Written and Edited By: MarkEAW
Related Dowloads:
game-patch-misc - This holds the empty Movies CDF file you most
likely will need. Also small DSETUP.DLL. Read in the end of this
document to know why.
[ GOTO THE MAIN EAWHS PAGE ]

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
MODERN SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Modern Machine Requirements
Suggested Reading | Reality of Hardware Required | Updated Drivers |
Performance Consideration
LEGACY SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Legacy Supported
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Machine
Optimized For | Further Requirement
Legacy Tested Hardware | Install On Legacy OS
-+-
GETTING STARTED
Is The Game Already Installed | Create A Game Folder | Manually Adding EAW From The CD
Clean Installed Folder For v1.0
UPDATE WITH PATCH
About v1.0 | About v1.1
Clean Installed Folder For v1.1
UPDATE TO v1.2
Note Infogrames CD Patch | Patching Steps
Safe Keeping | No CD In Drive | Game Shortcut | Compatibility
Mode/Tab Settings Warning
Clean Installed Folder For v1.2
FINAL STEPS
An Empty Movies.CDF
Run The Game | Can You See The Menu Screens
Properly?
Do Not Move Note |
See Troubleshoot Help Document
Saving Some HD Space
This document was
written
to get EAW manually added to your system. It will guide you with 'installing' from the CD
(EAWv1.0), and how to
apply the official patch(s) v1.1 and/or v1.2. While showing you some support and
steps to use that should be taken with any un-official version /
type of the game as well. See the 'PATCHES AND MODIFICATIONS HELP
DOCUMENTS' link above on the menu bar to see how to install specific
versions.
Problems launching or running the game? See my 'Troubleshoot Help Document' to learn more.
"EAW has captured most of
the tremendous amount of action that took place in WWII!"
Others and I have determined the following to be
useful guidelines for system requirements on Modern Windows OS
Desktop Computers.
Modern Machine Requirements (NT based Windows , 1999 to
Today):
Running on a Windows OS version higher than WinME will work. However this
is done with some sort of
WinOS compatibility layers / fixes provided by the OS itself automatically or introduced by the player. (Note that,
any form of software compatibility regardless how seamless it is, can cause slowdowns-lower frames
per second). Wrapper programs are another software solution. Despite all this, EAW runs well on a modern
Window OS, some better than others. Read my NOTES further down after
you read the following:
- 32 or 64 bit WinOS.
- -WinNT no multiplayer and several other issues... (use w/ wrapper
program).
-Win2k no multiplayer and a few issues (native compatibility;
with the ACT Toolkit, manually configured).
-WinXP with at least SP1 needed (native compatibility; comes w/ compatibility database).
-WinVista/Win7 with some correctable issues (native
compatibility and w/ reg fix or wrapper program)
-Win8.1/Win10 with little to no issues (native compatibility or
w/ wrapper program).
- Uses DirectX9.x, however runs with backward compatibility,
some problems can occur.
(Enable Legacy supported DirectX DirectPlay in Windows 10
Features if you plan on multiplayer.)
- Single Core CPU (Two or more Cores for WinVista or later)
Four cores preferred for Win8.1/Win10.
Approximately a 3.8Ghz CPU (The less cores the faster you want
it).
- 3D Graphics Card (256MB or more memory). No integrated to
the cpu or motherboard video, game runs too slow.
- 2x CD-ROM drive to copy files off of the CD for a Full
'Install'. (high speed not required with full install).
NOTES
Suggested Reading:
If you do not have an old Win9x system (many of us no longer do) or if you prefer to use a modern
Windows OS, I suggest you to read and examine this 'Install Help
Document' in it's entirety, along with referring to my other help document;
the 'Troubleshoot Help Document' for example includes issues that may arise with
modern NT based Windows OS computer use. It's a catch all help
document that will inform you of
issues on each major version of the WinNT OS has with the game.
There are
further details with getting your the game in-place and running in
that help document.
Note: The unofficial Source
Coded games with custom frontend launchers such as the CodeGroups
builds, will require WinXP or
later versions due to the frontends using older Visual Basic 6
runtime files. See my 'CodeGroup Patches Help Document' for install
instructions for those versions.
