16 replies to this topic

[Shed]

Thanks to Michel for writing this. I have corrected some links and laid it out in an easier to navigate fashion .

Index

This FAQ covers common questions, common problems, and the solutions. Each issue is covered in a separate post. Click on the adjacent pink arrow, or scroll down to the one that's relevant to you.

1. The Patches
2. Enabling Debug Mode/Using CLUAConsole
3. Installation problems, including the "Insert Disk 5" issue
4. "<Character Name> Appears Busy" NPC dialogue bug
5. How To Manually Uninstall BG2
6. "CD-Protection-Error. Insert Original Game-CD" problem
7. Windows XP
8. Very loud throbbing squeal in dungeon areas
9. "Install" option appears instead of "Play" when BG2 is already installed
10. Random crashes with C-Media sound chips (CMI8738)
11. Configuring firewalls and routers to allow BG2 multiplayer
12. Sound Blaster Sound Cards
13. Anti-Virus and Crash Guard software
14. Known Assertion Errors

If you feel there's a bug which needs adding to this list, notify me.

This FAQ last changed/updated 16th May 2005.

If this FAQ doesn't solve your problem, create a new thread with as precise a description of your problem and situation as possible. Here are some of the important things to mention.

1. Post your system specifications:

• Operating System
  
• Processor type and speed
  
• Motherboard and chipset (if you can find it out)
  
• Amount of RAM
  
• Graphics Card and current driver version
  
• Sound Card
  
• Amount of free space on the drive where BG2 is installed

2. If you have trouble finding out your system specs, you can use the SysInfo Tool from Bioware, and post the results in your thread.

3. Let us know whether or not you have the Throne of Bhaal expansion installed.

4. Let us know if you have the latest patch installed.

5. Let us know about any third party mods or fixes you have installed. This includes things like the Baldurdash Fixpack, the Ascension mod, The Darkest Day, etc...

6. If you're using any third-party graphics or sound related utilities and/or tweaks, especially ones that involve the graphics refresh rate, mention that too.

7. If you have been editing your saved game with Shadowkeeper, tell us. Especially things like changing your avatar.

8. If it's a crash, try and give a good description of the exact circumstances under which it occured, and a copy of the error message if applicable.

9. If your post contains possible spoilers, please mention that in the thread title, this isn't the spoilers board, and people should be able to browse here without worrying they'll accidentally have the plot ruined for them.

Thanks.

Edited by Shed, 12 January 2006 - 03:54 AM.

[Shed]

Enabling Debug Mode/Using CLUAConsole

Certain problems may need to be fixed via the console, or with the key combinations enabled by Debug Mode. The commands needed vary depending on the situation, but here are some directions for enabling Debug Mode, and using the console.

1. Open up the folder where BG2 is installed (by default this is "C:\Program Files\Black Isle\BGII - SoA"), and locate the file "baldur.ini".

2. Open it up with Notepad.

3. Add the following line just under the [Program Options] header. It must be written exactly as it appears here, with the same spacing and capitalisation:

Debug Mode=1

4. Save and close baldur.ini. Launch BG2 and load up your saved game.

5. Once you're in the game, press Control and Space together to bring up the console entry field. Type the relevant command and hit enter.

6. After you've finished using the console, it's a good idea to either disable debug mode, since it also enables various key combinations which can mess things up if you hit them accidentally. Disabling it is as simple as removing that line you added, or changing it so it reads:

Debug Mode=0

Note: If these steps do not work for you, try adding the line Cheats=1 under [Game Options] instead. If you used this method, you will first need to enter the console code CLUAConsole:EnableCheatKeys() in order to use the key combinations.

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Installation Problems

The "Insert Disc 5" problem occurs when the installer has had trouble reading one of the files on a previous CD, and so assumes there must be another disk with the relevant file on it. There are a number of steps you can take which may fix this problem and allow you to install properly, as outlined in the quote below.

These steps also apply to other installation errors such as the "Cyclic Redudancy Check" (CRC) error.

Quote

1. When changing CDs during the installation, let the drive spin-up and then stop. Then click OK and see if the installer recognizes the disc change. Do this for all the CDs that are requested.

2.Try checking for a firmware/BIOS update for your CD or DVD drive. We have had several reports of sucessfull installs of the game once a firmware update was applied. You will have to check with your CD/DVD drive manufacturer for this kind of update.

