gif89.dll question

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gif89.dll question

Postby Mikael » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:15 pm

Short question: When an AM game is installed, does it register the file gif89.dll, or do anything else with this file?

I have some portals that will be putting up some of my games. After I've sent them the compiled games, they're obviously installing the games, and then make their own installers from the already installed files. It seems like this causes some problems with the mentioned file.

Thanks,

Mikael
Last edited by Mikael on Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby GM-Support » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:18 pm

Hi,

Yes, unless a same or newer version of the file is found in c:\windows\system32, it copies the file to :\windows\system32 and it registers it.
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Postby Mikael » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:52 pm

Thanks,

Is there anything more that the install program does, except installing the game files in the game directory?

Thanks again,

Mikael
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Postby GM-Support » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:26 pm

It mainly installs and registers the system files.
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Postby Mikael » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:00 am

OK. It seems like I have a problem on my hands here. I'll try to break it down as methodically as possible.

You might remember that I had a problem some time ago with the games not being able to play the encrypted audio files on Vista. This is obviously connected to this problem.

The games are submitted to some portals where users can download the games. The portal administrators have installed the games from my compiled games, and then compiled new installers (to insert their logos, etc, I guess). It's from these new compilations that all problems have arisen.

It seems that the file gif89.dll needs to be installed or registered (or both?) on Vista limited accounts. This may also be the case of other system files, since you mention in the post above that the AM installation program also installs and register other system files.

When the Vista users (all on limited accounts, as it has proved to be) with problems have installed gif89.dll, they have had problems with playing the encrypted audio files. This may have to do with the fact that gif89.dll wasn't registered, or that some other system file that I don't know of wasn't installed or registered.

Not every portal will allow additional files to be installed alongside the game (dll's, directx, codecs, etc...), so I will need builds that stand on their own without requiring other files.

Is it possible to make gif89.dll and maybe other system files that are necessary install and register themselves when the game is started for the first time, rather than upon installation? As I see it now, this would be the only possible soution.

I might add that my games do not use any special codecs or anything fancy, so it's just a question about basic files that is probably installed and registered alongside any AM game.

Thankful for any help.

Mikael
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Postby Candle » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:30 am

before or after installing the files will give you the same problem if they don't have admin rights to install stuff.
Thats one of the main problem with Vista as it won't let you install anything.
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Postby GM-Support » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:25 am

To obtain "builds that stand on their own without requiring other files", we should experiment with a program such as MoleBox that allows embedding the system files into the game main executable (which you will find in the Program Files after you have installed the game on your developer computer).

I don't have the time right now to try it out, but there are chances that it may work (on Windows XP and Vista only, because previous Window OS's don't allow the virtualization of system files, i.e. loading them into memory without first saving them on the disk).
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Postby Candle » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:08 am

The problem with MoleBox and some of the others like it still unload to a temp folder to run the program.
I not sure if vista allows you to do that now?
I think everything has to go to the users main folder now.
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Postby Mikael » Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:20 am

Thanks.

I need to know: what exactly are the system files?

Can my problem have to do with the files simply not being installed, or do they have to be registered as well? It's not clear whether Molebox also can take care of the registration.

Thanks again,

Mikael
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:47 pm

System files are the files which the Operating System uses to function properly. These files HAVE to be registered, else the engine of your game won't be able to find them...
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Postby Mikael » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:33 pm

OK, but I meant WHICH files the system files are. I know of gir89.dll, but which are the others?

Thanks,

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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:46 pm

I still don't get one thing: you mean which system files AM uses or which are ALL the OS's system files (because the second cannot be answered: there are too many and they are in the system and system32 folders.).

AM uses some shared dlls as far as I am concerned, but they are probably pre-installed and if not, they are distributed along with the game...
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Postby Mikael » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:01 pm

It's the system files that are distributed with AM I'm desperate to find out about.

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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:31 pm

To view the files do the following:
Load your project on AM
Click "Manage Resources"
Check the "Shared Resources"... These are the files which will be distributed along with your project and are vital in order to play any game created with AM...


Hope I helped.
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Postby GM-Support » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:19 pm

Here is the list, with the full path, the destination folder, and the install options ("regserver" means that the file needs to be registered).

Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\msvbvm60.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Msscript.ocx"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Msdxm.ocx"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Oleaut32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Olepro32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Stdole2.tlb"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regtypelib
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\ctl3d32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Comcat.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Asycfilt.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: onlyifdoesntexist; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Gif89.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall regserver
Source: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\FoxCBmp3.dl"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: sharedfile uninsneveruninstall
Source: "C:\Program Files\Adventure Maker v4.4.0\Comp32\Msimg32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: sharedfile
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Postby Mikael » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:58 pm

Thanks the both of you.

Mikael
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:41 pm

You are welcome!!! :D
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Postby Candle » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:39 pm

Heres the files, drop them in the folder after to make your installer and install the game on your computer.
Then you can delete the uninstaller file and make your own installer. the game will run.
Backup the uninstaller file as you will need it to uninstall the game from your computer.
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Postby Mikael » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:34 am

Thank you very much for the files Candle. I had copied them from my own hard drive, but Msscript.ocx seemed to be corrupt for some reason. Yours worked perfectly though.

I downloaded the Trial version of Molebox Pro. It actually seems to do exactly what I wanted. And there was no problem loading the temporary folder in Vista.

MoleBox doesn?t register the files though. But I hope that this isn't necessary, since the system files are now running from the same executable files as the games. The thing is that I can't do a full test on my computer, since Windows doesn't allow me to delete all the system files in question on my hard drive. I've temporary deleted the ones I could though, which of course made the old versions of the games impossible to run. The new executables indeed replaced the deleted system files while the game was running, though. So, as far as I can test it, everything seems OK.

One strange thing happened: When testing the game executables with embedded system files on XP, the graphics for the opening save/load screen didn?t load (instead I got the default graphics and some error message about program information not being able to load). Removing the file Oleat32.dll solved the problem though. I just hope that this file isn?t necessary to load in the executable.

I?ve sent the new executables to my distributor, who will test it on all sorts of setups.

Regards,

Mikael
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