Reality of Hardware Required:
EAW is very CPU and Motherboard / System Memory intensive rather than Graphic
card intensive, especially when your game is loaded up with extra mods
and extra planes. A Better CPU and fast MB with fast memory is wiser
than a better Graphic card, as long as you meet the minimum
requirements, a 3D Hardware Card. (Modern systems with integrated
video will usually result in 11 Frames per second or lower on a
Win10 system. A Win7 system will run it faster but may still be too
slow with integrated graphics).
Keep in mind that EAW is a Single Threaded game; it was made
before multi core CPUs. However old CPU's that support multi
threading of some sort, like something called HyperThreading will
work better. Multi-Core, like Quad cores still support single
threading, some do it better than others. 6 Core CPUs from what I
can tell have less support for single threaded games (old games).
Updated Drivers:
Before adding the game to your computer,
you will want the latest drivers and updates for your Windows OS,
Motherboard Chipsets, Video Card, Sound Device, and Controller Device (If available).
You could rollback your video Drivers if you think you need too
(some legacy Vid Cards require this).
On Modern Windows, regardless of the problem (unless the issue is extreme), I would
NOT use older drivers. I've found you need the latest drivers and OS
updates for the game to work properly under compatibility layers,
fixes and Wrappers etc found on those systems. On this help site I
have include much information on such methods to properly use compatibility
etc for EAW use, to be read later in another few help documents.
Performance Consideration:
For the users that wish to know more;
Testing on all the same modern hardware (from 2010) while updating
only the video card, I did
not see any improvement, the frame rates stay the same. (I went from a NVIDIA GTX 560SC 1gig ram to an
upgrade of a NVIDIA GTX 960 2gig ram). There was no improvement in
FPS.
However on that same hardware, Just Over Clocking the CPU slightly
provided a few more frames. There was a greater increase in FPS when
I continued with the OCing; So next I increased the speed in
the MB and System Memory (Bus
Speeds , HyperTransport Speed etc.). But, just because I OCed my older but
modern system, doesn't mean you must do it yourself, OCing can be
difficult if done from the motherboard bios.
Also updating my old Monitor that can not Scale the Display and
is stuck at a maximum of 60hz refresh rate, would only allow the
average 30FPS. A new modern Monitor that has a higher 120hz refresh
rate and Scaling abilities yielded actual higher 41FPS during 4:3
set aspect ratio resolution, the games native ratio.
I checked the stock EAW v1.2 for smoothness. It rates Good (at
least 30fps) On my Win10 system.
I also tested the FXEXE Modification by VBH and its comparable to v1.2 as far as
smoothness, (FXEXE has been optimized to support it's own new
features). (Keep in mind, with the FXEXE all objects remain visible
for their maximum view distance, even above the clouds. That and an
extra cloudlayer and 3D clouds add significant amount of textures +
polygons, all added to your views and WILL slow down the game. How
much just depends on the power of the PC used.)
For old computers, Win95, 98 , ME.
Legacy Supported:
These are the Official Machine System Requirements to run the
stock game properly on legacy hardware. There is no software layers
or fixes used on Win9x systems. These requirements have been slightly
increased
with my suggestions (and notes follow) to take into consideration
that the game needs to run smoothly , especially when using extra custom add-ons.
The Technical Prerequisites for this Win95 stock game to work, there
are a few things your computer must have.
Minimum Requirements:
-
Windows 95/98/ME
-
DirectX version 6.0 or higher (Works with DirectX9.x, however runs with backward
compatibility, some problems can occur above DX7...). You can
install version 6.0 as part of the installation process.
-
Pentium 166+ Processor
(without Hardware
Accelerated 3D Video Card)
-
Pentium 133 Processor
(with Hardware Accelerated 3D Video Card)
- 32MB System RAM (working memory)
- Super VGA Graphics (640 x 480 x 256 colors)
To use the game’s 3Dfx Glide support, you must have Glide API
version 2.43 (or higher) installed and working.
-
DirectSound
compatible Sound card
-
Hard drive (5MB free + 45MB swap file)
-
Uses 2MB(compact install) to 55MB+(typical install) of HD
space
-
Mouse (or a device that fulfills the same function)
-
4x CD-ROM drive to read the CD during in game activity.
Since the installation program will copy parts of European Air
War onto your hard disk, you must have a lot of empty storage
space on your hard drive. How much you need depends on how much
of the game you choose to install; the different amounts are
calculated for you by the installation program, and it shows you
what you need versus what you have.
