Hi,
After having a horrific time to get the # 1 disk installed in my Vista OS, I finally got it going, but now I am in the computer room in the basement and everything powered up OK, I got the big disk off the desk and every time I tried to load it into the HD the program freezes and my disk in my tray starts beeping and acting funny.
Does anyone have an idea what causes this glitch? I tried to go on with the game without accessing the Hydrofloat program etc. but I cannot find the room where the elevator is supposed to be?
Thanks for the help!

I think you're still having problems with your CD drive having trouble reading CD1.
Maybe you should consider using a CD emulation program so you can play your game from the hard drive instead of having it read off the CD during play.

Hi Hank I too had the same trouble I unloaded and was waiting with someone who had enough guts to ask lol so I too will benefit from your answer then try again

Leeana,
Do you have Vista too?
I'm not sure if this is a Vista problem or if it can happen with XP too.

XP .....I guess it wont work for XP ??? thanks Jenny100

It may not be a Vista-specific problem.
I'm starting to suspect it's more hardware-related if the exact same thing can happen in XP -- and if it's related to the CD drive having trouble reading the CD.

Let's for the sake of argument say that this is a Vista / Amerzone incompatibility. You can try a complete install of Amerzone on your hard drive so that CDs are not used. You can't use a CD emulator for this because of the manner in which the game checks for files. Nevertheless, it can be done so read on.

Amerzone uses an entry in the registry to indicate where the video, graphic, and audio files are located: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microfolie's\L'Amerzone\1.0
You will see an string entry, Source. This entry will be the name of the CDROM/DVDROM drive used in the install process. What you will need to do is change the value of Source to the drive letter for one of your hard drives. It does not need to be the drive on which the game was installed.
Now that you have altered the registry, you will need to copy folders from the CDs to the drive indicated in the registry. The folders are:
01VR_PHARE
02VR_ILE
03VR_PUEBLO
04VR_FLEUVE
05VR_VILLAGEMARAIS
07VRTEMPLE_VOLCAN
On my system, the game was installed on drive C:\ from CDROM E:\ so the registry entry was changed from E:\ to C:\ and the CD folders were copied (drag and drop) with Windows Explorer into the C:\ root directory. The game then played without using any CDs and did not ask for CDs to be changed.

==============
The above may or may not help with your problem. If I read your message as you intended, Vista does seem to have a problem reading CDs while Amerzone is running. It may be a bad drive, a Vista problem, a bad CD, or a co-incidence. You could determine which it is with a second system so that alternate CD drives could be tested.

I don't think you really care what the cause is if you can get the game to play. So try the above and post the results.

Interesting - I had no issue running the game under Vista.

This sounds like it would work on Windows XP computers and other earlier versions of Windows too. Have you tested it with any other versions besides Vista?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, but to get into the registry and start changing things is just a bit above my expertise with computers.That can be a minefield, you know?
I have tried Virtual PC by Microsoft and it didn't install either.
At least I finally got the #1 disk going in Vista Ultimate OS, but now I am stuck with the (game) computer in the basement, which doesn't want to take the disk.this is the farthest I have come with the game.
Can I skip this scene and try to move on?
Please let me know, and thanks again!

It's a lot later now....the stupid disk # 1 doesn't even want to open now. I believe I am going to try what Robert Gault suggested, to wit....change the registry, tell me Robert I do need to open the disk #1 and copy those files like temporarily in a new file on my desktop for later use? The other disks can be opened, for I have looked at them and saw the files on the 3 remaining disks.
Am I right on this??
Thanks

At some point you'll need to copy the folders from CD1 to the hard drive, so you'll have to be able to get to them using Windows Explorer. However you don't need to copy them to your Desktop or to a temporary folder. You can copy them directly to your C: drive, as Robert indicated. Robert has listed the folders you'll need to copy.

Thanks Jenny, I'll try that.

