Yandros on 24/10/2010 at 04:32
I've been battling this problem off and on for months. It seemed to come and go with Windows Defender definition updates, but I recently had the problem arise again a month after disabling Defender completely, when trying to play Haplo's new mission.
Here are some important things to know about this problem:
* This seems to only affect players running Vista or Win7. However, most people in Vista or W7 don't see the problem.
* With most FMs, it's hard to know if this is happening. For one thing, many FMs don't use NVScript. But those that do, rely on it for very important things such as making objects frobbable or unfrobbable at certain times, or countless other scripted things.
* Haplo's new FM, (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133658) Among Two Storms, prohibits you from leaving the starting area if NVScript is not being loaded correctly by Thief2.exe. If you start a new mission and turn left, there will be a note tacked to the gate if the script module isn't loaded. Also, frobbing the inventory item to switch to Palmer will not do anything. So, ATS is ideal for easily testing to see if you have this problem.
If you're having this problem, there are two potential fixes.
* Rename Thief2.exe to anything else, such as Thief 2.exe (add a space between the f and the 2). Note that this will break being able to launch Thief 2 from Darkloader - you will have to launch the renamed .exe manually, or via a shortcut on your desktop.
* The more thorough solution is to solve the actual root problem. On my PC, Microsoft had enabled a "program fix" for Thief2.exe called "GameUX" (whatever that means). Because it was tied to the application name, renaming the .exe avoids the problem.
Here is the Microsoft article on the fix: (
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931709)
You can follow the steps there, or use my condensed version, below:
* Download the (
https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=81) Application Compatibility Toolkit from Microsoft.
* Once installed, run the
Compatibility Administrator (32-bit) from your Start Menu. Note that you should run the 32-bit version even if your system is 64-bit. This is because it describes not the CA app itself, but rather what types of programs it will discover, and Thief is 32-bit.
* Click the + to the left of
Applications. It may take a minute to enumerate the list.
* Type "Thief2" or scroll down and find Thief2.exe.
* If you see
GameUX under
Compatibility Fixes under
thief2.exe, then right-click on
thief2.exe and select "Disable Entry".
* Close the
Compatibility Administrator and reboot your PC (this is required, the fix won't kick in unless you reboot).
* Now you should be able to run
Thief2.exe and it will load NVScript properly. Test it by starting a fresh mission on
Among Two Storms.
This worked for me but I'd like others to post here if they were having the problem and this solved it for them, or if it didn't. If at least a few other folks have this problem and fix it this way, and no one encounters new problems, it may be worth linking to this thread from the Thief Technical FAQ.
The Watcher on 24/10/2010 at 12:39
Quote Posted by Yandros
"GameUX" (whatever that means).
GameUX is part of the "Games Explorer" system in Vista and Win 7. What exactly it does under the hood, I don't know - details are kinda scarce - but it certainly appears to have enough features to cause problems (parental controls, controlling access to different game types).
d'Spair on 24/10/2010 at 21:49
I haven't experienced this problem myself, running Vista 32 bit, but it was worrying me that more and more people stumbled upon it. If that indeed fixes it, it's a big relief. Thanks for your efforts Yandros!
Haplo on 24/10/2010 at 23:05
Great Discovery Yandros and NV! I hope this would bury the problem once and for all.
Nameless Voice on 25/10/2010 at 14:23
Ah, so the application compatibility toolkit idea paid off? Excellent!
Is the GUID always the same, or does it change from computer to computer? According to the article I linked you to, that stuff is all stored in the registry, so it should be possible to save out a registry key to automatically disable the problematic compatibility setting
(or to implement it into TafferPatcher).
I'd still like to know why it only affects NVScript, though.
Might actually be an idea to report this to Microsoft.
mabsy on 29/10/2010 at 13:39
Thanks for this, just started playing ATS and sure enough, up popped the sign!
PsymH on 29/10/2010 at 16:14
This is a great fix. It also prevents Windows to connect to the internet, if I fire up Thief. :D
Lawviz on 1/11/2010 at 05:32
This also fixes the Rose Cottage V2 when you try to use a certain purple light source! I only used the renaming "Thief2.exe to Thief 2.exe though. I havent tried the 2nd method. But nevertheless, it works =D
sterlino on 1/11/2010 at 10:59
Probably also HoC2 has this problem. Great news Yandros.
Chilli on 7/11/2010 at 02:47
I have been having problems with NVScript not loading, most recently with the FM Of The Sinister Awakening. Reloading it in Darkloader worked to get it running once but it failed the next several times I tried to load it. I tried renaming Thief2.exe and running the AC toolkit but no go. I am running in Vista 32 bit with DDfix 1.3.11. I also tried reloading NVScripts in case they had been corrupted.
Anyone else not having luck with the AC toolkit?
