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Troubleshooting FAQ

Are there any patches or updates to Zillions of Games?

The latest version is Zillions of Games 2.0.1, which was released in May 2003. You can upgrade from Zillions of Games 2.0 with a free patch.

You can upgrade from any version of Zillions of Games 1.x to version 1.3.1 with a free patch from here. Upgrading to Zillions of Games 2.0 is a paid upgrade.

When I try to install Zillions, the installer won't get past the "Destination Folder" screen. Clicking the "Next" button has no effect.

Solution:

The installer may fail like this if you don't have enough free space on your hard disk. Try deleting some files and starting the installer again.

When I run the installer I get an error call "Isset_se: An error has occurred in your program. etc..." and the program terminates.

Solution:

Try turning off virus checking, which may affect installations in general. (In this case, disabling the Norton virus checker did the trick.)

If all else fails, instructions for a manual install are here.

The installation of DirectX can't complete because it runs out of space.

Solution:

DirectX is cool and useful to have, so we do recommend that you free up enough space on your hard-disk to allow the installation of DirectX. The space requirements for the installation of DirectX are high, much more than DirectX will take up on your hard-disk after installation. The Microsoft DirectX support site says,

Approximately 55 megabytes (MB) of available space for installation. Once installed, you can delete the installation files. The remaining DirectX files use approximately 15 MB of hard drive space. If you had an earlier version of DirectX installed on your computer, you will see little difference in used space on your hard drive. DirectX 8.1 will overwrite the earlier versions.

I downloaded the DirectX from Microsoft, but I get the message:

"Extracting file failed. It is most likely caused by low memory
(low disc space for swapping file) or corrupted Cabinet file."

when I run it.

Assuming you really do have enough space, the problem really is corruption. Corruption can occur if there was a communication error while you were downloading or the download didn't complete properly. There's nothing to do but re-download the file from Microsoft and try again.

Can DirectX be uninstalled?

No, because Microsoft considers DirectX part of the operating system. In fact, if you've bought a machine in the last few years, you'll have DirectX pre-installed. From the Microsoft DirectX FAQ:

DirectX 8.1 is a system component and cannot be uninstalled. If there is a problem with the DirectX installation, it can normally be resolved by shutting down all running applications and reinstalling. As mentioned previously, DirectX 8.1 is fully backward-compatible with titles written for previous versions of DirectX. If you are having other problems after installing DirectX 8.1, these can often be resolved by installing updated drivers for your display card, audio card, or input device.

I get a message like one of these:

"You have some old Windows files and need to install Zillions before you can run it."
"You have an old version of system file Zillions needs (COMCTL32.DLL)..."

when I start Zillions under Windows98.

Solution:

You don't have a recent enough version of the necessary system file COMCTL32.DLL. COMCTL32.DLL implements the Windows Common Controls. You can download the latest COMCTL32 install now from this Microsoft web page. Either "401comupd.exe (x86)" (which installs version 4.72) or "50comupd.exe (x86)" (which installs version 5.80) will work.

PLAYING OVER THE INTERNET

I get the message:

"Net-play: Failed initializing IDirectPlay8Peer"

when I try to access "Join/Host Session" from the Net menu.

Solution:

You don't have DirectX 8 or higher installed, which is required for net-play. DirectX is is a set of core gaming technologies that are part of Windows. DirectX 8.1 is available on the Zillions CD-ROM and the latest version can also be downloaded for free from Microsoft's site.

I don't see Zillions in my "I want to..." list in MSN/Windows Messenger.

Possible Solution #1:

You need to have run Zillions of Games at least once prior on the computer to register itself with the system as a DirectPlay 8 application.

Possible Solution #2:

"Start Zillions of Games..." may appear as a choice in the Actions menu. Use it from there instead and next time it may appear in the "I want to..." section as well.

Possible Solution #3:

Click on "More" at the bottom of the "I want to..." list to see other choices.

I have problems with Net-Play!

Possible Solution #1:

Maybe you need to use a newer version of DirectX, which Zillions uses to communicate during net-play. DirectX is a set of Microsoft technologies dealing with games and multimedia. Zillions' net-play will not work unless DirectX 8 or later is installed on your machine.

The CD-ROM includes an installer for DirectX 8.1. The latest release of DirectX is always available on the web from Microsoft's Windows download page. So you can check for newer versions as they become available. For more information on DirectX, visit the DirectX User Guide Area on Microsoft's DirectX site.

Possible Solution #2:

Firewalls, NATs (including many routers), and Proxies can interfere with net-play by blocking ports or hiding IP addresses needed for communication. Products from different vendors may be more or less compatible with the peer-to-peer DirectPlay protocol that Zillions uses.

Firewalls can often be turned off temporarily. If you need to be using a firewall while running Zillions and your firewall blocks ports, make sure that at least port 2302 is left unblocked.

In Zillions one person hosts a gaming session while another player joins. A good rule of thumb is that the player behind a firewall or NAT should be joining the game rather than hosting it.

More detailed advice can be found in the Zillions documentation (Help Topics under the Help menu) under Playing Over a Network - Common Net-Play Problems

Didn't find the answer to your question? Email your question to Zillions Development.