SH4 Gold & Win10 - Double-Saved-Game-Folder-Trouble

Van den Aalen · 06-07-23, 04:48 AM

Ahoi Mates!

1. First a short introduction: I am long-time reader, but first-time poster on this forum. I anchor near the beerquator in the south of Germany.

2. My installation facts:

I have the german version of the Silent Hunter 4 Gold (including u-boat missions) in this partition/folder installed:

F:/SH4/

It is the DVD-Version - NOT THE STEAM VERSION! I have Windows 10 running on my Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 machine.

My Problem: the game runs smoothly but it freezes always when saving a game in harbour or at sea. Sometimes starting a new voyage hangs the game, too. There are no Windows blue screens. The task manager can be run in background after the freeze, but cannot be activated and so the game cannot be killed. But I can reboot.
The trouble exist with a TMO2.5 modded game as well with a fresh installed, unmodded SH4 installation.

My analysis so far: it must be a conflict in savedgame-folder setting. Normally SH4 shall save all saved games into C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... But on my machine it tries to operate two folders at the same time:

C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... AND
F:/SH4/data/cfg/... (yepp, the folder which contains Main.cfg, CrewAI.cfg and all these files - the game saves the saved game files there, too).

I tried to remedy this by finding the culpit, which makes the game behave like this. But in vain...

My question: Do You know, how to tell the game NOT to use folder F:/SH4/data/cfg/... but folder C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... ONLY for saved games, please? Maybe a script-file solution may help to run the game properly?

All the best!

van den Aalen

(p.s. the funny thing is, on my ole' WinXP machine I never experienced something like this! Unfortunately that machine has ended its lifespan recently. And this fact is the reason why I installed the game on my Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 with Win 10).

(p.p.s. When I try to multish to a different folder, the folder structure is created twice as well:
C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/... AND
F:/)

propbeanie · 06-07-23, 06:59 AM

First, welcome to SubSim with your first post after a three and a half year silent run!

As for the Save situation, I have looked through my Windows 10 under the Settings - System - Storage and also Tablet, as well as a few other spots, and I cannot see anything about that type of behavior. Maybe something in the "Sync" stuff?? I do know that the MS OneDrive can cause similar issues as Windows and an app try to "sync" your data, but I have not had that right into the game folder. Perhaps there is something from Samsung running that does that for you, but I do not know what that could possibly be. Does your machine perhaps "virtualize" a segment of the computer for Win32 apps on the hard drive??...

One thing you could try is to get the SH4 folder out of the root of that drive, by making a new folder, such as "F:\Games" and re-install SH4 into there, and see if it then writes into the F:\Games instead of the SH4 folder, which is potentially impacting the game files. Perhaps someone else knows more about computers than you or I... as for me, I am not as tech-savvy as I was just a few years ago. They left me in the micro-bit dust after Win2k came out, and I now have to call my kids for help with the telly remote. With all of the user security stuff and "hives" for the Windows registry, etc., my brain went blank... sigh

Aktungbby · 06-07-23, 08:31 AM

Van den Aalen!

Van den Aalen · 06-08-23, 02:32 AM

Hi Folks,

thanks for all the hints! I tried an fresh installation into F:\Games\. But that does not resolve the problem unfortunately...
I replaced the Filemanager.dll with the original from uboat-missions DVD. Doesn't help to.

I've checked all that Samsung and other App crap installed by Windows on my machine, but there is no MS OneDrive or similar installed.

And I cleaned my registry after the last deinstallation. too.

So my next try: installation of a fresh plain vanilla SH4 V1.5 WITHOUT uboat missions addon (so I know if the addon is the culpit).

The funny thing is: SH3 with all its mods and jingles is running like clockwork on my machine.
No idea if SH5 will do so - have not tried to install it yet.

Gee, a common Debian user, I would never thought of writing that, but I am missing the ole WinXP times! Win10 with all it home-phoneing, ads and jingle-jangle-crap really sucks (even that MS picture-viewer is calling home for Bill. Wouldn't wonder if Notepad.exe does, too)!?

propbeanie · 06-08-23, 07:56 AM

How strange... I'll try to see what my newer HP laptop is doing in that regard...

Van den Aalen · 07-17-23, 11:04 PM

Ahoi Mates!

After tinkering around for a long time I found the fix for my problem - and it is quite simple, if You think about it:

1. What You need:
- SH4 including Uboat missions on DVDs
- MultiSH4

2. What to do:
a.) Install a plain vanilla installation of SH4 into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ but NOT into root of the partition (so NOT to YourPartition:\SH4\). IMPORTANT: DO NOT START SH4!
b.) Install the uboat missions addon into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ (IMPORTANT: DO NOT START SH4 YET!)
c.) Copy/extract MultiSH4.exe into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\
d.) Backup FileManager.dll in YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ by making a copy of it
e.) Start MultiSH4.exe in YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ and rename savedgame-folder to something else (p.e. I renamed it from "SH4" to "SI4"). This will modify the original FileManager.dll file.
f.) Install JSGME (Jonesoft Generic Mod Enabler) and install all the mods You like.
g.) Now run SH4 for the first time...
h.) ... and Bob's Your uncle!

So I have the complete SH4 installation in all its glory on my F:\ partition only. There is no savedgame-folder for SH4 in C:\MyDocuments\blabla\ on my machine nomore...

