Tribes 2: How to update account information
You may update your Email address and/or Password via the "Update Account" button from the Login page for Tribes 2.
To access this feature:
1. Start Tribes 2 Online
2. On the Login Screen fill in your Login Name and Password
3. Click the "Update Account" button
4. Enter the new Email address and/or Password
5. Click Update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribes 2 Online launches to blank Sierra Update screen(s) and will not proceed
To solve this it will be necessary to download and install the Sierra Updater Update. To do this:
-bring up your internet browser and type the following url in the address box:
tribes2update.sierra.com
(do not add "www," "ftp," or "http")
-Select to download to a known location on the system (choose DESKTOP if unsure)
-Double-click the downloaded file to execute (begin) the installation. Allow the update to complete.
-Start Tribes 2 Online. The game will now launch and messages and updates will be received.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After installing, the user will get an unhandled exception error when trying to run Tribes 2.
The following is a comprehensive troubleshooting tool for "unhandled
exception errors." The unhandled exception error message results from a
variety of issues. In general the issues result from one or a combination of
the following: minimum system requirements not met, lack of or inadequate
support for OpenGL, general system issues resulting from older or corrupted
drivers, DirectX, and improper system settings.
NOTE: if the Unhandled Exception is followed by another error (Illegal operation, etc), please be certain to enter this information in the reply. If the error is with opengl2d3d.dll, please reply immediately as there is a simpler "fix" available. Otherwise please follow all instructions below and reply if necessary.
A. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS SECTION
The MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS and SETTINGS for Tribes 2 are as follows: (NOTE:
system speed is listed as Pentium, AMD chipsets are considered equal in
speed measure). If your system is known to meet the system requirements, please
skip to the DirectX section B of this document.
Pentium 2 300 thru 400 mhz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128
video card is necessary to run Tribes 2 on a system falling within this
processor speed range. Other video cards which do not fall within the minimum
requirements, will not run Tribes 2 successfully.
Pentium 2 400 thru 500 MHz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128,
TNT (STB Velocity 4400, Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video
cards), TNT2 (Viper 770 and other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI
Radeon, Voodoo 3, and Matrox G400/G450. NOTE: the TNT (STB Velocity 4400,
Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video cards), TNT2 (Viper 770 and
other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI Radeon, Voodoo 3, and Matrox
G400/G450 require Pentium 2 400 mhz system speed or better to meet the
minimum system requirements.
Pentium 3 500+ MHz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128, TNT
(STB Velocity 4400, Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video cards),
TNT2 (Viper 770 and other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI Radeon,
Voodoo 3, and Matrox G400/G450, Voodoo 2, 4, and 5, and Kyro Permedia3.
NOTE: the Voodoo 2, 4, and 5, and Kyro Permedia3 require Pentium 3 500+ MHz
system speed or better to meet the minimum system requirements.
Additional minimum system requirements are as follows:
-64 megabytes (meg) RAM (128 meg is suggested)
-531 meg available hard disk space
-CD Rom of 4x speed+
-DirectSound compatible/capable sound card
-no video card with less than 12 meg of independent memory
B. DIRECT X SECTION
Microsoft's DirectX Diagnostics Tool will allow verification of the video
card currently installed in the system, video memory, and Windows
acceleration settings.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you chose not to install DirectX Version 8a during the
Tribes 2 installation process and you are not 100% certain DirectX 8a is
installed, it will be necessary to install DirectX 8a from the Tribes 2 CD
or download the latest version from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/directx.
To open the DirectX Diagnostics Tool
- Click START and select RUN
- Type DXDIAG (remove any other text) and click "OK"
- Select the DISPLAY tab. Note the "Approximate Total Memory" listing (upper
left corner area of the display screen). If DirectX is reporting under 12 megabytes of
memory, this video card does not meet the minimum requirements. This card should be
replaced with a video card that does meet the minimum (12 meg) or refer to
the refund/exchange information contained on page 45 of the Tribes 2
manual.
If you find you meet the minimum video requirements, proceed to the "DirectX
Features" section (located in the lower portion of the DISPLAY window).