I am trying to open disk # 1, but the tray keeps opening, and a message pops up saying to put a disk in the tray, lol it doesn't even recognize that the cd is already in there!!
I need to see those files on it to copy them. I wish I had known that it was a WI95 game, it's just too old, but then some are having no problems with their Vista OS. My drive is fine, it read the other 3 cd's, why not this one? It must be that protection device or something?

Jenny, my test was made with WinXP not Vista.

Hank, there should not be any reason why you can't play the game under Vista. Clearly you seem to have a bad #1 CD since you can't read it directly using Windows Explorer. The disk does not have any protection scheme so that is not an issue.
When you look carefully at CD#1, do you see any scratches or haze on the surface of the plastic? Is the center hole perfectly round or is there some flashing left caused by a bad stamp of the hole? Does the disk cause any unusual sounds as if it were unbalanced when inserted into the drive? Do you have access to another CD drive or friends computer to see if the disk can be read that way?
It is possible in some cases to polish the surface of the CD so that it can be used again. In fact kits are available to do this and my local library has one for use on rental CDs.

As a last resort, someone with a broadband Internet connection could send you the contents of CD #1. But if this is a recent purchase, you should see about getting a replacement package from the store that sold it.

===========
There is no way to proceed in the game until you can load the under ground computer. However, and this is a game issue not a bug, several power switches must be turned on in the game before that computer can read a disk.

I bought it used on the internet, the guy was very helpful and sent me another # 1 disk, it seemed to work better since I got it to run as far as that computer in the basement etc.
I will clean the disk, even though it looks flawless, another thing is this that whenh I load the disk in my tray, my computer shows drive E as not having the Amerzone icon on drive E:\, some time ago, it did and I right clicked on it and saw the files. Why wouldn't the drive recognize the #1 disk now?
I had the mainpower switches turned on (in the game) and then I turned on the monitor and had that big disk ready and clicked on the drive entrance, but then it just makes "bumping" sounds repeatedly.
Is there anyone out there who can email me those files on disk 1?
I will also try that disk on a friends computer.
Good nite and thanks again!!
btw...I went into the registry and changed the E:\ drive to C:\

PS. I just copied all the files from the remaining 3 CD's to my HD, all I need now is the following filefolder:
01VR_PHARE !!
Is there anyone out there that can send me this file folder?
Much obliged!!
I gotta hit the sack....it's 1.16 AM....Yawn yawn!

That internet sale seems a bit odd. Normally sellers just have a single used copy of a game not multiple. This reads like someone is duplicating games and selling copies.
Are these original disks in a 4CD box with pamphlet or something else?

I have not heard of commercial CDs that degrade with use. On the other hand, if the CD was burned by the seller it might degrade with time if not made correctly.

Do you have access to another system on which you can try to read the #1 CD?

When I received the Amerzone, it came in the original box with the 4 CD's and a pamphlet. To me it looks like original stuff.
Tomorrow I am going to try the # 1 disk on my friend's computer, if it opens, then I can copy the file and send it to my email address and load it to my HD, right?
Robert, I have all the files in a new folder right now, how do I play the game, like how do I get started? Just click on the icon on my desktop, or do I have to put it in my program files? I am not too clear on this!
Thanks again for the help!
PS. I forgot to ask...how do I drop these files in the C:\ root directory, as you suggested? Do I have to make a new "program file" for this and how do I do that?

Well the original purchase looks legit. I was asking about the replacement CD.

With the game installed in the normal fashion, there will be an icon on the desktop to click. Clicking on that icon will start the game.

Installation will also create a directory on one of your hard drives that will then contain the game program files. These are not the folders I specified in a previous message. Those folders are normally left on the CDs which the game reads while you play.
There are two ways to copy folders and their contents using Windows Explorer, 1) highlight the folder on the CD, right click and select copy, highlight your hard drive C:, right click and select paste; 2) highlight the CD folder, left click and while holding down the mouse button "drag" the folder to hard drive C:. Alternatively, you can hold down the right button, drag to C: and when the button is released you will be asked if you want to Copy or Move.