3. If for whatever reason you are unable to do a Recommended or Full install, but you can do a Minimum install, please read How to "fake" a larger install from a Minimum.

4. If you have multiple CD/DVD drives, only install from one and do not try to use all of your drives. For some reason, this is confusing InstallShield.

5. If you cannot do any install without getting some sort of error or crash and you have about 5 Gig of free hard drive space, you can try to copy all 4 CDs to your hard drive, then run the install from there. Please note, you must copy all 4 CDs to the same directory for the install to run. If you get prompted for the next CD, then you have not copied the files over properly, or you have missed some.

6. Try turning off DMA for your CD/DVD drive. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this checkbox by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Device Manager tab. Find your CD/DVD drive and bring up its Properties, then go to the Settings tab.

7. Try turning off your CD/DVD read-ahead. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this slider by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Performance tab. Down in the Advanced Settings frame, press the File System... button and move the slider all the way to the left. You may need to restart for this setting to take effect.

If you don't know how to disable DMA and read-ahead optimisation on your CD Drive, here are the steps:

Windows 98/Me

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Open "System"
3. Choose the "Device Manager" tab
4. Click the "+" next to "CD-ROM"
5. Select your drive, right-click it and select "Properties"
6. Choose the "Settings" tab
7. Uncheck the "DMA" checkbox.
8. Click "OK" to close the Properties window
9. Choose the "Performance" tab (in the "System" control panel window, which should still be open)
10. Click the "File System" button
11. Select the "CDROM" tab
12. Select "No read-ahead" from the "Optimise access pattern for:" drop-down box

Windows 2000/XP

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Open "System"
3. Choose the "Hardware" tab
4. Click the "Device Manager" button
5. Click the "+" next to "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
6. Select "Secondary IDE Channel", right click it and select "Properties"
7. Choose "PIO Only" from the drop-down box labelled "Transfer Mode"

Note: In most cases your CD-ROM or DVD Drive will be Device 0 on the Secondary IDE Channel. If you have both a DVD drive and a CD Drive, one of them may be Device 1 on the Primary IDE Channel. If you have more than one Hard Disk Drive, your CD drive could be Device 1 on the Secondary IDE Channel.

In general, you can tell a CD-ROM or DVD drive because the DMA will show up as "Ultra DMA Mode 2" or "Multi-Word DMA Mode 2" or something like that in the "Current Transfer Mode" description field.

I recommend against changing the DMA mode of Device 0 on the Primary IDE Channel. Unless your computer was built by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, this will be always be your main Hard Disk Drive.

There is no read-ahead optimisation option in Windows 2000/XP.

Faking a larger install from a minimum

If you can successfully manage a minimum install, then you can "fake" a full or recommend install manually. The procedure for doing so is outlined below. In my experience this is a good first option to try, it is often successful.

Quote

Minimum to Recommended Install

1. Do a Minimum install.

2. Edit your "baldur.ini" file. Change the line "Install Type=1" to "Install Type=2"

3. Copy the following files from CD2 to your BG2 directory, where [cddrive] is the letter of your CD-ROM drive and [BG2] is the location of your BG2 install

[cddrive]\CD2\Data\CREAnim.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CREAnim.bif
[cddrive]\CD2\Data\CREAnim1.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CREAnim1.bif
[cddrive]\CD2\Data\GUIMosc.bif ===> [BG2]\data\GUIMosc.bif
[cddrive]\CD2\Data\MovHD0.bif ===> [BG2]\data\MovHD0.bif
[cddrive]\CD2\Data\NPCSoCD3.bif ===> [BG2]\data\NPCSoCD3.bif
[cddrive]\CD2\Data\NPCSound.bif ===> [BG2]\data\NPCSound.bif

4. Copy the following files from CD3 to your BG2 directory

[cddrive]\CD3\Data\CD3CreA2.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CD3CreA2.bif
[cddrive]\CD3\Data\CD3CreAn.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CD3CreAn.bif
[cddrive]\CD3\Data\CDCreAni.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CDCreAni.bif

5. Copy the following files from CD4 to your BG2 directory

[cddrive]\CD4\Data\CD4CreA2.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CD4CreA2.bif
[cddrive]\CD4\Data\CD4CreA3.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CD4CreA3.bif
[cddrive]\CD4\Data\CD4CreAn.bif ===> [BG2]\data\CD4CreAn.bif

You now have a Recommended install.