Verify DirectDraw Acceleration, Direct3D Acceleration, and AGP Texture
Acceleration are ENABLED. If any of these Acceleration modes are DISABLED it
will be necessary to re-enable. If unable to re-enable, we suggest locating
and installing the latest drivers for the video card available from the
video card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue persists, it will
be necessary to contact the video card, system or chipset manufacturer to
seek further troubleshooting procedures.
NOTE: video cards installed to PCI slot will not have AGP Texture
Acceleration available and it is not a requirement. However, if the card is
installed to the AGP slot and AGP Texture Acceleration is disabled and/or
can not be enabled, there is a distinct possibility of program failure. In
addition, re-installing DirectX from the Tribes 2 CD or downloading the
latest version from Microsoft is advised for issues involving AGP Texture
Acceleration.
NOTE: Hardware Acceleration will affect DirectX Acceleration. A setting of
Basic to Full Acceleration is generally acceptable. To verify Hardware
Acceleration is not set to NONE:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the CONTROL PANEL icon
-Double-click the SYSTEM icon
-Select the PERFORMANCE tab
-Click the GRAPHICS button
-Verify "Hardware Acceleration" is set to Basic, Most or Full.
Re-test DirectX Acceleration modes.
Next, verify DirectX Sound Compatibility. Re-opening DirectX Diagnostics
Tool, select the SOUND tab. Refer to the "DirectX features section. Verify
"Hardware Sound Acceleration Level" is not set to NONE. Click the "Test
DirectSound" button and follow the on-screen prompts to test Software and
Hardware buffering. If either no acceleration is available or the sound
system fails any portion of the DirectSound test, we suggest locating and
installing the latest drivers for the sound card available from the sound
card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue persists, it will be
necessary to contact the sound card, system or chipset manufacturer to seek
further troubleshooting procedures and/or to verify compatibility.
C. OPENGL COMPATIBILITY SECTION
OpenGL compatibility, VOODOO and Windows 2000/NT (Service pack 4+).
We have noted the "unhandled exception" error can occur due to OpenGL
issues. These errors typically occur after the introductory video.
OpenGL is the default video setting for Tribes 2 and video cards
with inadequate, out of date, or corrupted OpenGL driver support will
experience difficulty starting the program without error. First and foremost,
we suggest locating and installing the latest drivers for the video card
available from the video card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue
persists, the latest OpenGL support and drivers are located at
http://www.opengl.com. This is the OpenGL home site. There is a wealth of
valuable troubleshooting information and valuable suggestions, in addition
to current drivers available.
If you continue to have difficulty running Tribes in OpenGL and it is
possible to access the Tribes 2 SETTINGS menu, we suggest re-setting the
"Video Driver" setting to D3D. If it is not possible to access the options
menu and a ClientsPref.cs file has been created in the Tribes 2 folder,
modify the file to set the game to start in D3D mode and disable OpenGL. To
do this:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the hard drive (usually labeled "C" or "Local Disk C" or
whichever hard disk drive the game was installed to. The default
installation location is "C")
-Double-click the DYNAMIX folder
-Double-click the TRIBES2 folder
-Double-click the GAMEDATA folder
-Double-click the BASE folder
-Double-click the PREFS folder
-Double-click the ClientPrefs(.cs) file
-If necessary, select NOTEPAD to open with.
-Locate and modify the following lines EXACTLY. Improper modification of the
ClientPrefs.cs file will require re-installation of the tribes 2 program.
The following lines will be located near the bottom of the file. All letters
are case sensitive. If the ClientPrefs.cs file is not available, skip the
following ClientPref.cs file modifications and proceed to the GENERAL SYSTEM
TROUBLESHOOTING and SETTINGS section, further below.
This will prevent OpenGL from even being an option, and will enable the D3D
drivers for use.
$pref::Video::allowD3D = "1";
$pref::Video::allowOpenGL = "0";
Next, change the following lines to read as follows:
$pref::Video::displayDevice = "D3D";
$pref::Video:
referOpenGL = "0";
-Once modified, select FILE (located in upper right corner) and choose SAVE.
Close NOTEPAD and try the game. If issues persist, proceed with continued
troubleshooting procedures as indicated below.
Unhandled Exception errors which occur before the game is able to start may
result from an inability to open the introduction. If the ClientPrefs.cs
file exists in the Tribes 2 folder, modify to disable the Tribes 2
introduction. To do this:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the hard drive (usually labeled "C" or "Local Disk C" or
whichever hard disk drive the game was installed to. The default
installation location is "C")
-Double-click the DYNAMIX folder
-Double-click the TRIBES2 folder
-Double-click the GAMEDATA folder
-Double-click the BASE folder
-Double-click the PREFS folder
-Double-click the ClientPrefs(.cs) file
-If necessary, select NOTEPAD to open with.
-Locate and modify the following lines EXACTLY. Improper modification of the
ClientPrefs.cs file will require re-installation of the tribes 2 program.
The following lines will be located near the bottom of the file. All letters
are case sensitive. If the ClientPrefs.cs file is not available, skip the
following ClientPref.cs file modifications and proceed to the GENERAL SYSTEM
TROUBLESHOOTING and SETTINGS section, further below.
To disable the Tribes 2 introduction, modify the following line (located
8inches (more or less) from the bottom) in the ClientPrefs.cs file to appear
EXACTLY as follows:
$pref::SkipIntro = "1";
-Once modified, select FILE (located in upper right corner) and choose SAVE.
Close NOTEPAD and try the game. If issues persist, proceed with continued
troubleshooting procedures as indicated below.
D. GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING:
The problem you describe is likely the result of one or more contributing factors. Below are some basic steps to take to remedy the problem.
1. Close background programs to free up resources.
2. Insure that there is enough free hard drive space, optimize the free space.
3. Update the hardware drivers on the system.
4. Reboot the system with a System Disk. NOTE: the System Disk instructions are intended for Windows 95 only.
5. Using the MSCONFIG program to achieve a clean startup (Windows 98/ME).
1. Close programs running in the background.
To do this: Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on the keyboard.
- Click once on one of the listed items to highlight it. (NOTE: Do not highlight either Explorer or Systray. It is crucial to keep these items.)
- Click End Task.
- When the Close Programs window disappears, press CTRL+ALT+DEL again.
- Select another file other than Explorer or Systray and click End Task.
- If a message window appears saying the program in question is busy or not responding, click the End Task button in the window.
- Repeat steps 1 through 6 until Explorer and Systray are the only items remaining.
Start the game again. The background programs will be loaded again when the computer is restarted.
2. Check the amount of free space on the C: hard drive of your system. To do this:
- Double-click the My Computer icon.
- Right-click the C: drive icon and select Properties from the context menu.
- Note the amount of Free Space listed next to the pink box. If the space listed on the C: drive is less than 100 MB, it will be necessary to free up more hard drive space. This hard drive space must also be optimized.
- Run Scandisk. Click the Start button and select Run. In the Open field, type SCANDISK and click OK. Click the Thorough radio button and click Start. The utility may take up to an hour to perform its functions.
- Run Defrag. Click Start, choose Run. Type DEFRAG in the Open field and click OK. Select the C: drive and click OK. Defrag may take several hours to properly arrange the memory on the hard drive.
- If there is any virus checking software on the system, run it.
3. Another cause of many problems is outdated or incompatible driver software for the sound or video card. Always be sure that you have the latest drivers for your video card and sound card. Drivers are frequently updated to keep the hardware current and to fine tune performance.
To check the sound and video cards are if you don't know the makes and models:- Click the Start button, choose Settings, then Control Panel.
- Double-click the System icon.
- Click the Device Manager tab.
- Double-click the Display Adapters icon, then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
- Double-click the Sound, video and game controllers icon then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
Driver software is generally available for free for download on the Web site of the card manufacturer. The particular Web site can be located by a Web search, although domain names are often the name of the manufacturer itself (just as Sierra On-Line is found at www.sierra.com). There are also general driver sites such as http://www.windrivers.com and http://www.driverzone.com.When you find a driver file that is the latest for your particular model of card, select it for download. A window will come up asking what you wish to do with the file; select Save it to disk. Find a place on your hard drive to download the driver software; be sure to create a new folder to contain the driver software. After the download, go into the driver software folder in the hard drive and double-click on the executable to extract the other files. There will be at least one README file with instructions on how to install the drivers. These directions are brief, and relatively simple to follow, but are extremely precise, so you must read and follow the instructions carefully.
4. Starting the computer with a system disk will also streamline system resources. It can be used in conjunction with closing background programs. NOTE: Windows 98/Millennium users skip to step 5.
To create a system disk:
- Put a blank 3 1/2" floppy disk in the A: drive.
- Double-click the My Computer icon.
- Right-click the A: drive icon and select Format from the context menu.
- In the Format menu, select the Full. For Other Options, choose Copy System Files.
- When the disk has finished copying, click the Start button, go to Programs and select Windows Explorer. At this point it will be necessary to change your file viewing options.
To do this:- Go to the View menu and select Options.
- Click the Show All Files radio button.
- Remove the check mark from the box next to the words Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered.
- Click Apply then close Windows Explorer. The system disk requires one additional file.
To add this:- Click the Start button, then choose Find and select Files or Folders.
- In the Named field, type MSDOS.SYS.
- Make sure the Look In field is set to C: and click Find Now.
- Right-click the MSDOS.SYS icon.
- In the context menu, select Send To, then select 3 1/2" Floppy A:.
- Click Yes on the message about overwriting the existing file. The computer must be restarted using the system disk in order for the system resources to be streamlined.
To do this:- Leave the system disk in the A: drive.
- Click Start and select Shut Down.
- In the Shut Down menu, select Restart the Computer.
5. Starting the computer using the selective startup option from the System Configuration Utility will streamline system resources. To do this under Windows 98 or Millennium:
- Click on Start and choose on Run.
- In the open window type MSCONFIG and click the OK button. This will open the System Configuration Utility window.
- Click on the General Tab.
- Under Selective Startup, uncheck Process Config.Sys file, Process Autoexec.bat file, and Load Startup Group Items.
- Click on Apply and then click on OK. When prompted to restart Windows, click on the OK button.
To return to the standard system configuration, repeat the above steps to bring up the System Configuration Utility and choose Normal Startup.
You may update your Email address and/or Password via the "Update Account" button from the Login page for Tribes 2.
To access this feature:
1. Start Tribes 2 Online
2. On the Login Screen fill in your Login Name and Password
3. Click the "Update Account" button
4. Enter the new Email address and/or Password
5. Click Update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribes 2 Online launches to blank Sierra Update screen(s) and will not proceed
To solve this it will be necessary to download and install the Sierra Updater Update. To do this:
-bring up your internet browser and type the following url in the address box:
tribes2update.sierra.com
(do not add "www," "ftp," or "http")
-Select to download to a known location on the system (choose DESKTOP if unsure)
-Double-click the downloaded file to execute (begin) the installation. Allow the update to complete.
-Start Tribes 2 Online. The game will now launch and messages and updates will be received.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After installing, the user will get an unhandled exception error when trying to run Tribes 2.
The following is a comprehensive troubleshooting tool for "unhandled
exception errors." The unhandled exception error message results from a
variety of issues. In general the issues result from one or a combination of
the following: minimum system requirements not met, lack of or inadequate
support for OpenGL, general system issues resulting from older or corrupted
drivers, DirectX, and improper system settings.
NOTE: if the Unhandled Exception is followed by another error (Illegal operation, etc), please be certain to enter this information in the reply. If the error is with opengl2d3d.dll, please reply immediately as there is a simpler "fix" available. Otherwise please follow all instructions below and reply if necessary.
A. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS SECTION
The MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS and SETTINGS for Tribes 2 are as follows: (NOTE:
system speed is listed as Pentium, AMD chipsets are considered equal in
speed measure). If your system is known to meet the system requirements, please
skip to the DirectX section B of this document.
Pentium 2 300 thru 400 mhz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128
video card is necessary to run Tribes 2 on a system falling within this
processor speed range. Other video cards which do not fall within the minimum
requirements, will not run Tribes 2 successfully.
Pentium 2 400 thru 500 MHz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128,
TNT (STB Velocity 4400, Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video
cards), TNT2 (Viper 770 and other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI
Radeon, Voodoo 3, and Matrox G400/G450. NOTE: the TNT (STB Velocity 4400,
Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video cards), TNT2 (Viper 770 and
other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI Radeon, Voodoo 3, and Matrox
G400/G450 require Pentium 2 400 mhz system speed or better to meet the
minimum system requirements.
