If you have problems playing or installing Divinity, there are a few things you can try. Larian has a
Technical Support FAQ and a page with the latest
patch.
Check for a '
..\Divine Divinity\Run\error.txt' file; if present, it may include enough information to track down the problem, or at least point you in the right direction.
Perhaps the most general purpose advice for problems; re-boot the computer (this can fix quite a few weird glitches in windows). Also, shut down all non-essential programs before starting the game: anti-virus, chat, email, web browsers, audio / video players, screen savers, anything that pops up reminders / updates, wallpaper changers, etc. There are a few processes in Windows XP that are always running, but you don't need to worry about these. In Windows 9x/ME you can shut down everything but Explorer and Systray.
Make sure you do not have the Shift/Caps/Num/Scroll Lock enabled. Shift/Caps Lock lets you move the screen focus away from your character (so you can see farther), but if accidentally clicked, it can make it look like your character ran off-screen or is missing. One person had problems with ladders if Num Lock was enabled.
Make sure your desktop is set to 16 bit / high colour depth. I had no problems playing with mine at 32 bit / true colour, but some have.
Some problems with cut scenes can be resolved by running the configuration program and switching to software or DirectDraw mode, at least until getting past that point, and possibly lowering the resolution.
Run ScanDisk to make sure there are no cross-linked files, etc. Also, some people have reported that weird glitches have gone away after Defragging their hard drive.
If you have Windows XP, make sure you install the game from an account with administrator privileges, and play the game from one that at least has read/write access to the folder Divinity was installed to.
If the above or checking for updated drivers etc. does not help;
Troubleshooting TechniquesTry deleting all of the files in the '
..\Divine Divinity\Run\Dynamic' folder.
This folder is used as a cache for the game. Files are created / copied there from the save game folder when you load, and written / copied from that folder when you save a game. The files will be re-created as required the next time you start Divinity. If there was a corrupt file in that folder, deleting the files should fix the problem.
After this, try starting a new game and see if the problem persists. If not, try your latest save. If the new game works, but the latest save does not, there may be a problem in the saved game folder itself. If neither work, it may be a problem with Divinity, in which case re-installing might help. A new game might not be feasible it the problem occurs later in the game, but you can try any older saves you may still have.
To re-install the gameZip or otherwise backup your saved games folder to another location first, just in case. Then un-install, re-boot, shut down all non essential programs (especially anti-virus), re-install the game, perhaps start the game and see if the problem persists (usually not necessary, but would help identify problems cause by the patch), re-boot, shut down all non essential programs, install the patch, re-boot, shut down all non essential programs, start the game. This procedure is a bit over-cautious, but the best way to avoid install problems.
If the game will not install, or there are CRC errors during the install, try a different drive (if available). Some drives have more trouble with some disks than others. The SafeDisc copy protection added by
CDV (the publisher) can also conflict with some drives. Check the CD for any physical damage; even a finger print or dust might interfere with reading it properly. Otherwise;
Manual Install Procedure______
an email from CDV support, posted in the old forumQuote:
let's try to install the game manually, please
attend following instruction.
Note: You need WinRar 3.0 which you can download for free at www.rarlab.com
Installation:
1. Please insert "Installation Disc 1" and beginn installation
2. Cancel installation at 1%
3. Open the CD with "Explorer" then go to [Disk1] folder
and unzip "imagelists.rar" to
"C:\Programme\Divine Divinity\Run"
4. If you will be asked to overwrite existing files, accept.
5. Insert "Installation Disc 2", there you also find "*.rar" files
I think (5 files), please also unzip them to
"C:\Programme\Divine Divinity\Run"
6. After that insert "Game disc" open [Disk3] and copy the folders
[localisations] and [static] again into
"C:\Programme\Divine Divinity\Run\localisations"
and
"C:\Programme\Divine Divinity\Run\Static"
7. Unzip existing *.rar files to you'll guess it to
"C:\Programme\Divine Divinity\Run"
we are nearly finished
8. Execute attached "divdiv-eng.reg"
9. Install available patches or hotfixes which you'll find at
www.larian.com
10. Create/place a windows shortcut.
Then try if it works and if not please let me know again.
Regards,
CDV Support
OK Texan emailed me the registry file he got from CDV, which can be downloaded here; Eng-divdiv_Win98ME.reg (right click, and select Save As). This also works fine under Windows XP. The registry file consists of the following;
Quote:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CDV Software Entertainment AG\Divine Divinity]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CDV Software Entertainment AG\Divine Divinity\English]
"target folder"="C:\\Programme\\Divine Divinity"
"group folder"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Startmenü\\Programme\\Divine Divinity"
"language"="English"
"version"="1.0"
If you have installed the game to a folder different than listed, for example "E:\Games\Divine Divinity", you will need to open the registry file in a text editor, and change the target folder to something like;
"target folder"="E:\\Games\\Divine Divinity"
Install Verification
The install program should report any problems, such as CRC errors, during install. However, if it fails to do so, or a file becomes corrupt after installation, the integrity of the files can still be verified using a program such as FileCheck; download (194KB). This is a small freeware program (no install required) to calculate the CRC-32 values (the cyclic redundancy check used in zip files) of a number of files. It can also compare a previously calculated CRC file with a set of files/folders.
I ran this program on my game folder with the 1.32 patch, installed to "E:\Divine Divinity", after deleting the files in the dynamic folder, and moving all of the saved game folders to another location. If you compare this file to your install, it should tell you if there are any corrupt files. There will, of course, also be differences in the config.div file, etc.
Divine Divinity CRC file, with v1.32 patch installed (14KB) FileCheck expects the files to be in the original locations to verify, so open the CRC file in Wordpad (for example), and do a search-and-replace so the file/folder paths match your install.
NOTE: If and when CDV gets around to releasing the patch, I will update this zip file.
If your CRC values match, it is not the game itself, but likely a conflict with something else in your system or a problem in the saved game folder. One person who used this verification method in the old forum found the following files which were different, but still valid (ie they stored different options, hotkeys etc.);
..\Divine Divinity\Run\mapids.000
..\Divine Divinity\Run\persist.dat
..\Divine Divinity\Run\shroud.tmp
..\Divine Divinity\Run\sinfo.000
..\Divine Divinity\Run\dat\usernotes.bin
..\Divine Divinity\Run\main\startup\shroud.x0
..\Divine Divinity\Run\main\startup\shroud.x1
..\Divine Divinity\Run\main\startup\shroud.x2
..\Divine Divinity\Run\main\startup\shroud.x3
..\Divine Divinity\Run\main\startup\shroud.x4
The zero byte file causing the problem was identified, and he was able to replace the file with a known good copy.
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