Quote

Minimum to Full Install

1. Do a Minimum install.

2. Edit your "baldur.ini" file. Change the line "Install Type=1" to "Install Type=3". Also, you will need to edit the [Alias] section. Make the following changes where [BG2] is the location of your BG2 install

[Alias]
HD0=[BG2]
CD1=[BG2]\CD1
CD2=[BG2]\CD2
CD3=[BG2]\CD3
CD4=[BG2]\CD4

3. Copy the following directories (and all their contents) from the BG2 CDs to your BG2 install folder, where [cddrive] is the letter of your CD-ROM drive and [BG2] is the location of your BG2 install

CD2
[cddrive]\CD2 ===> [BG2]\CD2

CD3
[cddrive]\CD3 ===> [BG2]\CD3

CD4
[cddrive]\CD4 ===> [BG2]\CD4

You now have a Full install.

[Shed]

"You cannot initiate dialogue, <name> appears busy"

This problem effects Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and is solved by downloading the latest patch.

[Shed]

How To Manually Uninstall BG2

If you delete the folder where BG2 is installed without doing a proper installation, or have other problems getting the installer to run because it thinks the game is already installed, you may need the following procedure, which outlines how to manually uninstall BG2.

Here is the procedure to manually uninstall BG2: Throne of Bhaal. This will also uninstall BG2: Shadows of Amn. To start regedit, go to "Start", then "Run", type "regedit" (without the quotes), and hit enter. Be careful when using regedit, there is no "undo" option, and all changes are automatically saved.

1. Edit the system registry using the regedit utility. Remove the following keys under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\":

• BG2Main.exe
  
• bg2ep202.exe

2. Remove the following keys under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\":

• English: {B8C3B479-1716-11D5-968A-0050BA84F5F7}
  
• French: {43D4C77E-4339-11D5-96E7-0050BA84F5F7}
  
• German: {5B09F344-4406-11D5-96E8-0050BA84F5F7}
  
• Italian: {C3817924-440B-11D5-96E8-0050BA84F5F7}
  
• Spanish: {68F40945-449D-11D5-96E9-0050BA84F5F7}

3. Go to your Program Files directory and find the hidden directory "InstallShield Installation Information" and delete the directories labeled:

• English: {8DAE4336-2B71-11D4-9A6C-006067325E47} and {B8C3B479-1716-11D5-968A-0050BA84F5F7}
  
• French: {43D4C77E-4339-11D5-96E7-0050BA84F5F7} and {5E30BDEB-9307-11D4-9AE0-006067325E47}
  
• German: {5B09F344-4406-11D5-96E8-0050BA84F5F7} and {5E30BDEB-9307-11D4-9AE0-006067325E47}
  
• Italian: {C3817924-440B-11D5-96E8-0050BA84F5F7} and {5E30BDEB-9307-11D4-9AE0-006067325E47}
  
• Spanish: {68F40945-449D-11D5-96E9-0050BA84F5F7} and {5E30BDEB-9307-11D4-9AE0-006067325E47}

4. Manually delete all the files and directories created by the previous installation attempts (this should return the system to its state before the original installation attempt) and try again to install from the CD.

[Shed]

"Insert Original Game-CD" error

European versions (including UK version) of the Throne of Bhaal CD are copy-protected by Laserlock, which causes problems on some CD drives. Downloading the latest Throne of Bhaal patch solves this problem.

This problem can sometimes cause the system to hang after trying to launch the game, without displaying an error message. If you are experiencing that problem, try installing the patch.

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Windows XP

Windows XP is not a supported Operating System for BG2. However in most cases it runs without problems, provided you have current drivers for your hardware.

You should also make sure you have the latest patch.

For those of you with Nvidia GeForce(1, 2, 3 or 4) based cards and a Sound Blaster Live! card, it is recommended to get the latest drivers for your Live! card, and the latest Forceware drivers (version 71.89) for your GeForce card.

This information basically applies to Windows 2000 as well as XP, though you should double check that there aren't seperate Win2000 drivers available for your hardware (in most cases they are combined with Windows XP drivers).