Pentium 3 500+ MHz: a GeForce, GeForce 2, Viper ll, or ATI Rage 128, TNT
(STB Velocity 4400, Viper 550, and other TNT (16 meg) based video cards),
TNT2 (Viper 770 and other TNT2 (16-32 meg) based video cards), ATI Radeon,
Voodoo 3, and Matrox G400/G450, Voodoo 2, 4, and 5, and Kyro Permedia3.
NOTE: the Voodoo 2, 4, and 5, and Kyro Permedia3 require Pentium 3 500+ MHz
system speed or better to meet the minimum system requirements.
Additional minimum system requirements are as follows:
-64 megabytes (meg) RAM (128 meg is suggested)
-531 meg available hard disk space
-CD Rom of 4x speed+
-DirectSound compatible/capable sound card
-no video card with less than 12 meg of independent memory
B. DIRECT X SECTION
Microsoft's DirectX Diagnostics Tool will allow verification of the video
card currently installed in the system, video memory, and Windows
acceleration settings.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you chose not to install DirectX Version 8a during the
Tribes 2 installation process and you are not 100% certain DirectX 8a is
installed, it will be necessary to install DirectX 8a from the Tribes 2 CD
or download the latest version from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/directx.
To open the DirectX Diagnostics Tool
- Click START and select RUN
- Type DXDIAG (remove any other text) and click "OK"
- Select the DISPLAY tab. Note the "Approximate Total Memory" listing (upper
left corner area of the display screen). If DirectX is reporting under 12 megabytes of
memory, this video card does not meet the minimum requirements. This card should be
replaced with a video card that does meet the minimum (12 meg) or refer to
the refund/exchange information contained on page 45 of the Tribes 2
manual.
If you find you meet the minimum video requirements, proceed to the "DirectX
Features" section (located in the lower portion of the DISPLAY window).
Verify DirectDraw Acceleration, Direct3D Acceleration, and AGP Texture
Acceleration are ENABLED. If any of these Acceleration modes are DISABLED it
will be necessary to re-enable. If unable to re-enable, we suggest locating
and installing the latest drivers for the video card available from the
video card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue persists, it will
be necessary to contact the video card, system or chipset manufacturer to
seek further troubleshooting procedures.
NOTE: video cards installed to PCI slot will not have AGP Texture
Acceleration available and it is not a requirement. However, if the card is
installed to the AGP slot and AGP Texture Acceleration is disabled and/or
can not be enabled, there is a distinct possibility of program failure. In
addition, re-installing DirectX from the Tribes 2 CD or downloading the
latest version from Microsoft is advised for issues involving AGP Texture
Acceleration.
NOTE: Hardware Acceleration will affect DirectX Acceleration. A setting of
Basic to Full Acceleration is generally acceptable. To verify Hardware
Acceleration is not set to NONE:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the CONTROL PANEL icon
-Double-click the SYSTEM icon
-Select the PERFORMANCE tab
-Click the GRAPHICS button
-Verify "Hardware Acceleration" is set to Basic, Most or Full.
Re-test DirectX Acceleration modes.
Next, verify DirectX Sound Compatibility. Re-opening DirectX Diagnostics
Tool, select the SOUND tab. Refer to the "DirectX features section. Verify
"Hardware Sound Acceleration Level" is not set to NONE. Click the "Test
DirectSound" button and follow the on-screen prompts to test Software and
Hardware buffering. If either no acceleration is available or the sound
system fails any portion of the DirectSound test, we suggest locating and
installing the latest drivers for the sound card available from the sound
card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue persists, it will be
necessary to contact the sound card, system or chipset manufacturer to seek
further troubleshooting procedures and/or to verify compatibility.
C. OPENGL COMPATIBILITY SECTION
OpenGL compatibility, VOODOO and Windows 2000/NT (Service pack 4+).
We have noted the "unhandled exception" error can occur due to OpenGL
issues. These errors typically occur after the introductory video.