Recommended Machine:
-
Windows 95/98/ME
-
DirectX version 6.0 or above
-
Pentium II 200+ (Pentium II 233-400) Processor
-
64MB
System RAM
-
Hardware Accelerated 3D Video Card (Table Fog Support) (DirectX 6 or 3DFX)
- DirectDraw Support (256 colored 8 bit Front-end Menu Screens)
- DirectPlay for Multiplayer (DirectPlay6 (8 works as well));
Modem, Direct Connection, Internet (2-8players)
- Hard drive (200MB free)
- Uses
552MB of HD space (full install)
- Joystick with 8 or more buttons with POV Hat, Throttle and
Rudder Twist Handle, all built in or chain-linked.
(Most types that Windows Recognizes). Foot pedals (for the
rudder) recommended.
- 3 Button Mouse with Wheel.
- 8x CD-ROM drive to read the CD during in game activity. (on less
than a full install)
NOTES
Optimized For:
One of the original EAW Team programmers (Chris Coon) once said sometime after EAW was released, that
the game was generally optimized
or adjusted for 4MB
graphic cards, 32MB system RAM and around a 250MHz CPU. This of
course was for the the stock game on (legacy machines) Win95/98 at
the time. Keep reading.
Further Requirement:
It has been recommended by many past and current virtual pilots to have a higher
than optimized spec machine
if your running a bunch of custom add-ons. Perhaps if you have many
new terrains, skies and high Quality sounds. Keep reading.
Legacy Tested Hardware:
On mid-range machines (from 1998), gameplay is smooth, and runs
extremely well; In Win98, A Celeron 300A / 128MB System RAM / RIVA
TNT 3D Card, the system handles max-detail D3D duties with ease.
With lower-end machines (from around 1998) it runs respectably well too with detail settings
lowered; A Pentium 166/ 64 MB RAM/ Voodoo system required most
settings to be at minimum for smooth play.
EAW runs in Direct3D runs very nicely on a VoodooII-8MB at
1024x768 (from 1999).
A single 12MB Voodoo2 card will defiantly handle 800 x 600. Voodoo3 cards or
Voodoo2 in SLI mode can handle much higher resolutions. A
Voodoo3-2000 AGP card, at 1280 x 1024 resolution is possible.
TNT and TNT2 video cards can also handle very high resolutions.
Install On Legacy OS:
Its not really practical to run EAW on the old Windows OS which it
was designed for, Win95. However if you have an older system that
meets or exceeds the system requirements, you may want to use the
included EAW CD auto installer to place the game on your hard drive.
The stock game will run properly on that system without any OS modifications.
This section will get you started first with some good advice, then
onto copying and pasting
files from your EAW CD to your hard drive. It will also show a
folder list of what the CD version of v1.0 looks like once placed on
your drive.
Is The Game Already Installed:
So if you have installed the game previously from the CD with
SETUP.EXE or AutoInstall on anything but Win9x, such as on any WinNT
OS, uninstall EAW with the uninstaller,
restart your computer system and come back to this document here and
continue reading (This is to avoid problems on a modern Windows OS;
Win2000, XP and above).
Create A Game Folder:
Create your folders where you want the game on your HD to be.
However you do NOT want to use the location of the \Program Files sub-folder to place your
Game Folder, this will cause problems on WinXP and Crashes to Desktop on modern computers,
especially WinVista/Win7 and Win8/Win10. (For more information:
See my 'Troubleshoot Help Document' and read the '\Program Files
sub-folder' topic.)
It is important to Put your game folder on the root of drive C:\ or
better yet
perhaps on a second hard drive or
partition, if you
have one. (The default game path and folder names are shown in the table further
below.)
Manually Adding EAW From The CD (v1.0):
Put the CD in and do NOT let
the Auto Run program load up. If it does, exit it. Instead you will
be copying and pasting
specific files from the CD directly to your Hard Drive as a 'full
installation' for best performance. Keep reading on.
Manually 'installing' or as the case really is, adding (copy and paste) EAW solves all kinds of hassles and problems for different Windows Versions and different
Game CD types.
You do not need to have an automated installer move the files for you, the game
will operate correctly with the preferred method of copy and paste.
