What's up?

[gammersempai]

Been a couple years folks, how is it going?

I miss this game and found a copy on Amazon, but Can't get it to work properly on Windows 10.

The text just keeps printing over the old text and I get strange 'tracers?' when I try to fly. I'll be linking a video in a couple days. If anyone knows an automatic fix let me know?

[Trey3]

Been a couple years folks, how is it going?

I miss this game and found a copy on Amazon, but Can't get it to work properly on Windows 10.

The text just keeps printing over the old text and I get strange 'tracers?' when I try to fly. I'll be linking a video in a couple days. If anyone knows an automatic fix let me know?

here a fix that might help you play on windows 10 http://jiridvorak.webpark.cz/ka/

[DBF68]

The installer that comes on the KA CD isn't compatible with Windows 7-10. So, a new one was created as part of a KA DVD Kit project. If they're still in good readable condition, the only thing those other CDs might be good for is in making a KA DVD.

Here's an installation guide I made to help with installing the KA DVD Kit version. Although, don't even bother clicking on the links when viewing the document on Dropbox because Dropbox screws them up and you'll end up going to 404 webpages. Just download the dock and use a pdf file reader. You should be able to click on the links in the pdf file and be taken to those webpages.

Klingon Academy 1.02 Install Instructions for Windows 7-10.pdf

You can get the KA DVD Kit with instructions at TrekCore:

http://gaming.trekcore.com/klingonacade ... howto.html

[gammersempai]

I Reinstalled KA because it kept saying "insert disk 2" and either crashed or sat there. Tried the DVD kit, the Launch fixer, and the Patcher, still no joy...…. I miss this game and have completed it many times and was thinking of doing a Let's play on it. Any other help?

[John]

Are you applying patches to the DVD kit? It should just work out of the box. Could you post a screenshot of the contents of your Klingon Academy directory? EDIT, first DVD kit did not have Komat patches.

If my memory is right repeated request for disk 2 only happened on the RTM build of KA when the copy protection was still in place, not sure though. I'm working on something at the moment that could help streamline the process, should have some news by the end of the week.

[gammersempai]

https://s9.postimg.cc/jkegyle3j/image.png

[DBF68]

Ok, what I can see from that pic is that you're trying to play KA out of the unpacked DATA.DAT folder, which you're not supposed to do. It's why you're having problems with the game. The DVD Kit does give you the option to install an unpacked copy of the DATA.DAT file into a folder, but the DATA.DAT folder is only a resource folder that's more for modding reference purposes. Even so, the DATA.DAT file is still needed for KA.exe to work because of all the game related files in it.

If you want to hold on to the DATA.DAT folder for future mod and reference purposes, you can rename the Klingon folder to DATA.DAT and put it somewhere. Then, uninstall KA via the the Win 10 equivalent of Start > Control Panel > Programs & Features > Klingon Academy. Then, use the DVD Kit again to reinstall KA to a drive and folder name of your choice, but don't select the 3 options for resources for creating mods, i.e. Mission Scripting Package, AI Trainer, and an extracted DATA.DAT file.

What I need to do is create a Quick Install set of instructions to tack onto the longer instruction doc I made so that people don't have to wade through the technical background info if they don't care to read it.

Addendum: Ok, after downloading the DVD Kit from TrekCore to make sure I'm using the same kit, I installed KA and it started without a problem. So, here's what I did:

1. From the unzipped KA_1 folder, click on setup.exe

2. Either accept the default hard drive and folder created by the setup program or select a different hard drive and folder name for the program install location.

3. When error about DATA.DAT file not found appears, click on Ignore button.

4. When given the option to install three mod related resources, i.e. Mission Scripting Package, AI Trainer, and an extracted DATA.DAT file, don't select any of them.

5. KA 1.02 will finish installing.

6. I don't know why the DVD Kit is set up this way, but you'll have to copy and paste the DATA.DAT file from the KA_1 folder into your Klingon Academy folder for the game to run.

- Ok, it's probably set up this way so you don't have to install KA via Safe Mode in order to keep the operating system from hanging on the KA font install process.

- I definitely need to revise my KA install instructions to remove the Safe Mode install reference.

7. Now, the game needs to be patched with Komat's patches.

See if those steps help.

[Scotty]

I'm running Win7 64 and I needed to install through Safe Mode.