OpenGL is the default video setting for Tribes 2 and video cards
with inadequate, out of date, or corrupted OpenGL driver support will
experience difficulty starting the program without error. First and foremost,
we suggest locating and installing the latest drivers for the video card
available from the video card, system or chipset manufacturer. If the issue
persists, the latest OpenGL support and drivers are located at
http://www.opengl.com. This is the OpenGL home site. There is a wealth of
valuable troubleshooting information and valuable suggestions, in addition
to current drivers available.
If you continue to have difficulty running Tribes in OpenGL and it is
possible to access the Tribes 2 SETTINGS menu, we suggest re-setting the
"Video Driver" setting to D3D. If it is not possible to access the options
menu and a ClientsPref.cs file has been created in the Tribes 2 folder,
modify the file to set the game to start in D3D mode and disable OpenGL. To
do this:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the hard drive (usually labeled "C" or "Local Disk C" or
whichever hard disk drive the game was installed to. The default
installation location is "C")
-Double-click the DYNAMIX folder
-Double-click the TRIBES2 folder
-Double-click the GAMEDATA folder
-Double-click the BASE folder
-Double-click the PREFS folder
-Double-click the ClientPrefs(.cs) file
-If necessary, select NOTEPAD to open with.
-Locate and modify the following lines EXACTLY. Improper modification of the
ClientPrefs.cs file will require re-installation of the tribes 2 program.
The following lines will be located near the bottom of the file. All letters
are case sensitive. If the ClientPrefs.cs file is not available, skip the
following ClientPref.cs file modifications and proceed to the GENERAL SYSTEM
TROUBLESHOOTING and SETTINGS section, further below.
This will prevent OpenGL from even being an option, and will enable the D3D
drivers for use.
$pref::Video::allowD3D = "1";
$pref::Video::allowOpenGL = "0";
Next, change the following lines to read as follows:
$pref::Video::displayDevice = "D3D";
$pref::Video:
referOpenGL = "0";-Once modified, select FILE (located in upper right corner) and choose SAVE.
Close NOTEPAD and try the game. If issues persist, proceed with continued
troubleshooting procedures as indicated below.
Unhandled Exception errors which occur before the game is able to start may
result from an inability to open the introduction. If the ClientPrefs.cs
file exists in the Tribes 2 folder, modify to disable the Tribes 2
introduction. To do this:
-Double-click the MY COMPUTER icon
-Double-click the hard drive (usually labeled "C" or "Local Disk C" or
whichever hard disk drive the game was installed to. The default
installation location is "C")
-Double-click the DYNAMIX folder
-Double-click the TRIBES2 folder
-Double-click the GAMEDATA folder
-Double-click the BASE folder
-Double-click the PREFS folder
-Double-click the ClientPrefs(.cs) file
-If necessary, select NOTEPAD to open with.
-Locate and modify the following lines EXACTLY. Improper modification of the
ClientPrefs.cs file will require re-installation of the tribes 2 program.
The following lines will be located near the bottom of the file. All letters
are case sensitive. If the ClientPrefs.cs file is not available, skip the
following ClientPref.cs file modifications and proceed to the GENERAL SYSTEM
TROUBLESHOOTING and SETTINGS section, further below.
To disable the Tribes 2 introduction, modify the following line (located
8inches (more or less) from the bottom) in the ClientPrefs.cs file to appear
EXACTLY as follows:
$pref::SkipIntro = "1";
-Once modified, select FILE (located in upper right corner) and choose SAVE.
Close NOTEPAD and try the game. If issues persist, proceed with continued
troubleshooting procedures as indicated below.
D. GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING:
The problem you describe is likely the result of one or more contributing factors. Below are some basic steps to take to remedy the problem.
1. Close background programs to free up resources.
2. Insure that there is enough free hard drive space, optimize the free space.
3. Update the hardware drivers on the system.
4. Reboot the system with a System Disk. NOTE: the System Disk instructions are intended for Windows 95 only.
5. Using the MSCONFIG program to achieve a clean startup (Windows 98/ME).
1. Close programs running in the background.
To do this: Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on the keyboard.
- Click once on one of the listed items to highlight it. (NOTE: Do not highlight either Explorer or Systray. It is crucial to keep these items.)
- Click End Task.