The game does not require any installer registry entries
to be present, other than those provided by the Windows OS itself,
and those are created once the game is added and run on your system,
more on that later.
To manually add EAW withOUT running the automated installer (AUTORUN.EXE or SETUP.EXE) from the CD follow these directions:
- Highlight and copy over only the files listed in the table below to your new
Game Folder. (The rest of the files
on the CD are just for
used by the automated installer.)
(You may
need to
turn on by un-checking in Windows Folder Options Settings (on WinXP or later) the
'Hide extensions for Known File Types' to see the full filename,
this includes the three letters
after the period).
Copy these files for a full 'installation';
"eaw.exe" The "\Music" folder "d3d.dll" "SMACKW32.DLL"
"Dsetup.dll" "chatline.txt" ALL "***.CDF" files
- Once your done Copying and Pasting, make sure none of the files are marked as read-only since copying them directly from the CD usually
results in this. (Some of the files need the read-only lifted from them for
future updates. There is a file (the eaw.ini) that the game will want to write too and
change).
- Do NOT run your game yet, See instructions in the next
section below this table for updating from
the CD v1.0 to a newer version.
Clean Installed Folder For v1.0 (for reference)
\MicroProse Software\European Air War\
3d.cdf 4,896,269 10/17/1998 03:50
chatline.txt 438 10/8/1998 23:03
COCKPITS.CDF 20,899,837 10/16/1998 00:28
d3d.dll 130,560 10/14/1998 20:44
DATA.CDF 1,433,420 10/18/1998 18:10
Dsetup.dll 127,488 7/29/1998 18:00
eaw.exe 1,367,040 10/18/1998 19:32
FLT.CDF 39,540 10/18/1998 18:10
FONTS.CDF 960,576 10/15/1998 02:28
GRBRIEF.CDF 9,438,292 10/15/1998 02:30
Menu_eng.cdf 37,760 10/16/1998 17:57
Movies.cdf 298,809,288 10/15/1998 02:49
Music.cdf 1,452,428 10/15/1998 02:28
PIC.CDF 26,334,148 10/15/1998 02:31
readme.rtf 27,987 10/18/1998 19:10
SMACKW32.DLL 96,256 6/9/1998 09:21
SOUND.CDF 1,203,659 10/15/1998 02:28
SOUND16.CDF 2,501,836 10/15/1998 02:33
SPEECH1.CDF 10,431,783 10/15/1998 02:51
SPEECH2.CDF 11,943,211 10/15/1998 02:33
SPEECH3.CDF 12,407,240 10/15/1998 02:29
Sprites.cdf 250,040 10/16/1998 00:25
TERRAIN.CDF 7,942,132 10/15/1998 02:30
Text_eng.cdf 168,543 10/18/1998 05:02
UKBRIEF.CDF 10,101,180 10/15/1998 02:33
USBRIEF.CDF 11,970,136 10/15/1998 02:32
WSOUND.CDF 9,310,061 10/15/1998 02:50
Wsprites.cdf 25,140,369 10/15/1998 02:50
\Music
AmerProm.bgm 5,523,468 8/26/1998 21:59
BritProm.bgm 6,513,556 8/29/1998 15:10
Captured.bgm 9,071,660 8/31/1998 15:30
Drum1.bgm 1,459,968 9/30/1998 09:58
GermProm.bgm 6,513,796 8/31/1998 11:02
HallOFam.bgm 7,056,968 9/1/1998 16:47
MenuMus.bgm 7,836,020 8/14/1998 12:00
Rescued.bgm 5,082,520 9/30/1998 10:02
ViewObs.bgm 9,408,380 9/16/1998 14:05
YouDead.bgm 11,813,424 9/21/1998 15:45
-------------------------------------------------
In this section there is some information about the different
Official versions that you may want to keep on your hard drive
(multiple, but different 'installs' are possible). Read on.Updating the game with the official MPS patches can be done with
either v1.1 or v1.2. Some players will want to keep different
versions 'installed' on their hard drives in order to compare game
play experience or basic comparison among the available versions. This would naturally
allow you to see the changes MicroProse (or others) have made to the
game, thus making the changes more prominent and notable. This is
strictly an optional course of action. If you want, you can read my
'MicroProse Patches Help
Document' for more specifics on those versions and their changes and fixes.
Read On here.
About v1.0:
If you intend to keep a copy of stock (out of the box) EAWv1.0 around, then for safe keeping
so you don't need to install v1.0 again, optionally copy your game folder you "installed"
(actually copied and pasted) from the CD, some place else, and rename it to
a NEW folder name, or Burn it to a CD. This will be your backup full
install of v1.0. Saves you hassle later on too.
About v1.1:
If you intend to update v1.0 to v1.1, and keep
that version around, then follow the steps under the next section below titled
'UPDATE TO v1.2' and substitute where the text reads v1.2 with the v1.1
patch program, those instructions will teach you how to patch to
v1.1. Then for safe keeping so you don't need to install v1.1 again,
optionally copy your newly patched game folder some place else and
rename it to a NEW folder name, or Burn it to a CD. This will be
your backup full install of v1.1. Saves you hassle later on.
Clean Installed Folder For v1.1 (for reference)
\MicroProse Software\European Air War\
3D.CDF 4,895,593 12/15/1998 14:27
chatline.txt 438 10/8/1998 23:03
COCKPITS.CDF 20,899,837 10/16/1998 00:28
d3d.dll 130,560 12/17/1998 14:30
DATA.CDF 1,433,420 12/21/1998 11:29
Dsetup.dll 127,488 7/29/1998 18:00
eaw.exe 1,411,072 1/11/1999 18:43
FLT.CDF 39,540 12/31/1998 15:59
FONTS.CDF 1,067,664 12/16/1998 13:01
grb_031.snd 105,644 12/15/1998 11:36
GRBRIEF.CDF 9,438,292 10/15/1998 02:30
Menu_eng.cdf 37,876 12/22/1998 19:55
Movies.cdf 298,809,288 10/15/1998 02:49
Music.cdf 1,452,428 10/15/1998 02:28
PIC.CDF 26,334,148 10/15/1998 02:31
readme.rtf 35,003 1/8/1999 00:18
SMACKW32.DLL 96,256 6/9/1998 09:21
SOUND.CDF 1,203,659 10/15/1998 02:28
SOUND16.CDF 2,501,836 10/15/1998 02:33
SPEECH1.CDF 10,431,783 10/15/1998 02:51
SPEECH2.CDF 11,943,211 10/15/1998 02:33
SPEECH3.CDF 12,407,240 10/15/1998 02:29
Sprites.cdf 250,040 10/16/1998 00:25
TERRAIN.CDF 7,942,132 10/15/1998 02:30
TEXT_ENG.CDF 168,738 1/11/1999 09:58
UKBRIEF.CDF 10,101,180 10/15/1998 02:33
USBRIEF.CDF 11,970,136 10/15/1998 02:32
V1.1 Details.rtf 16,801 1/10/1999 21:35
WSOUND.CDF 9,310,061 10/15/1998 02:50
Wsprites.cdf 25,140,369 10/15/1998 02:50
\Music
AmerProm.bgm 5,523,468 8/26/1998 21:59
BritProm.bgm 6,513,556 8/29/1998 15:10
Captured.bgm 9,071,660 8/31/1998 15:30
Drum1.bgm 1,459,968 9/30/1998 09:58
GermProm.bgm 6,513,796 8/31/1998 11:02
HallOFam.bgm 7,056,968 9/1/1998 16:47
MenuMus.bgm 7,836,020 8/14/1998 12:00
Rescued.bgm 5,082,520 9/30/1998 10:02
ViewObs.bgm 9,408,380 9/16/1998 14:05
YouDead.bgm 11,813,424 9/21/1998 15:45
-------------------------------------------------
Now that you have V1.0 manually added to your hard drive, you may proceed to update to v1.2 with the official
MPS patcher. This is an
upgrade to the out-of-the-box game which you should install since v1.2 includes
the most recent official multiplayer fixes and
is generally an overall good idea to use that version. (However at this point you may want to
update only to v1.1 for your own reasons, such as testing or
examining the older versions game play. Just substitute the v1.2
text as shown below with v1.1).
Note Infogrames CD Patch:
If you have the 2001 re-release CD by Infogrames (their logo is on the CD), the
official v1.2 patch is located on your
CD in the \Patch folder, other players without this particular CD will have to download it. (The Infogrames
v1.2 patch is
identical to the MicroProse patch and includes everything that the older v1.1
has. The v1.1 patcher is
not on the Infogrames CD, you will have to download it, if you want it).
Patching Steps:
The official v1.1 and the v1.2 updaters just need the eaw.exe to be present for the
patch installers to extract their files, read on.
- Copy the official MPS v1.2 patch (eawv1-2.exe) into your EAW game folder and run it. (On WinVista/Win7/Win8 You may need to run
the patch program as an Administrator to get it to work correctly. Windows 10
seems to apply an automatic compatibility fix to the file upon
its first run. There is a long delay after running it so wait about 10 to 20 secs for the patch
updater program to show that something is happening.)
- The patch will look for the closest eaw.exe file and it should find your v1.0 too patch (This
will happen almost
instantly once it appears to be working, this is because you ran it in
the game's root folder directly.)
- Once patched, delete the patcher exe file from your game folder. (You no longer need it and its just in the way.)
Safe Keeping!:
For safe keeping so you don't need to install v1.2 again, optionally copy your
\European Air War\ game folder some place else and rename it to a NEW folder
name or Burn it to a CD. This will be your backup full install of v1.2. (Also
its always nice to have a stock version of 1.2 running someplace else along side
a newer or older version, for game play comparison!)
No CD In Drive!!: (Optional)
Even though you do a full install, the game will still require the EAW CD in its
drive. See my 'Hexedited Patches Help Document' to download the NoCD replacement exe.
Also that document in the last section has instructions on how to use a NoCD patch
properly. A 'Full install' and using the NoCD patch together will provide better
performance since their will be no sound, music and other delay loading issues.
Game Shortcut:
Go back to your original 'install' (the one you will be playing from for now) and you can create a desktop shortcut to eaw.exe by right-clicking the mouse
on the eaw.exe file and choosing Create Shortcut. Put this on your desktop.
Compatibility Mode / Tab Settings Warning:
Do NOT run the game
using a Compatibility Mode that is found In the Games Shortcut Tab settings for any reason.
Read my 'Troubleshoot Help Document' and see the section titled 'OTHER PROBLEMS
RUNNING THE GAME' under that
title find and read 'Conflicts With The Compatibility Tab'
area for further troubleshooting
information about Tab settings and why they should not be used.
(other than in Win2000).
Clean Installed Folder For v1.2 (for reference)
\MicroProse Software\European Air War\
3D.CDF 4,895,593 12/15/1998 14:27
chatline.txt 438 10/8/1998 19:03
COCKPITS.CDF 20,899,837 10/15/1998 20:28
d3d.dll 130,560 12/17/1998 14:30
DATA.CDF 1,433,420 12/21/1998 11:29
Dsetup.dll 127,488 7/29/1998 14:00
eaw.exe 1,430,016 7/29/1999 15:24
EXTRA.SPT 3,924 4/13/1999 17:54
FLT.CDF 39,540 12/31/1998 15:59
FONTS.CDF 1,067,664 12/16/1998 13:01
grb_031.snd 105,644 12/15/1998 11:36
GRBRIEF.CDF 9,438,292 10/14/1998 22:30
Menu_eng.cdf 37,876 12/22/1998 19:55
Movies.cdf 298,809,288 10/14/1998 22:49
Music.cdf 1,452,428 10/14/1998 22:28
PIC.CDF 26,334,148 10/14/1998 22:31
readme.rtf 44,954 7/26/1999 10:38
SMACKW32.DLL 96,256 6/9/1998 05:21
SOUND.CDF 1,203,659 10/14/1998 22:28
SOUND16.CDF 2,501,836 10/14/1998 22:33
SPEECH1.CDF 10,431,783 10/14/1998 22:51
SPEECH2.CDF 11,943,211 10/14/1998 22:33
SPEECH3.CDF 12,407,240 10/14/1998 22:29
Sprites.cdf 250,040 10/15/1998 20:25
TERRAIN.CDF 7,942,132 10/14/1998 22:30
TEXT_ENG.CDF 168,743 1/8/1999 11:13
UKBRIEF.CDF 10,101,180 10/14/1998 22:33
USBRIEF.CDF 11,970,136 10/14/1998 22:32
V1.1 Details.rtf16,801 1/10/1999 21:35
WSOUND.CDF 9,310,061 10/14/1998 22:50
Wsprites.cdf 25,140,369 10/14/1998 22:50
\Music\
AmerProm.bgm 5,523,468 8/26/1998 17:59
BritProm.bgm 6,513,556 8/29/1998 11:10
Captured.bgm 9,071,660 8/31/1998 11:30
Drum1.bgm 1,459,968 9/30/1998 05:58
GermProm.bgm 6,513,796 8/31/1998 07:02
HallOFam.bgm 7,056,968 9/1/1998 12:47
MenuMus.bgm 7,836,020 8/14/1998 08:00
Rescued.bgm 5,082,520 9/30/1998 06:02
ViewObs.bgm 9,408,380 9/16/1998 10:05
YouDead.bgm 11,813,424 9/21/1998 11:45
------------------------------------------------
These are the final steps to take BEFORE running. (Some steps are after,
like troubleshooting
and configuring).