[DBF68]

Re-read for Scotty since we've been Messengering:

Ok, that's kind of odd because, even though that's the instruction in the "How to install KA with new OSs" doc, I didn't need to get into Safe Mode to install KA with the DVD kit. All I had to do was run the installer, ignore the DATA.DAT file can't be found error, and then not install the three mod related options. Afterwards, I had to copy and paste the DATA.DAT file into the KA folder so the game would run.

I'm running W7 x64 too and wondering what the hell made me think KA has to be installed in Safe Mode. Maybe it did at one time and then Fox McCloud fixed that drawback. I'm assuming it was FM that made the DVD Kit because TrekCore mentions someone by the name of Fox as the one who created the DVD kit. Odd. I'm going to have to go look at my posts to el_Flesh, which is the earliest time I can think I advised installing the game in Safe Mode. Annoys me that I've been giving bad instructions.

I'm beginning to think I thought whoever made the DVD kit put the DATA.DAT file in the wrong location. So, I defeated the error message and made it so the installer would see DATA.DAT. Then, the font install lock up would happen and the game would have to be installed in Safe Mode to by-pass the lock up problem.

I know my initial experience with the DVD kit was, "Why can't you see the DATA.DAT file?! It's right ...! Nevermind, I'll fix this!", and thus probably created a problem that had already been solved. LOL

-----

Weird. I don't know what to say. It seems it was a problem, but I don't know why it isn't one now.

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=33550

[John]

The DVD kit is not supposed to require that much hassle to get working. The last time I did test it, I tested on Windows 7 x86 & x64 (around 2010) so I can't speak for Windows 8/8.1/10. Safe mode was not required when the kit first got released, its clear things have broken since my last test though.

If DAT extraction is selected during install it does just that and does not bother to copy a DATA.DAT to the game directory, if DAT extraction is not selected then it just copes the DAT as normal. KA and SFA did work fine without a DAT file, if the extracted files are present they take precedence over what the DAT may contain if it too is present. I can only assume the issues encountered running with just an extracted DAT are due to another cause.

Fox did the DVD art, I put the installer together so I've got the installer project files and I'll see if I still have the software to open them and refresh my memory on what its doing. I'll look at putting together an updated DVD kit, the old one is probably beyond help when it comes to modern operating systems.

[John]

On the data.dat not found error, is the installer being run from hard disk or was it actually burned to DVD?

[gammersempai]

Burned to DVD

[DBF68]

On the data.dat not found error, is the installer being run from hard disk or was it actually burned to DVD?

I've been running installs from the DVD Kit KA_1 folder on the hard drive. So, DATA.DAT is there with setup.exe in the KA_1 folder. The installer just doesn't see it.

What the error says is, "Please make sure your disk is in the drive! The following file cannot be found: *:\DATA.DAT About Retry Ignore".

What's interesting about the error is that it means the setup.exe installer is looking outside of the KA_1 folder for the DATA.DAT file rather than inside of the KA_1 folder, which causes the error.
Maybe using the DVD Kit installer outside of its intended DVD creation purpose is why I'm getting that error message. I would not be surprised.

I'll get back to you on the CD install attempt, because I thought that was something we couldn't do anymore. I definitely remember posting my "Can't install KA from the CD anymore." experience to the other KA aficionados in my FB group. Then again, maybe it was an email conversation I was having with Scotty that I posted here too.

-----

Oddly enough, KA installed from the KA_1 CD folder that I copied to a hard drive partition. I patched it with the 1.02, put my custom macros and keyboard settings in the new Klingon Academy folder, chose a resolution, and the game played, albeit, without Komat's patches. I'mmmmmmmmmmmmmm perplexed as to why I've had a problem in the past installing the game from the CD KA_1 folder on my hard drive. I definitely remember the font hang up problem with the DVD Kit and el_Flesh's problem with it too. Even Scotty had that problem until I suggested to install the game in safe mode. Shoot, this annoying to not know why the whole, "Can't install KA from the CD on newer OSs", fix for a non-problem started. Well, I'm going to dig in my FB aficionado page and see if I can find any answers to that question.

-----

Well, I don't know what the deal is with this issue. I recall getting this error when I tried to install KA on a newly installed version of W7 x64 back in 10/2014:

"This verison of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. ..."

