Heaven & Earth "path lost" bug

[Ishvar]

I have downloaded the 1.0.8a beta for Heaven & Earth.

I have updated the 1.0.4 version of H&E and after a few system generation rounds I have a "Path lost" error and the program is no more running after that.

When I install the software again, whatever the version, I can create a few star systems and then the same error comes back preventing the use of the software.

My OS is Windows XP. Does someone know how the problem can be solved ?

 

[jfetters]

I didn't know there was a beta 1.0.8a for the program. I thought that it was pretty much defunct. Do you have a link for this?

 

[Ishvar]

I didn't know there was a beta 1.0.8a for the program. I thought that it was pretty much defunct. Do you have a link for this?

The software does not seem to be worked upon anymore but you can find newer beta test versions here : http://www.downport.com/wbd/

The versions after the 1.0.4 were meant to be distributed to beta testers only... You will find some other files also, the World Builder's Deluxe archive seems broken though.

Have fun!

 

[jfetters]

Cool - I'll check it out when I get back home. I need to double-check which version I have installed. I think it's 1.0.4, but I'm not certain.

 

[Ishvar]

I have installed H&E 1.0.4 again without any update and it works fine so far.

May be the 1.0.8a beta is breaking something.

 

[jrmapes]

Odd. I have been running H&E 1.0.8a for some time now on my XP-SP2 machine (an older Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, Celeron 2.4Mhz, 2Gb Ram, Standard onboard Intel 82845G Graphics adaptor) and have never had any system or program errors. Never had a problem with 1.0.4 either.

Did you try resetting the path in the link file or open up regedit to check and see if the path setting in the registry had been changed somehow? It really sounds to me like a system side error rather than a program side error. But not being able to be hands on there is no way for me to be certain.

Try running it without your anti-virus/anti-spyware turned on. I know it sounds odd but maybe there is something going on (i.e. file creation by H&E) that is triggering one of those to lock down or quarantine a vital part of H&E.

Jerry

 

[jrmapes]

just an afterthought,

if anyone knows - is H&E dependent on Framework or the OCDB or any visual basic/system dll's?

If the update to 1.0.4 and then 1.0.8 needed older/newer dll's or earlier/later updates to other system files, this could have something to do with it.

This is a problem with a lot of Traveller, et al. shareware/freeware out there and if you don't have the right system files in the programs search path weird things can start happening (although normally the programs just wont run). But i suppose it is a possibility here.

 

[Ishvar]

Thank you for your help jrmapes. For the moment I am trying to figure out what is going wrong.

There are a few things that are a bit weird.

First, I can create some star systems with the 1.0.8 Beta version before the error "path not found" appears. Perhaps is it a dll problem but the needed dll's are where they should be. The 1.0.4 version is working fine for the moment.

Another curious thing is that starting from the 1.0.5 beta, the Heaven & Earth executables are trying to connect themselves to the Internet. Is it a wrong alarm from the Antivirus/antispyware because Heaven & Earth is trying to open html files or are my files somehow corrupted ?

 

[Icosahedron]

just an afterthought,

This is a problem with a lot of Traveller, et al. shareware/freeware out there and if you don't have the right system files in the programs search path weird things can start happening (although normally the programs just wont run). But i suppose it is a possibility here.

Thanks, JRM, that maybe explains why I have never been able to get the 1.0.8 version to run. I downloaded it a couple of years ago, but I've never got it to open yet.

Well, when I say it 'explains' it...
To my Computer-0 skill, it sounds like 'the thingys on the doodly don't do diddly', but at least it's not my fault it doesn't run, and the software might be ok, so when I get a new computer it might work there. Maybe.

 

[Hemdian]

HE 1.0.4 was the last 'official' release, HE 1.0.8 was a beta. HE 1 was, I believe written in VB5. It was eventually abandoned when the author started work on HE 2 (written in VB.NET) but this was abandoned due to RL.

There is a Read Me for HE 1.0.8 that may help.

 

[jrmapes]

Thanks Hemdian!

I forgot all about that readme.

That just may answer these gentleman's questions.


Jerry

 

[Ishvar]

Thanks Hemdian!

I forgot all about that readme.

That just may answer these gentleman's questions.

Jerry

Unfortunately, fellow citizen, the readme file is one of the first things I looked at. I am even so naive that I was convinced it would provide me the answer to my problem.

The readme file gives a lot of solutions in order to solve the "unknown error" bug... not the "path lost" bug.

The aforementioned problem is refered to in the 1.0.3 text but appears to be solved since the classic 1.0.4 version.