"I have all the files in a new folder right now" I'm not sure what you mean by that statement. Are you talking about the normal installation or have you already tried to copy over the specified directories from the CDs? If the latter, they should not be placed in a directory/folder but placed in the root directory of C: or some other hard drive.
You need to maintain the directory structure of the CDs. So, for example, if CD #1 shows E:\01VR_PHARE, it must be copied intact to C:\01VR_PHARE.

If your CD #1 can be read correctly on your friends computer, then your friend could make a new CD for you with a CD writer. Alternatively, your friend could e-mail each of the required CD directories. E-mail could be a problem unless the directories are archive into zip or rar packages. Many internet providers don't like certain types of attached files unless zipped and have size limitations as well.

The files in my folder are the files of the 3 CD's I copied them to this new folder on my desktop. However, I just now dragged and dropped them into my C:\ drive and they look fine.
Question: why don't you want the 04VR_Fleuve file? It was not on your list to copy, but I copied it anyway, thinking you might have overlooked it??
Tomorrow I am going to check this #1 CD on my friend's computer and hopefully I can extract the 01VR_PHARE file.
as always....many thanks for your help!!

Good work, that was just an oversight on my part. Copy all #VR files.

Make sure the registry entry is changed to C:\

I sure did change it and really it was almost a no-brainer to change the registry. I was always told to stay out of it as much as possible because an error can have grave consequences!
Yes, I set the registry entry to C:\.
Talk to you later, probably tomorrow nite.

Hi again, I finally got the 01VR_PHARE file burnt on a disk and took it home. I downloaded the file (373MB) into the C:\ root menu, opened the C:\ drive and found all the files in sequence on my HD, but the # 6 file is not there, maybe there is no # 6 file?
Anyway....with no disk in my CD drive, I clicked on the Amerzone icon on my desktop, and after the introduction this screen comes up (AGAIN) please put the # 1 disk in the drive?
Robert I thought you said I could play this game now from my HD without using any disk?
So I placed my new disk in the CD drive but nothing happened!
I can't get the game started, do you have any advice what to do now?
Thanks again for your help!

I just went to my program files and opened Amerzone from there and found an icon: "autorun". I clicked on it and a box opened up with a start button on it! I clicked and after the intro. it again asked for the # 1 disk to be put in the CD drive. same old thing...kind of discouraging wouldn't you say?

I just checked the registry again and found under source: C:\
that's all there should be under :"source" right?

One more thing....when I put the original # 1 disk in my friends CD rom drive, it opened up right away and showed me the
01VR_PHARE file which I dragged onto his desktop, then I put a new CD in and copied the entire Phare file onto the new disk: 373 MB, it took a while to get it done! Do you think something went wrong with the data transfer??

As a LAST resort should I un-install this game and start anew??

Thanks for your answer Robert!
This is strange....it loads only the first half of the intro. then the screen pops up with the request to insert disk no.!, then my
mouse pointer instead of a pointer, it has the big disk from the game where I got stuck in the basement. I turned that computer on and picked up that big disk (some time ago, where the game froze on me)to put into this old computer!!
Now it shows up as my pointer??? I can click all I want to but nothing happens.
UNINSTALL this whole game and start anew or what??
Thanks man.

Maybe Robert's version of Amerzone doesn't have a CD check and yours does.

Jenny, that's not the problem. My version includes the files
InsertCD.txt
InsertCD.vr
so it certainly tests for the presence of a CD.

It's got to be related to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microfolie's\L'Amerzone\1.0\source pointing to the wrong drive or the VR directories installed in a directory other than the root.
When
source REG_SZ E:\
(which is my CDROM drive) I get asked to insert a game CD. When it is changed to
source REG_SZ C:\
(where I placed the VR directories) I am not asked for a CD.

I suggest that other readers with this game test the technique and confirm whether it works or not.

So what do I do in the mean time?? I really want to play this game and I am not giving up on it!! I could return it and get a refund and buy another set?
and what about my pointer turning into that big disk that belongs in that old computer in the basement?? clicking doesn't make it disappear! Suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks!