Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (MOHAA) installation crashes

[JP]

Hi.

Every single time I try to install MOHAA I get the same error message:

Component: Data Files Minimal
File Group:
File:
Error: Catastrophic failure

I have tried 3 different (store bought!) copies, without success!

I have tried copying the cd contents unto my hard drive and running
the install program from there (with a new install of Install Shield)
but that didn't work.

I even did this: backed up my files, formatted the hard disk and
installed a fresh copy of Windows XP Professional. I have plenty of
space (around 100GB to be exact) so that's not the problem. But no
matter what I do, I simply can't get the game into my computer.

Here is my system info (if that helps):
Intel Pentium 2,4GHz
MSI nVidia Gefore 4200Ti video card
MSI motherboard
Soundblaster soundcard (the cheapest one, I guess)
And DirectX 8.1

I've tried the newest video drivers along with older ones, but I don't
know if those drivers affect the installation of the game. Do they?

Can it really be so that a certain video game will not install on a
system with said hardware combination? Am I really that unlucky?

I tried installing Jedi Knight II : Jedi Outcast but it didn't work. I
was able to install Half-Life and Counter-Strike without problems and
the gameplay is 100% OK.

Of course all of the mentioned video games are original copies from
the store. :)

Thanks,
JP

[Chris H.]

Do you have any programs running in the background, like anti-virus? The
could interfere, otherwise I would suggest going to the Message Boards at
http://www.ea.com/eagames/official/moh_alliedassault/home.jsp and see if
anyone has a similar problem.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone

"JP" <jaque...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ca02f0eb.03010...@posting.google.com...

[JP]

Thanks for your reply.

No programs were running in the background when I was installing the game.

I've posted a message to the message board you suggested.

Thanks again for your help. I hope this'll get resolved. :)

"Chris H." <winx...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<#MD9pITtCHA.1628@TK2MSFTNGP10>...

[Chris H.]

Hope it does, too. Please post back with any information you gather. It
will be interesting to find out what's causing it.

[JP]

Well, I saw a lot of people having the same problem. I don't know if
it's a XP or hardware thing because some people with the same system
as I could play the game but others not. And I think this issue of
drivers and DirectX is more related to gameplay, if anything.

But people sure did suggest a lot of things. And I tried them all:

- Formatted my hard disk and re-installed XP Pro
- Updated all hardware drivers known to man (even my mouse!)
- Updated the mainboard BIOS
- Checked my DirectX version 55 times
- Installed a new Install Shield
- Re-Installed Internet Explorer 6 w. SP1
- Went back to the store TWICE for a new copy of MOHAA
- Called every tech guy I know

And the result? The install that used to go to 15%, now only goes to
10%... :)

"Chris H." <winx...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<uS63yHetCHA.1132@TK2MSFTNGP12>...

[JP]

I don't know why, but I was able to install the game!

After endless failed attempts I decided to try a new approach:

I used the original (legal) copy and installed it up to 15%, when it
crashed like always.

I then did a 'repair installation' from the MOHAA menu and in 2 or 3
tries I pushed the install percentage up to 26%.

Then I decided, just for the fun of it, to try and use a ripped copy a
friend gave me. Well, to my surprise the installer went up to 59%
before crashing, but I ran it again and slowly but surely, the
installer finished at 100% and my chest filled with joy.

But...wait a minute...the installer never asked me for CD2. Since I'm
getting used to go 'the other way' of installing things I went to
'modify install' and 'data files'. Then the installer asked me for CD2
-- but it wouldn't accept the legal copy, only the ripped one would
do. The installer for CD2 crashed at 30something% (what else is new)
but when I ran it again (with the legal copy, which the installer
demanded now) it went all the way to 70%. I finished the install with
the ripped CD and restarted my computer, laughing out loud.

When I tried playing the game I got an OpenGL error. I wasn't sure if
to laugh, cry or ignite my apartment, but after reinstalling the
nVidia Detonator driver, everything went smoothly and I played the
bloody game for 3 hours.

The gameplay looked fine -- apart from some music clearly missing and
the mute Nazis I enjoyed myself very much.

So, I guess I got this thing resolved then -- but I don't know if I
should be glad or not...it's kind of bittersweet, ain't it?

I would still like EA and Microsoft to figure what the hell is causing
this. I'm not sure if EA or Microsoft will be glad to hear that I will
be sticking to illegal copies of their games if this is the case. I'm
not ready to spend another 10 days for this.

At least not until the next Medal of Honor update comes along...

jaque...@yahoo.com (JP) wrote in message news:<ca02f0eb.03010...@posting.google.com>...