- When the Close Programs window disappears, press CTRL+ALT+DEL again.
- Select another file other than Explorer or Systray and click End Task.
- If a message window appears saying the program in question is busy or not responding, click the End Task button in the window.
- Repeat steps 1 through 6 until Explorer and Systray are the only items remaining.
Start the game again. The background programs will be loaded again when the computer is restarted.
2. Check the amount of free space on the C: hard drive of your system. To do this:
- Double-click the My Computer icon.
- Right-click the C: drive icon and select Properties from the context menu.
- Note the amount of Free Space listed next to the pink box. If the space listed on the C: drive is less than 100 MB, it will be necessary to free up more hard drive space. This hard drive space must also be optimized.
- Run Scandisk. Click the Start button and select Run. In the Open field, type SCANDISK and click OK. Click the Thorough radio button and click Start. The utility may take up to an hour to perform its functions.
- Run Defrag. Click Start, choose Run. Type DEFRAG in the Open field and click OK. Select the C: drive and click OK. Defrag may take several hours to properly arrange the memory on the hard drive.
- If there is any virus checking software on the system, run it.
3. Another cause of many problems is outdated or incompatible driver software for the sound or video card. Always be sure that you have the latest drivers for your video card and sound card. Drivers are frequently updated to keep the hardware current and to fine tune performance.
To check the sound and video cards are if you don't know the makes and models:- Click the Start button, choose Settings, then Control Panel.
- Double-click the System icon.
- Click the Device Manager tab.
- Double-click the Display Adapters icon, then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
- Double-click the Sound, video and game controllers icon then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
Driver software is generally available for free for download on the Web site of the card manufacturer. The particular Web site can be located by a Web search, although domain names are often the name of the manufacturer itself (just as Sierra On-Line is found at www.sierra.com). There are also general driver sites such as http://www.windrivers.com and http://www.driverzone.com.When you find a driver file that is the latest for your particular model of card, select it for download. A window will come up asking what you wish to do with the file; select Save it to disk. Find a place on your hard drive to download the driver software; be sure to create a new folder to contain the driver software. After the download, go into the driver software folder in the hard drive and double-click on the executable to extract the other files. There will be at least one README file with instructions on how to install the drivers. These directions are brief, and relatively simple to follow, but are extremely precise, so you must read and follow the instructions carefully.
4. Starting the computer with a system disk will also streamline system resources. It can be used in conjunction with closing background programs. NOTE: Windows 98/Millennium users skip to step 5.
To create a system disk:
- Put a blank 3 1/2" floppy disk in the A: drive.
- Double-click the My Computer icon.
- Right-click the A: drive icon and select Format from the context menu.
- In the Format menu, select the Full. For Other Options, choose Copy System Files.
- When the disk has finished copying, click the Start button, go to Programs and select Windows Explorer. At this point it will be necessary to change your file viewing options.
To do this:- Go to the View menu and select Options.
- Click the Show All Files radio button.
- Remove the check mark from the box next to the words Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered.
- Click Apply then close Windows Explorer. The system disk requires one additional file.
To add this:- Click the Start button, then choose Find and select Files or Folders.
- In the Named field, type MSDOS.SYS.
- Make sure the Look In field is set to C: and click Find Now.
- Right-click the MSDOS.SYS icon.
- In the context menu, select Send To, then select 3 1/2" Floppy A:.
- Click Yes on the message about overwriting the existing file. The computer must be restarted using the system disk in order for the system resources to be streamlined.
To do this:- Leave the system disk in the A: drive.
- Click Start and select Shut Down.
- In the Shut Down menu, select Restart the Computer.
5. Starting the computer using the selective startup option from the System Configuration Utility will streamline system resources. To do this under Windows 98 or Millennium:
- Click on Start and choose on Run.
- In the open window type MSCONFIG and click the OK button. This will open the System Configuration Utility window.
- Click on the General Tab.
- Under Selective Startup, uncheck Process Config.Sys file, Process Autoexec.bat file, and Load Startup Group Items.
- Click on Apply and then click on OK. When prompted to restart Windows, click on the OK button.
To return to the standard system configuration, repeat the above steps to bring up the System Configuration Utility and choose Normal Startup.