So, I thought about and got the DVD Kit version. Although, when I tried to install it as it was at that time, I'd get the font lock up problem like el_flesh and Scotty had also experienced. Now, the font lock up experience isn't happening with the DVD Kit version, nor is there a "This version ... incompatible ..." warning when trying to use the KA CD installer. Weird. Maybe Win 7 has been patched to be more forgiving or acceptable of old installer programs, which I'm guessing is InstallShield.

Well, I guess I need to revise and rename that KA install guide.

[John]

Burned to DVD

Then there is a separate issue, new DVD kit soon.

On the data.dat not found error, is the installer being run from hard disk or was it actually burned to DVD?

I've been running installs from the DVD Kit KA_1 folder on the hard drive. So, DATA.DAT is there with setup.exe in the KA_1 folder. The installer just doesn't see it.

This was bad practice on my part, the installer for the DVD kit expects the data.dat to be on an optical drive in addition to being in the same directory as setup.exe. Compatibility can be a wonderful thing when it works, the DVD kit was from the XP/Vista era and aside from a brief test I never looked too closely on what it did on Windows 7 and it clearly does not work anymore.

Observations on fully updated Windows 7 (x86) and Windows 10 (x86 & x64) using Interplay CD media:

What I can tell at the moment (using Interplay install media) is that aside from being prompted by UAC for the initial setup.exe to run, the game just installs and will run from that point without further prompts from UAC.

Registry keys are automatically redirected from the protected "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\14 Degrees East\Klingon Academy" to a read/write VirtualStore at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\14 Degrees East\Klingon Academy" (WOW6432Node on x64) which does not require an admin request from UAC.

If the game tries to create or modify its configuration files in "C:\Program Files\14 Degrees East\Klingon Academy", the request is redirected from Program Files to a read/write VirtualStore at "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\14 Degrees East\Klingon Academy" which again does not require an admin request from UAC. The VirtualStore is where you will find your macros, savegame, options.cfg, options.kmf and d3demu log for the wrapper etc.

What Microsoft have done with file and registry redirection in Windows 7/8/8.1/10 is pretty nice, I'm fairly sure even when Windows 7 was released to manufacturing that KA needed full admin rights to install and run so it could set its resolution and create the in game configuration files.

It seems on Windows 7 and above we should be having a really easy time with things based on what I have seen over the past few days, there is a combined patch going up this weekend that will update a fresh install from Interplay media up to 1.02 with screenshot fix, Komat's patches/wrapper and a replacement launcher which will allow for the configuration of options provided by Komat's wrapper.

Click to expand:

[teeth_03]

Instead of focusing on a DVD Kit, maybe we should come up with an option to install the game without the use of an optical drive, minus the need to grab the .dat file and movie files. Running the game with all movies on the HDD/SDD would be the best case scenario I think.

[John]

Instead of focusing on a DVD Kit, maybe we should come up with an option to install the game without the use of an optical drive, minus the need to grab the .dat file and movie files. Running the game with all movies on the HDD/SDD would be the best case scenario I think.

The new installer/dvd kit will run from anywhere and will have the option (probably default setting, its only 4gb afterall) to place all movies in the game directory.

First to go out will be the all in one patch for the original CD version, the launcher used in this will be going in the new installer. If I can do it without making the process over complicated I will do a small app that will build the installer/dvd kit automatically and just ask for each CD in order to copy the required files.

[DBF68]

I don't think it was so much bad practice on your part as much as it was me using the DVD Kit for an unintended purpose with unexpected consequences.

I think what you're doing and designing looks pretty slick John. Efficiency is definitely the name of the game. It should help a lot.

Btw teeth, in case you didn't get my recent email, are you hosting your KA TNG stuff and anything else you've got somewhere else? I took at look at your website after getting a 404 on the link that used to go all your KA stuff. The only thing I see you have now after backtracking through the directory is a 15MB file of KTships.

[John]

Now available - Klingon Academy Combined Patch - Test Release

gammersempai, if you have your original CD's handy give it a try.

Please post discussion for the combined patch here.

[gammersempai]

Reinstalled KA and ran the patch,it still can't seem to find CD-2 .
My DVD drive is letter D:
I've tried with the CD2 in the drive as well as the DVD.

(Avast REALLY didn't like your patch) Took me a while because I was uploading some Freelancer LP's to youtube, but I got it started and finally got the movie to play. Now it's looking for CD-2

Anything else?

Thanks for all the help, I remember when this game first came out I played the demo through, then rode my bicycle 3 miles to K-Mart at 3AM to buy it.

[John]

Did you fully remove your previous install attempts?