Why does it appear when I copy the 1.0.8 update in the H&E folder? Why are the 1.0.8 and 1.0.7 trying to connect to the internet (perhaps is it an antivirus false bug) ? Why is the "path lost" bug occuring after a few systems are created and not as soon as I am running the H&E executable ?

May be is it coming from previous installations of the software and some registry keys that need to be suppressed. But I don't like to tweak the registry base, especially when I don't know what to look for.

For the moment, it seems like I will have to get along with the 1.0.4 version... which is not bad at all after all.

Thanks to all the posters that have tried to give me some help.

 

[jrmapes]

You may have already done this so if that is the case then I am about at the end of my rope of ideas.

Do a complete uninstall and make sure all the registry entries are gone. If you have a registry program it should find any lingering H&E entries and delete them for you - I know you said you don't like messing with the Reg but that may be the only way to be sure.

But I think the key thing here is to do a total uninstall and then install 1.0.4 then install the 1.0.8 exe and other files in the archive.

This is how i did mine and I get no errors.

The only thing I can think of is if you had older versions then installed newer version (over the top) up to 1.0.4 then added the beta's on top of that, something from the older versions must be causing the problem. In the 1.0.4 file it specifies that you must do a clean install and no older versions should be present.

It is a guess mind you, but i think in the early 1.0.3 or .4 verrsions when he created the "GRiP" version he included something that would allow direct connect to internet not just swapping stuff with GRiP. If this is the case and you installed the GRiP version prior to the final 1.0.4 version then that may be the smoking gun.

If you don't want to go to the trouble then I don't see that as a huge error. There are a few fixes in the 1.0.8 over the 1.0.4 but nothing that will cause your game to break. Heck there are more issues with the WBS and HES sector files accuracy than with the program itself. Even I used World Builder Deluxe and H&E 1.0.4 for years without any issues do to the programs in the game.

My only motivation is that until BITS puts out Universe 2, I look on H&E as a vital utility in my games and if there is potential for or an actual error (as in this case) popping up, I would like to find it and find a fix. Sure I have no stock or interest invested in H&E but since it has been such an integral part of my ref'ing for so long now I look on it like something that belongs to me and it is such a good piece of software I hate to see something broke in it.

Maybe thats a bit weird but I guess it's all part of how I feel about the game itself.

I'll keep trying to recreate the error and if i can get it to happen maybe I will be able to find a fix.

Jerry

 

[Ishvar]

Thank you very much for your help jrmapes.

I didn't think about GRIP when I tried to understand why H&E tried to connect to the internet.

 

[Ishvar]

I have uninstalled the 1.0.4 version of H&E and started my PC again. I then installed the 1.0.8 version over the new clean installation of the 1.0.4 and... it runs adequately so far.

After I read the readme I didn't understand I should install a 1.0.8 version over a clean installation of the basic 1.0.4 version.

By the way, did someone spot that Heaven & Earth is supposed to be more than 73 Gigas big... this is what my Add/suppress software window in the Configuration pannel is indicating. :lol:

 

[jrmapes]

funny mine shows only 16.9 Mb. somthing is definitely weird on your system.

Jerry

 

[Kilgs]

I was never able to get the later versions of HE to work either. I ended up having to go back to 1.4. Not sure what the problem is and I ended up just getting Universe. Although the detailed system information sure would be nice.

 

[jrmapes]

Kilgs,

Did you get any specific error messages?
What in particular was or wasn't happening?


I mean 1.4 works well enough and Universe is excellent but as you say the detail you get ( I assume you mean the Rice Papers) is something to be missed - but the good news is that the new version of Universe on the way is supposed to have that ability from what I understand)

As for H&E, the final Beta really does work best and has some fixes that 1.4 and other versions really needed. So If you wanna try to get the newest version up and running I will be more than happy to try to help you. I am sure the other handful of H&E users around here are willing to pitch in as well.

So when/if you wanna give it another go, just say the word.

Jerry

 

[Ishvar]

I have managed to get the 1.8 version running on my PC. The beta versions following the 1.4 need a clean install. You have to uninstall your 1.4 version, install it again and then install the 1.8 version over it.

Don't ask me why, but installing it over an already installed version does not work.

 

[Sturn]

I have 1.8 up and running. I installed it upon a clean install of 1.4 I have Windows XP SP2.

Whenever the program attempts to save details, I get a "Duplicate Definition" error. Is this referring to my registry? I hadn't got this error before when using only 1.4. I recently uninstalled H&E to do this clean install after looking through everything on the readme, that appear to be ok.