Startup Error

[Vice]

Ok, try it this way then:

- Click on Start > Run/Search > type in CMD and press enter > then type in sfc /scannow and press enter. See what messages display that might explain why the program didn't start. It should take several minutes to complete the process.

[thebarbarian09]

Alright...The scan ran perfectly this time (thank goodness) and I came results like this:

"Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them."

Ran it several times and came up with the same message.

[Vice]

Were any details displayed as to which files were corrupt?

[thebarbarian09]

Not specifically...it just says

"Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\\Logs\\CBS\\CBS.log. for example
C:\\Windows\\Logs\\CBS\\CBS.log"

[Vice]

Ok, does anything change if you reboot into safe mode, then run the sfc /scannow program?

[thebarbarian09]

No change...

[thebarbarian09]

Have you had a lot of compatability issues moving from Legends to Mercenaries? My computer runs Legends just fine...is there a way to work from there?

[Vice]

They are very different in their dependencies and resource needs. Mercenaries needs a lot in the way of memory and disk whereas Legends is pretty lean by comparison (and uses much older technology). The baseline for Mercenaries is about as low as it can get, but it should be possible to get it to run on your system.

Does your system have switchable graphics by chance? That is, it uses a low end Intel graphics system most of the time, then can switch to a dedicated GeForce or Radeon on demand or manually?

[Edited on 9-24-2010 by Vice]

[thebarbarian09]

I think so...though I have no idea to switch between them manually

[squirrel]

I have a very similar issue. Trying out the demo of EM it has failed to load every single time.

I have tried a number of the things from this post (and another) with no luck.

Core i7
Win 7 x64
4GB RAM
Radeon 5850

My install is relatively clean as well.



[Edited on 7-8-2011 by Vice]

[Vice]

I looked into the specs on your system (XPS 1530) and it's fine. After some more research into the problem and the results from your sfc test, it seems (according to Microsoft) that your copy of Vista may have corrupted system files that may not be repairable (due to Vista limitations resulting in 'protected' system files that can't be repaired). Have you had past problems with viruses, trojans, malware, etc? What program do you use for anti-virus protection?

There are two steps you can try to attempt to repair the damage:

- Start > Run/Search > type in CMD and press enter > type in SFC /SCANONCE > reboot the system (note the new 'scanonce' command)

- Return to a previous restore point, for details on that, follow the steps in the lower section of the support page here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936212/en-us

If neither of those works, and damaged system files are the cause, then it may not be able to repair the damage without a clean install of the operating system.

Edit: For others encountering similar problems (stackhash related), please send me your msinfo report and I'll review it for other possible causes.

[Edited on 9-24-2010 by Vice]

[Maarschalk]

Hi Squirrel, welcome to the forum and hopefully to the game once you get it running....

[Vice]

Update: Some 'stackhash' errors in games have been attributed to certain ATI/AMD Radeon drivers, particularly Catalyst 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6. This may be the case for at least some of you with Radeon cards. So another step to try is changing your drivers.

Edit to add link: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

[Edited on 9-25-2010 by Vice]

[thebarbarian09]

well the sfc /scanonce came back a list of commands for sfc...since scanonce was not one of them

I restored my laptop to earliest point in time and reinstalled the game but came up with the same error.

I've had several viruses on this computer before which I had to factory restore the computer each time to fix the problem...

[thebarbarian09]

Well...I guess I'll just have to wait until I get my new computer. This laptop is almost 4 years old anyway and slowly breaking apart. I appreciate all the help and determination Vice but I'll have to wait in order to enjoy your work. You have me sold with the demo of Legends but I'll save my money until I have my new computer and can actually play your latest creation.

[MarkQuinn]

I know this topic is a little bit older, but I wanted to come on here and mention what fixed the issue for me.

The Mercenary demo was working fine for me a week ago. But in the last couple days, I had to reinstall Vista. I then went about the process of reinstalling some of my old games. The Evochron demo suddenly stopped working, and I got the error message noted by the original poster.

I tried all the fixes you mentioned, Vice, and none of them worked. That is, I tried all the fixes except one. You see, I hadn't updated to the latest Vista Service Pack yet. In fact I had turned automatic updates off, figuring I'd get to it when I got to it. But then, when a second program (which had always worked fine) also gave me that StackHash error, I knew something was seriously wrong.

I manually downloaded SP1 and SP2 from Microsoft. I installed SP1 and, actually, that was all it took to solve the problem. The Evochron demo suddenly loaded as it should, as did the other program, and all was back t normal. I installed SP2 just to be sure.

So Vice, your original instincts were correct. At least in my case. I hope the original poster wanders back here and sees this, because in all likelihood, the installation of these service packs is the solution (as well as a wise thing to do, generally speaking).

[Maarschalk]

Yes, it is always a good practice to have the latest oprerating system updates...ofcourse relatively speaking that is......