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Loud Squeal In Dungeon Areas

There is a problem with the cavern echo Environmental Audio (EAX) effect which is used in areas flagged as underground/dungeon. It will cause a very loud, throbbing squeal to come out of your speakers.

Disabling EAX from the options screen in-game while in those areas solves the problem. Downloading current drivers for your sound card should stop it occuring at all.

This problem only seem to effect Sound Blaster Live! Value cards.

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"Install" Replaces "Play" Option

This problem is caused by registry cleaning programs such as Norton WinDoctor incorrectly detecting the registry entries for BG2 as faulty and deleting them. After you've reinstalled, applying the latest patch for BG2 prevents this problem reoccuring.

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C-Media Sound Chips

If your sound chip shows up as "CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device" and you are having random crashes, try installing the most recent drivers.

These sound chips are used as an integrated chip on motherboards, and also in stand alone PCI sound cards (cheap ones). If you think your card might have this chip, look up the specifications on the manufacturers website.

This problem mostly (if not exclusively) effects those with Widows XP.

If you have Windows XP, 2000, ME or 98SE, download the drivers here.
n
If that doesn't solve the problem, you may also need to go into:

"Control Panel" ---> "Sounds and Audio Devices" ---> "Audio" tab ---> "Advanced" button ("Sound playback" section) ---> "Performance" tab

Then set the hardware acceleration slider to "None".

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Configuring Firewalls and Routers

In order to play BG2 in multiplayer, you need to allow the game to use certain ports.

You need to open the following ports to both TCP and UDP protocols, permitting both inbound and outbound traffic:

For BG2: ports 2230-2400, and 47624
For Direct Play: ports 2234 and 47624

The program for BG2 is "BGMain.exe", found in the folder where BG2 was installed.

The program for Direct Play is "DPLAYSVR.EXE", and will probably be found in "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\" or "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\"

The procedure for allowing that access is different for each firewall/router, so if you don't know how to do it you should consult the accompanying documentation.

Special thanks go out to Cirneth for providing most of the info in this section.

[Shed]

Sound Blaster Sound Cards

Various people have encountered severe slowdown problems with Sound Blaster sound cards. Usually the Live! Value or the Audigy.

In the case of the Live! Value, updating your sound card drivers to the most recent version, and also your graphics card drivers (especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card) usually solves the problem.

The Audigy slowdown problem can be solved by turning off Environmental Audio (EAX) in the game. Downloading the latest drivers also seems to fix this problem, and should enable you to play with EAX enabled.

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Antivirus and Crash Guard Software

Having other programs running in the background while BG2 is running can often slow the game down. In the case of Antivirus and Crash Guard type software, the slowdown is often very bad.

It's a good idea to disable these things while you are playing BG2.

The worst offenders seem to be McAfee antivirus, and anything from Norton.

[Shed]

These are the *known* assertion errors for Shadow's of Amn AND Throne of Bhaal


ChDimm.cpp at line number 508
Memory allocation error. This could be running out of RAM or swap space. Check your swap file size and make sure you don't have any extraneous programs running.

ChDimm.cpp at line number 599
Could not open/find a specific file either on the CD or hard drive. You should reinstall.

ChDimm.cpp at line number 805 or 834
BG2 failed to start up. Try to reinstall. Make sure that the baldur.ini file is NOT flagged read only and make sure that the [Alias] section is pointing to the correct directories of your install.

Here is a sample of what the [Alias] section should look like for a full install:

[Alias]
HD0:=D:\Games\Black Isle\BGII - SoA\
CD1:=D:\Games\Black Isle\BGII - SoA\CD1\
CD2:=D:\Games\Black Isle\BGII - SoA\CD2\
CD3:=D:\Games\Black Isle\BGII - SoA\CD3\
CD4:=D:\Games\Black Isle\BGII - SoA\CD4\

This should let you start the game.

ChDataTypes.cpp at line 250
General decompression error on BAM and MOS files. This is the most common error that will occur when the game is accessing bad data on your hard drive. This can occur from a faulty install of BG2 or can occur due to some oddities with your hardware. There are no easy solutions to this issue as they are hardware specific. Try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories. Failing that, try reinstalling.

chitin.cpp at line 1621
Problem with "chitin.key" file. First try re-patching the game. Failing that, try reinstalling.

chsound.cpp at line 3303
Possibly running out of disk space while playing sounds. Check to make sure you have enough free space on your C: drive and where BG2 is installed.

chvideo.cpp at line 9302
Failed to draw mouse cursor. This is most likely bad data in RAM, so restart the computer and try again.

