MechWarrior 4: The New Mechs Are Not Available After You Install Sphere 'Mech Pak or Clan 'Mech Pak (325999)

RESOLUTION

If you install Black Knight after you install Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak, the mechs from Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak and the Clan 'Mech Pak are not available in MechWarrior 4: Black Knight during Multiplayer and Instant Action. To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods in the order that they appear.

These steps are rather long, so you may want to print them out before you begin.

Method 1: Remove TurboTax If It Is Installed

If TurboTax software is installed on the computer, remove it. To remove the program, see the TurboTax software documentation. While TurboTax is installed on your computer, MechWarrior Mech Paks will not appear in the game. If you have any questions about this issue, contact TurboTax.

If removing TurboTax does not resolve this issue, continue to the next method.

Method 2: Download and Install the Update

Note You must have the Mech Pak CD in the drive when you run the SafeCast Repair Utility.

An update has been released to resolve this issue. To download and install the update, follow these steps:

1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:

   http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/fasa/

2. In the left pane, click Other Games.
3. Click Downloads in the center section of the Web page.
4. Use the scroll bar in the center of the Web page to scroll to MechWarrior 4: Inner Sphere or Mech Warrior 4: Clan Pak.
5. Under Downloads, click Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak or Clan 'Mech Pak to download the appropriate SafeCast Repair Utility.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the download process.
7. After the file succesfully downloads, insert the Mech Pack CD into the drive.
   
   If the Mech Pack game window appears on the screen, close it.
8. Go to the folder where you downloaded the SafeCast Repair Utility and double-click the file.
   
   When you are prompted with the following message, click OK: This will install run the SafeCast Repair Kit.
9. After the install is complete, take out the Meck Pak CD from the drive and insert the MechWarrior 4 disc.
10. If Meck Paks still missing in the game, continue to the next method

Method 3: Configure Your Computer to Use the Correct Date, Time, and Year

To configure the correct date and time settings for your computer, follow these steps. Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then click Date and Time.
3. Click the Date & Time tab (if it is not already selected), configure the computer's date, time, and year settings to the current date, time, and year, and then click Apply.
4. Click the Time Zone tab, and then verify that the computer is configured with the correct time setting.
5. Click OK, and then close the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options tool.

Method 4: Remove, and Then Reinstall the Mech Paks

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak or Clan 'Mech Pak, and then click Add/Remove or Change/Remove.
4. Click Uninstall, and then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the removal process.
5. Close Add/Remove Programs, and then insert the Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak or Clan 'Mech Pak CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
6. Click Install, and then follow the instructions to complete the installation process.

If this does not resolve this issue, continue to the next method.

Method 5: Install Update

1. Press and hold the SHIFT key, and then insert the Inner Sphere CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
2. Locate the following folder

   CD-ROM:\Goodies\Patch3\Mw4xp1

   where CD-ROM is your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
3. Double-click Mw4xp1.exe.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, or if you receive the following error message, continue to the next method:

Method 6: Remove, and Then Reinstall All Mech Warrior Products

Step 1: Preserve Pilot and Variants

If you have variant mech designs or campaign pilots that you want to save, follow these steps. Otherwise, continue to the next method.

1. Locate the following folder:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior Vengeance\Resource

2. Right-click the Pilots folder, point to Send To, and then click My Documents.
3. Repeat step 2 for the Pilotsx, Variants, and Variantx folders.

Step 2: Remove Mech Paks, Black Knight, Mech Warrior Vengeance, and MechWarrior Mercenaries

To remove these games, follow these steps:Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak, and then click Add/Remove or Change/Remove.
4. Click Uninstall, click OK, and then click OK.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to remove MechWarrior Black Knight and then to remove MechWarrior Vengeance

Step 3: Obtain the Macrovision Update

Note This update is designed for Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows XP. You may have to log on to your computer as an administrator to install it. To download it, visit the following Macrovision Web site: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

Step 4: Delete the MechWarrior Vengeance Folder

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type MechWarrior Vengeance.
3. In the Look in box, click My Computer.
4. Click to select the Include subfolders check box.
5. Click Find Now.
6. In the search results, right-click MechWarrior Vengeance, click Delete. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. Close the Find window.

Step 5: Restart the Computer by Using a Clean Boot Procedure

When you start Microsoft Windows, typically there are a number of programs that start automatically and run in the background that may interfere with the game. These programs may include antivirus and system utility programs. When you perform a clean boot, you prevent these programs from starting automatically. You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

To restart your computer by using a clean boot procedure, follow these steps when you are using Windows XP.

Note You may experience a temporary loss of some services functionality when you follow these steps. Restoring the settings restores the functionality, but may result in the return of the original error message or behavior.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
4. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the following check boxes:
   • Process SYSTEM.INI File
   • Process WIN.INI File
   • Load Startup Items
5. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
6. Click OK, and then click Restart.

Click the Play button to view this streaming media demonstration.

For additional information or to view steps for other operating systems, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Step 6: Empty the Temp Folder in Windows

Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000

Note The temp folder is located in each specific user folder (for example, C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Temp). To empty the Windows temp folder, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type %temp%, and then click OK.
3. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
4. On the File menu, click Delete.
5. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.

Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

To empty the Windows temp folder, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type temp, and then click OK.
3. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
4. On the File menu, click Delete. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.

If this does not resolve this issue, continue to the next method.

Step 7: Install MechWarrior, Black Knight, and 'Mech Pak

Note Use the same CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive to install all these games.

1. Insert the MechWarrior CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then follow the Setup Wizard instructions on your screen. If the Setup Wizard does not appear, complete steps 2 and 3. Otherwise, go to step 4.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type drive:\setup, where drive is the drive letter of your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
4. Click Install, and then click Next.
5. Click Change. Delete the existing path in the Path box, and then type the following line, where Drive is the drive letter of the hard disk where you want to install MechWarrior Vengeance:

   drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MW4

6. Click OK, and then click Yes.
7. Click Install, and then follow the instructions to complete the installation process.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to install Black Knight and the 'Mech Paks.

Step 8: Restart Your Computer in Normal Mode

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click Normal Startup, and then click OK.

Step 9: Restore Saved Pilots and Variants

To restore the files that you saved in step 1 of Method 5, copy the folders that you saved to the My Documents folder to the following location, replacing the new, empty folders: Verify that Date and Time on your computer are set correctly:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Date and Time.
3. Verify that the date and time are correct, or edit them so that they are correct.
4. Click OK.