Background: The HC Scenario Editor (SE) is a 16-bit program from the days of Windows 3.1. Windows has been a 32-bit operating system (with partial exceptions) since Windows 95 more than a decade ago. These newer Windows versions have something called the 16-bit Windows subsystem that emulates a 16-bit environment for older programs such as the SE. It is an imperfect emulation with less and less support as fewer and fewer people know the ins and outs of 16-bit programs.
Facts:
- 64-bit versions of Windows (2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8...) will not run the SE as those versions do not have a 16-bit subsystem. If you have access to a virtual machine running 32-bit versions of Windows you can run the SE in one of those VMs.
- If you have Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate you can use the included/free XP mode virtual machine to run the SE. See a configuration document at http://harpgamer.com...mp;showfile=718
- If you have another Windows 7 flavor you can pay Microsoft to update to Pro or Ultimate and gain access to the XP mode virtual machine.
- Many other virtualization possibilities exist, the above are just the two easiest. I personally use VMWare workstation on Windows 7 Ultimate.
- Use the HCSysInfo results to help narrow down your issue and solution http://harpgamer.com...mp;showfile=233
Symptoms/Workarounds: (sometimes workarounds for one symptom helps others)
- Symptom: All I get is a beep, no SE screen at all.
Workaround: You may have the generation of short (8.3) filenames disabled for NTFS volumes. The SE depends on short filenames to work correctly. Run the utility at http://harpgamer.com...mp;showfile=234, then restart your computer. Next uninstall HC, delete the directory into which HC was installed (if it exists after uninstall), then re-install the game. The SE should then work. - Symptom: The SE shows up and quickly goes away, with or without error.
Workaround: Make sue you have a harpoon8.dll file, some virus scanners have been picking on it.
Workaround: Make sure your virus scanner isn't blocking access to the harpoon8.dll file.
Workaround: Your battleset path entry may be incorrect, run http://harpgamer.com...mp;showfile=228 - Symptom: I get an error about autoexec.nt or config.nt.
Workaround: Some viruses/spyware, not to mention antivirus scanners mess up these files and command.com. See http://forums.cnet.c...D=595647#595647 for a link to a utility that straightens them out. - Symptom: I have Avast virus scanner and trouble running the SE.
Workaround: edit your config.nt file (C:\Windows\system32\config.nt in a default install), comment out the line that looks like "device=C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\aswmonds.sys" by typing REM before it or ;. See http://forum.avast.c...y;threadid=7586 for detail.
Failing all of that, come knock on our door with your HCSysInfo report.
