are sure you have the SF version of the Game and the SF1.02 patch.

So lets get a few things out of the way.

1) You downloaded the patch and did not try and run it from the site, right?

2)You are trying to install the patch to the right directory on your hard drive and not onto the CD drive?

3)What is the path you installed the game to?

4)What is the drive letter for your CD rom drive?

5)When you installed the original game you had no problem with the install? And you have made no modifications to the files, and you can play the game 1.00 normally?
 
Originally posted by Castellon
From what you have said you are sure you have the SF version of the Game and the SF1.02 patch.
Click to expand...

- Correct - it says SF on the CD, and the patch was downloaded from the SF site (or a mirror linked from that site...I tried several different copies of the patch, but the current/last one I downloaded was from SF)

So lets get a few things out of the way.

1) You downloaded the patch and did not try and run it from the site, right?
Click to expand...

- Correct. The file size listed on my machine (via Properties) is the same as the file size listed on the DL site.

2)You are trying to install the patch to the right directory on your hard drive and not onto the CD drive?
Click to expand...

- I have no clue - it never asks me where to install to, it just instantly pops up the error box. I've tried running it from the desktop, from the Strategy First directory, and from the actual HoI directory. Same thing happens in any of those.

3)What is the path you installed the game to?
Click to expand...

- C:\Program Files\Strategy First\Hearts of Iron. I left the default dir path.

4)What is the drive letter for your CD rom drive?
Click to expand...

- E: originally (I just realized that), so I just switched it back to D:, restarted, and tried to run the patches again - same error. I can re-install the entire game if there's absolutely nothing left to try, but I personally don't think that will affect this particular problem, so I'd prefer not to (unless you have no other ideas left)

5)When you installed the original game you had no problem with the install? And you have made no modifications to the files, and you can play the game 1.00 normally?
Click to expand...

- The very first time I installed the game it crashed half-way through, but I had had my computer on playing games and surfing online for some time, and that combo of uses tends to hose it up. I re-installed after restarting, and the next install worked fine, but gave me the patch error. So I un-installed the game, deleted the directories, deleted all my Temp (and Temp Internet, just in case) files, and even searched my Registry and deleted the Strategy First reg hook. Then I reinstalled after rebooting, worked fine, tried to run the patches again, and they still didn't work. So I deleted the patches, re-downloaded them from the Strategy First site, and yet again, same error.

Personally, I'm pretty sure the problem is either with the OS not recognizing the intended file size of the patches correctly (that 1.9GB 'expected' file size reminds me of the 2 gig limit on a FAT16 system...but it's been so long since I've done anything in FAT16 that I can't remember the exact byte size of a FAT16 partition. Something to think about, tho), or there's some blank variable in the patch files themselves that isn't necessary (and hence wasn't filled out when the patch was made), but for some reason my computer is requesting that info and therefor returning an 'unexpected file size' error.
Is there a way to manually open the patch files? As in, is there some program I can download that will allow me to open up the patch file as if it were a WinZip file? (WinZip won't open it, says it can't open self-extracting files...but it's another possibility, I guess)
 
Why did the CD rom drive end up changing from D: to E: ?

I would put the drive to D: then follow these insrtuctions
Uninstall HOI

Then try a fresh install. Only try applying the 1.02 patch.

No one else has reported this error so it may take us a while to track it down please be patient.
 
Originally posted by Castellon
Why did the CD rom drive end up changing from D: to E: ?

I would put the drive to D: then follow these insrtuctions
Uninstall HOI

Then try a fresh install. Only try applying the 1.02 patch.
Click to expand...

It went from D to E when I added a CD image drive awhile back, didn't think about that fact until you mentioned the drive.

I uninstalled, and decided to try running the patches even with the game completely missing from the computer - exact same problem. So, unfortunately, it must be an OS issue, or a problem with the patch file itself, or a combination of the two.

No one else has reported this error so it may take us a while to track it down please be patient.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help - there's no way I'm getting any worthwhile info from Microsoft, so I really hope you can figure something out.

Is there any way I can get the patch files in a simple ZIP file, and manually install them? Any way other than the current self-extracting installer (since that's where the problem seems to be)? For all I know it may be an issue with the version of whatever program they were made with vs. the version of that program (if it's WinZip or something really common like that, since I probably have it) on my system?
 
Nope, the files are not available seperately.

Do you get any other screen before the error one.
Something like Initializing.

What is the exact file size of your 1.02 patch?
 
Is there any chance that you've got a manually set V-RAM size of 2Gb? The patch is only 5.7Mb and IIRC it doesn't make a call to the patch file size so this seems to me to be more likely an issue with either V-RAM or the annoying "Let Windows manage me virtual memory settings" default. It might be that the simple fix is to manually allocate 200Mb or something like that to your V-RAM and then try running it. I forget exactly what the path to that is in Win98. Probably something like Start-->Control Panel-->System-->Advanced Settings-->Memory Management
 
Originally posted by MrT
I forget exactly what the path to that is in Win98. Probably something like Start-->Control Panel-->System-->Advanced Settings-->Memory Management
Click to expand...

Control Panel - System - Performance - Virtual Memory. ;)
 
Do you get any other screen before the error one.
Something like Initializing.
Click to expand...

No other screen - as soon as I double-click on it, I get the file size error screen. It doesn't even matter if the game is installed, it always pops up that error immediately.

What is the exact file size of your 1.02 patch?
Click to expand...

Quoted direct from the properties window:
"Size: 4.23 MB (4,437,470 bytes), 4,440,064 bytes used"

Is there any chance that you've got a manually set V-RAM size of 2Gb? The patch is only 5.7Mb and IIRC it doesn't make a call to the patch file size so this seems to me to be more likely an issue with either V-RAM or the annoying "Let Windows manage me virtual memory settings" default. It might be that the simple fix is to manually allocate 200Mb or something like that to your V-RAM and then try running it. I forget exactly what the path to that is in Win98. Probably something like Start-->Control Panel-->System-->Advanced Settings-->Memory Management
Click to expand...

It was set to the "let Windows do it" setting, so I switched it to manual and 200MB. I haven't noticed a difference so far, and it did nothing to fix the error. I've only got 1.65GB free on my HDD as well.



Last night I had a friend (who doesn't have the game) download the patch, and when he ran it it gave a "game not installed" error after initializing. So he uploaded it to his server, and I used WS_FTP to download it from there (in case it was my IE that was corrupting files when it was downloading them). Got the file, exact same file size as the ones I've been downloading, and it still gives the same error. So it's not strictly a problem with the patch files - something with them on my system specifically.
 
What version of directX do you have?
 
Do you have any kind of Virus software running?
 
When you did the uninstall, did you follow the full uninstall procedure for Win98 including removing the registry key and emptying the temp folders? I'm now thinking that whatever caused the crash in your initial installation has left something lurking somewhere that needs to be purged...probably a checksum figure in the registry.
 
Originally posted by MrT
When you did the uninstall, did you follow the full uninstall procedure for Win98 including removing the registry key and emptying the temp folders? I'm now thinking that whatever caused the crash in your initial installation has left something lurking somewhere that needs to be purged...probably a checksum figure in the registry.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, yes - I searched through the entire registry for "strategy first" "paradox" and "hearts of iron" and deleted any keys I found relating to them. I actually did that before following your directions for the full uninstall - when I did it the second time, following your instructions, all of the keys had already been successfully removed from the standard uninstall. Deleted temp files as well.
 
Well I am stumped for now but I will think about it some more. In the meanwhile we have called the big guns in, but they are pretty busy and may take a while to get back to us or you. Sorry for the delay, we will do our best.
 
Originally posted by Patric
This is really strange. You should contact Strategy First direct regarding this as they are the people responsible for the installer.

support@strategyfirst.com

I will send them a mail as well.


Patric
Click to expand...

Now, now, Patric - you know very well that you personally are responsible for everything: The Whitechapel Murders, Sinking of the Titanic, World War 1 *and* 2 .. etc etc
 
Hello

i just went and downloaded the patch from our site. it downloaded succesfully and installed sucessfully.

i have a few ideas worth considering

1) the download got corrupted

2) the patch should be called HOI_Patch_1.02_NA

3) did you disable ALL your background programs prior to doing the install and i mean ALL ( start/run/msconfig/startup tab uncheck all except for systray and scan registry)


4) did you update all your drivers regardless of how irrelevant the connection seems?


also contact our tech support from our website at WWW.strategyfirst.com

once you do send us the same patch you are having trouble with and will attempt installing it in house

Cheers
 
Thanks Nabil, Patric et al.
 
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