An Empty Movies.CDF:
If running on any Windows version other than
Win9x, most likely the game videos will not play correctly or
at all on NT Windows and will most likely cause problems for you. The game may CTD
before it even loads up, or you'll get a blank black screen. This is because
there is a MicroProse Logo smk video (and an INTRO video) when you run and load up EAW
and with the built in smacker
type player not
being compatible with Modern Windows. Some WindowsOS will try to play it, but
most of the time it will CTD / Black Screen.
Even though the movies (including in game movies) are nice to have, they are not necessary for you to play
the game. I suggest you download what is called an 'empty' 1kb MOVIES.CDF file that
replaces the in game movies to get around these kind of crashes to desktop
problems, it also saves 284mb of space on your hard drive. The empty .CDF file
goes in the games main folder, over write the one that's in there already. If
you forgotten to replace the file, try using the ESC key to move the game along
to the menu screens so you can exit it normally.
Too also resolve problems, you can set in the eaw.ini file (this file is in your
game folder and opens with Notepad) under [EAW] PlayIntro=0 to zero. Also
under [Media] Video Playback=0 to zero.
You may want to read my 'Troubleshoot Help Document' to know more about the
crashing of the game since the CTD problems are listed on that help document.
Run The Game:
(you may need the EAW CD in its drive, if you opted out of the No CD optional step).
Now that you followed and read ALL the above instructions, RUN the game for the first time
by running (double-clicking) eaw.exe or use your shortcut. Load up and it should enter
to the Main Menu (do NOT enter the Flight Screen). This will
create a new file called eaw.ini in your Games Folder. This new file contains most of the games configuration settings
and is covered else where.
Exit the game now and read on in this help document. ESC Key followed by a 'Y'
will also exit EAW.
Can You See The Menu Screens Properly?:
Now if your game is running and you can get to the Menu Screens without problems,
read my 'First Use Help Document' in the last section and follow those steps.
If your getting menu screens with
problems, such as garbled/tearing or color issues, exit the game (Its possible
to use the ESC Key and Y key to exit the game). Or if the game won't run to even
get you to the Menus,
then read my 'Troubleshoot Help Document', section titled 'PROBLEMS RUNNING THE GAME',
this all depends on which Windows OS version your using. Then come back here and
read on.
Do Not Move Note:
Now since you have run the game once, you will NOT want to move your game
folder, for compatibility reasons with the Windows OS and it's Registry. This is
important, and more details about this can be read in my 'Troubleshoot Help
Document' under the section titled 'WINDOWS REGISTRY' and read the 'About Registry Entries Produced by
Windows' topic if you wish to learn more, and then come back here to continue
reading on.
See Troubleshoot Help Document:
If you are getting errors or the game won't load properly or even crashes. See my
'Troubleshoot Help Document'.
Saving Some HD Space: (Optional)
- To save some hard drive space and remove clutter you can move or delete the files: readme.rtf , V1.1
Details.rtf
- Once you configure your game for 16 bit sound, you can
remove the SOUND.CDF file. This file contains 8-bit sounds
designed for slow computers, you won't
need them on modern computers as you should be using the 16 bit sounds setting
in game. EAW won't miss it.
- And finally there is the newer and smaller Dsetup.dll (from
DX9.0c) file that can be replaced
to save a bit of pre game memory. (not at all necessary for modern computers).
Information is here for those still using Win9x machines.
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