TTDLX fails to quit

[Vernon Moorhouse]

Something that was been bugging me a while back and as I've just
downloaded the Iceland scenario to play has reared it's head again.
When I quit out of TTDLX, either by using Ctrl-X or the in game menu
command it closes the game screen but then just hangs on a black screen
twice. I then have to reboot the machine (twice as I am using a DOS boot
disc) to get back to a prompt.
I daren't run from a Windows DOS mode while it's doing this as I will
get the dreaded causality loop where it keeps booting back into the game
you are trying to get out of!
--
Vernon Moorhouse

Visit my Web site at http://www.moorhouse0.demon.co.uk/homepage.htm

[Sean Casey]

Vernon Moorhouse wrote in message ...

Something that was been bugging me a while back and as I've just
downloaded the Iceland scenario to play has reared it's head again.
When I quit out of TTDLX, either by using Ctrl-X or the in game menu
command it closes the game screen but then just hangs on a black screen
twice. I then have to reboot the machine (twice as I am using a DOS boot
disc) to get back to a prompt.
I daren't run from a Windows DOS mode while it's doing this as I will
get the dreaded causality loop where it keeps booting back into the game
you are trying to get out of!

I'm not familiar with this loop your talking about. When DOS games crash,
Windows usually survives long enough to be shut down properly.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Vernon Moorhouse <v...@moorhouse0.demon.co.uk> a écrit dans le message :
gnsevCAcLcj4E...@moorhouse0.demon.co.uk...

When I quit out of TTDLX, either by using Ctrl-X or the in game menu
command it closes the game screen but then just hangs on a black screen
twice. I then have to reboot the machine (twice as I am using a DOS boot
disc) to get back to a prompt.

I've the same problem on my old i486, which (automatically) reboots after
TTDlx, but it doesn't affect my iPII...

--
Rémi
Dear spammers, I'm thinking about what I'd do,
but at this time, my mailbox seems to have been deleted.

--
Vernon Moorhouse

[Mike Wagstaff]

On Tue, 25 Jan 2000 20:11:04 -0000, "Sean Casey" <G...@gcasey.FRúú$úRVú.co.uk> wrote:

I daren't run from a Windows DOS mode while it's doing this as I will
get the dreaded causality loop where it keeps booting back into the game
you are trying to get out of!

I'm not familiar with this loop your talking about. When DOS games crash,
Windows usually survives long enough to be shut down properly.

No, this happens when you leave the Windows GUI and enter the
dark and mysterious realm that is "DOS mode". It's a horrible
thing when it happens - when you restart in DOS mode, Windows
temporarily overwrites your startup files to tell the
computer not to load the GUI, but to load the DOS program
instead.

What's meant to happen is that when you quit your DOS
program, the original startup files get put back into place,
and your computer reboots as usual into Windows.
Unfortunately, just occasionally, Windows manages to
"lose" the original startup files... leaving your computer
continually booting into DOS mode.

Moral of the story? Make a backup of your startup files, and
make sure you know how to restore them from DOS.
Alternatively, don't use DOS mode!

-Mike [http://games.hplx.net]

[Mike Wagstaff]

On Wed, 26 Jan 2000 22:54:42 GMT, upl...@happynoweddie-ductape.net (Dan Ros) wrote:

Moral of the story? Make a backup of your startup files, and
make sure you know how to restore them from DOS.
Alternatively, don't use DOS mode!

Er.. or just type win, then modify msdos.sys.

Except that won't help recover your original autoexec.bat
and config.sys files. Unless this is another bug you're
talking about - the situation I've experienced is when
Windows manages to overwrite the autoexec.bat and config.sys
and then loses the originals, which causes the permanent DOS
mode loop.

-Mike [http://games.hplx.net]

[Chris Locke]

No-one has suggested anything, so heres my little tips.

Change the setup of Tycoon, so it doesn't play sounds or music.
Then run it in Windows. Does it run?

While Tycoon doesn't play sound, try it in DOS mode too.
It may be crashing, trying to release the sound card resources. Telling
Tycoon not to use sounds/music should cure this.

If this does cure this, then you'll have to send us your sound card details
to see if there is a problem here.
If this doesn't cure it, then .... well .... its something else.

Hope this (kinda) helps.

---
Chris

--
---
Chris

[Vernon Moorhouse]

The problem seems to be specifically TTDLX related as I can run other
DOS software (either with a boot disc or via a shortcut) and they return
to the DOS prompt or reboot to Windows desktop without incident. I
suppose the only way to find out is to examine the coding of the exit
routine and find out what it is trying to call - it can't be the CD as
it must read that for the game to run in the first place.

The only way I have found to get out of the Windows 'loop' is to go into
safe mode and remove/rename the executable of the programme concerned.
Then, on the next re-boot when Windoze tries to call the executable it
can't find it and defaults back to a normal start up. It's a pain in the
neck though.

Never mind, when Bill Gates persuades us to upgrade to Windows
Millennium as I understand there won't even be a DOS mode so goodbye to
all our old favourites.
--
Vernon Moorhouse

Web site at http://www.moorhouse0.demon.co.uk/homepage.htm

[Vernon Moorhouse]

In article <86p0dc$2j...@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk>, Chris Locke <chris@wibbl
e.wobble.locke.junglelink.co.uk> writes

No-one has suggested anything, so heres my little tips.

Change the setup of Tycoon, so it doesn't play sounds or music.
Then run it in Windows. Does it run?

While Tycoon doesn't play sound, try it in DOS mode too.
It may be crashing, trying to release the sound card resources. Telling
Tycoon not to use sounds/music should cure this.

If this does cure this, then you'll have to send us your sound card details
to see if there is a problem here.
If this doesn't cure it, then .... well .... its something else.

Hope this (kinda) helps.

---
Chris

In a Windows DOS box game loads and quits okay with and without
sound/music enabled. Music effects work but sound does not. (Known
problem).

Back in DOS with sound and music disabled the game still hangs on a
black screen after quitting.

Boot disc settings below, for what they're worth...

CONFIG.SYS

[MENU]

MENUITEM=NOEMS, CONFIGURE FOR NO EMS
MENUITEM=EMS, CONFIGURE FOR EMS MEMORY
MENUDEFAULT=NOEMS, 10

[NOEMS]
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=HIGH
DOS=UMB
BUFFERS=20
FILES=30
DEVICEHIGH=C:\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

[EMS]
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DOS=HIGH
DOS=UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001


AUTOEXEC.BAT

SET TMP=c:\windows\TEMP
SET TEMP=C:\windows\TEMP
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001
LH C:\WINDOWS\ASP4DOS.COM
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE
C:\
CLS

Normally use the NOEMS setting.

I'll persevere with rebooting but if anyone has a flash of genius I'll
buy you a pint.
--
Vernon Moorhouse

Visit my Web site at http://www.moorhouse0.demon.co.uk/homepage.htm

[Bill Hayles]

On Thu, 27 Jan 2000 01:35:52 +0000, Mike Wagstaff <a...@dial.pipex.com>
wrote:

Except that won't help recover your original autoexec.bat
and config.sys files. Unless this is another bug you're
talking about - the situation I've experienced is when
Windows manages to overwrite the autoexec.bat and config.sys
and then loses the originals, which causes the permanent DOS
mode loop.

Which is why you make sure you keep copies named something innocuous
which you can copy to CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT after booting from
your rescue disk.

You have got a rescue disk, I hope. If there's one thing that twenty
years playing with computers has taught me it is that the one time you
don't bother with backups or rescue disks is the one time you need them!


From Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
Bill Hayles
bill...@ctv.es

[Sean Casey]

Mike Wagstaff wrote in message
<197302473862246NEWS...@news.dial.pipex.com>...

On Tue, 25 Jan 2000 20:11:04 -0000, "Sean Casey"
G...@gcasey.FRúú$úRVú.co.uk> wrote:

[snipped]

Moral of the story? Make a backup of your startup files, and
make sure you know how to restore them from DOS.
Alternatively, don't use DOS mode!

-Mike [http://games.hplx.net]

Oh, that's OK.

I have various startup/backup disks and very *rarely* use DOS mode in
windows.

[Chris Locke]

Ok. Phase two of my 20 questions.

Has Tycoon ever worked? Maybe its just a combination of all your
peripherals and settings, etc.

Have you tried reinstalling it?
When you have the black screen after Tycoon exits, does the NumLock light
work? (this not working usually means the PC has completely died, rather
than it stuck in some sort of loop...)

You could try more drastic action - removing any network, modem and
soundcards - maybe one of them is causing an unknown problem...

---
Chris

[Vernon Moorhouse]

Ok. Phase two of my 20 questions.

Has Tycoon ever worked? Maybe its just a combination of all your
peripherals and settings, etc.

AFAIK on this PC, no. Then it is a Tiny 'PC from hell'....

Have you tried reinstalling it?
When you have the black screen after Tycoon exits, does the NumLock light
work? (this not working usually means the PC has completely died, rather
than it stuck in some sort of loop...)

I'll have to check that out. At the moment I'm on Cloud 9 with the
arrival of SL de Ikou 2 (steam driving sim) and Densha de Go
Professional (just about every type of train driving) from Japan for the
Playstation. Absolutely hellfire!!!

You could try more drastic action - removing any network, modem and
soundcards - maybe one of them is causing an unknown problem...

As I say I can work round it - I just wondered if anyone else in the

group had encountered similar problems.
--
Vern

Web site at http://www.moorhouse0.demon.co.uk/homepage.htm

[Rick McGreal]

Chris Locke <c...@wibble.wobble.locke.junglelink.co.uk> wrote in message
news:86qq1k$64j$2@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...

Has Tycoon ever worked? Maybe its just a combination of all your
peripherals and settings, etc.

One thing you can do is install TT FIRST after doing a formating of the HD
If it works then its one of the programs after that....

I had this problem on one of my other PCs......I can';t remember which
proggie it was that was buggering up the system ....But that cleared it
up...

Have you tried reinstalling it?

Or windows..(Bit drastic I know)

When you have the black screen after Tycoon exits, does the NumLock light
work? (this not working usually means the PC has completely died, rather
than it stuck in some sort of loop...)

Or try CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the windows box (If your in Win that
is.....)

You could try more drastic action - removing any network, modem and
soundcards - maybe one of them is causing an unknown problem...

OR VIRUS CHECKERS!!!!!!
Norton utilities is a bit of a pain with a lot of games....

--
Rick
--
tri...@transport-tycoon.co.uk
http://www.transport-tycoon.co.uk