Regards!

van den Aalen

06-07-23, 04:48 AM	#1
Van den Aalen Nub Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3 Downloads: 2958 Uploads: 0	SH4 Gold & Win10 - Double-Saved-Game-Folder-Trouble Ahoi Mates! 1. First a short introduction: I am long-time reader, but first-time poster on this forum. I anchor near the beerquator in the south of Germany. 2. My installation facts: I have the german version of the Silent Hunter 4 Gold (including u-boat missions) in this partition/folder installed: F:/SH4/ It is the DVD-Version - NOT THE STEAM VERSION! I have Windows 10 running on my Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 machine. My Problem: the game runs smoothly but it freezes always when saving a game in harbour or at sea. Sometimes starting a new voyage hangs the game, too. There are no Windows blue screens. The task manager can be run in background after the freeze, but cannot be activated and so the game cannot be killed. But I can reboot. The trouble exist with a TMO2.5 modded game as well with a fresh installed, unmodded SH4 installation. My analysis so far: it must be a conflict in savedgame-folder setting. Normally SH4 shall save all saved games into C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... But on my machine it tries to operate two folders at the same time: C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... AND F:/SH4/data/cfg/... (yepp, the folder which contains Main.cfg, CrewAI.cfg and all these files - the game saves the saved game files there, too). I tried to remedy this by finding the culpit, which makes the game behave like this. But in vain... My question: Do You know, how to tell the game NOT to use folder F:/SH4/data/cfg/... but folder C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/SH4/data/cfg/... ONLY for saved games, please? Maybe a script-file solution may help to run the game properly? All the best! van den Aalen (p.s. the funny thing is, on my ole' WinXP machine I never experienced something like this! Unfortunately that machine has ended its lifespan recently. And this fact is the reason why I installed the game on my Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 with Win 10). (p.p.s. When I try to multish to a different folder, the folder structure is created twice as well: C:/USERS/USERNAME/Documents/... AND F:/) Last edited by Van den Aalen; 06-07-23 at 06:02 AM.

06-07-23, 06:59 AM	#2
propbeanie CTD - it's not just a job Join Date: May 2016 Location: One hour from Music City USA! Posts: 9,742 Downloads: 439 Uploads: 2	First, welcome to SubSim with your first post after a three and a half year silent run! As for the Save situation, I have looked through my Windows 10 under the Settings - System - Storage and also Tablet, as well as a few other spots, and I cannot see anything about that type of behavior. Maybe something in the "Sync" stuff?? I do know that the MS OneDrive can cause similar issues as Windows and an app try to "sync" your data, but I have not had that right into the game folder. Perhaps there is something from Samsung running that does that for you, but I do not know what that could possibly be. Does your machine perhaps "virtualize" a segment of the computer for Win32 apps on the hard drive??... One thing you could try is to get the SH4 folder out of the root of that drive, by making a new folder, such as "F:\Games" and re-install SH4 into there, and see if it then writes into the F:\Games instead of the SH4 folder, which is potentially impacting the game files. Perhaps someone else knows more about computers than you or I... as for me, I am not as tech-savvy as I was just a few years ago. They left me in the micro-bit dust after Win2k came out, and I now have to call my kids for help with the telly remote. With all of the user security stuff and "hives" for the Windows registry, etc., my brain went blank... sigh __________________ "...and bollocks to the naysayer/s" - Jimbuna

06-07-23, 08:31 AM	#3
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 27,843 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	Welcome aboard! Van den Aalen! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness; and I'm not too sure about the Universe"

06-08-23, 07:56 AM	#5
propbeanie CTD - it's not just a job Join Date: May 2016 Location: One hour from Music City USA! Posts: 9,742 Downloads: 439 Uploads: 2	How strange... I'll try to see what my newer HP laptop is doing in that regard... __________________ "...and bollocks to the naysayer/s" - Jimbuna

06-08-23, 02:32 AM	#4
Van den Aalen Nub Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3 Downloads: 2958 Uploads: 0	Hi Folks, thanks for all the hints! I tried an fresh installation into F:\Games\. But that does not resolve the problem unfortunately... I replaced the Filemanager.dll with the original from uboat-missions DVD. Doesn't help to. I've checked all that Samsung and other App crap installed by Windows on my machine, but there is no MS OneDrive or similar installed. And I cleaned my registry after the last deinstallation. too. So my next try: installation of a fresh plain vanilla SH4 V1.5 WITHOUT uboat missions addon (so I know if the addon is the culpit). The funny thing is: SH3 with all its mods and jingles is running like clockwork on my machine. No idea if SH5 will do so - have not tried to install it yet. Gee, a common Debian user, I would never thought of writing that, but I am missing the ole WinXP times! Win10 with all it home-phoneing, ads and jingle-jangle-crap really sucks (even that MS picture-viewer is calling home for Bill. Wouldn't wonder if Notepad.exe does, too)!?

07-17-23, 11:04 PM	#6
Van den Aalen Nub Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3 Downloads: 2958 Uploads: 0	Ahoi Mates! After tinkering around for a long time I found the fix for my problem - and it is quite simple, if You think about it: 1. What You need: - SH4 including Uboat missions on DVDs - MultiSH4 2. What to do: a.) Install a plain vanilla installation of SH4 into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ but NOT into root of the partition (so NOT to YourPartition:\SH4\). IMPORTANT: DO NOT START SH4! b.) Install the uboat missions addon into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ (IMPORTANT: DO NOT START SH4 YET!) c.) Copy/extract MultiSH4.exe into YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ d.) Backup FileManager.dll in YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ by making a copy of it e.) Start MultiSH4.exe in YourPartition:\WhereEverYouLike\SH4\ and rename savedgame-folder to something else (p.e. I renamed it from "SH4" to "SI4"). This will modify the original FileManager.dll file. f.) Install JSGME (Jonesoft Generic Mod Enabler) and install all the mods You like. g.) Now run SH4 for the first time... h.) ... and Bob's Your uncle! So I have the complete SH4 installation in all its glory on my F:\ partition only. There is no savedgame-folder for SH4 in C:\MyDocuments\blabla\ on my machine nomore... Regards! van den Aalen