ChVidmod3d.cpp at line 889
Error retrieving frame information from a BAM in 3D mode. This is most likely bad data. Try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories. Failing that, try reinstalling.

CtiledObject.cpp at line 244
Could not find a specific tileset. This is most likely bad data. Try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories. Failing that, try reinstalling.

InfGame.cpp at line number 2689
Couldn't delete temp files. Exit the game and try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories.

InfScreenInventory.cpp at line 9826
Failed to draw an item on the history page. This is most likely bad data. Try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories. Failing that, try reinstalling.

InfScreenLoad.cpp at line 1492
Corrupt portrait bitmap. Go into the directory of the save game that is giving this error and delete all the .bmp files. Load the game and then re-save.

InfScreenMap.cpp at line 2676
BG2 failed to draw the map mosaic. This is most likely bad data. Try clearing out your "cache", "temp", and "tempsave" directories. Failing that, try reinstalling.

All other line numbers
The majority of all other Assertion errors seem to be caused when the game is unable to locate a file that is needed or the file is corrupted. To correct this you will want to try the following:

Clean your cdrom drive with a lense cleaner and be sure that all dust, dirt, or glue has been cleaned from the cd's surface.
Be sure to delete the games cache (delete all files within {games folder}\CACHE\DATA\). When you restart, the program will recreate the cache and should repair the missing file. (If you have done a custom install you will want to find out the area # that is causing the trouble by checking the map. Once you have narrowed down the trouble area, delete that file from your DATA folder and attempt to recopy it from the cd back to the same DATA folder.)
If the previous two steps do not work you will want to try to use an earlier save game as well. There have been a few reports of a corrupted save game causing this type of error.

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Mouse/keyboard problems (eg. Non-responding interface)

Uninstall the junk software that came with the cordless keyboard/mouse. You do not need that buggy software. Let Windows autodetect them and then they work fine. I'm using a Logitech cordless keyboard and a cordless Logitech mouse. I never ever installed the files that I was supposed to need for them. Windows simply detects them and loads the needed files.

Relevant Topic: http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?t...227337&forum=10

[Shed]

For people with the: CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device and WinXP

http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?t...=19668&forum=10

Quote

A frequent problem posted on this forum involves the combination of WinXP and a CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device. If you have random crashes or reboots during BG2 play, the solution most times is to go to http://www.cmedia.com.tw and get the newest drivers (apparantly, version 632 or higher). Uninstall your old drivers and install these ones and the game should work correctly. This problem happens most often with WinXP, but those with other OS versions may also want to look into it if they are having similar issues with this device.

This solution was offered by "shiver" in the following thread for those that want a complete overview of the problem and fixes suggested. A search of the forum will bring up several other similar postings.

http://forums.biowar...=11101&forum=10

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Big time installation problems

http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?t...=22196&forum=10

Quote

Baldur's Gate II ran smoothely after a no-problem compact install on Windows XP.
I wanted to reinstall Baldur's Gate II and couldn't because of an uninstaller error.
I then proceeded to a manual uninstalation (I checked out the stuff on the support page and
removed all folders, including the hidden one in Program Files and deleted all registry entries regarding BG2).

Then no matter what I tried I got the same error, you all mentioned. Then an ideea struck me. The installer seemed
to be an Windows Installer kit (like the one used in many application install kits, including Office XP for example or even freeware and shareware applications). Then I thought maybe a dll or a registry entry got modified the wrong way and also remembered something about a Windows Update reffering to a Windows Installer issue. I then searched the net for a Windows Installer update and found two that seemed to fit the purpose (reinstalling all dlls and fixing registration issues relating to Windows Installer).

Here are the links:

Get the Windows Installer 2.0 Update
(only for Win NT 4, 2k and not for XP they say)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release...earch&ordinal=8

or this one

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release...ReleaseID=17344
(this one worked for me and they say it's Windows NT 4 only)

Hope this works and please let me know if they do. Black Isle Support should know of this too.