 Serial Number Problem |
Tue, 05 September 2006 23:58  |
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 mjnagle |
 | Civilian |
Messages: 3
Registered: September 2006
Location: Hollywood | |
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Hi,
I recently dusted off my old Stars! 2.7 (Empire) disk, installed it on my hard drive, and updated it to 2.7JRC.
Problem is, although Stars! accepts my serial number, every subsequent time I start the game, it demands my serial number again.
By the way, the version doesn't seem to be a factor. It does the same for 2.7 and 2.7i.
I am running under Windows XP SP2. This never happened when I was running Windows 98SE.
Does anybody here know any way to fix this, or am I just going to have to always re-enter my serial number whenever I want to play Stars!?
Thanks in advance for any help.
[Updated on: Wed, 06 September 2006 00:04]
Why search for Artificial Intelligence when there is such a crying need for the Natural Kind? - Michael J. FlynnReport message to a moderator
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Wed, 06 September 2006 06:55  |
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Install Stars! using an administrator account for Windows XP. I run SP 2 with no problems.
After Stars! has been installed, you can go back to using the restricted user account when you are playing it and it will no longer ask for the serial number. Once you have Stars! installed, you would be wise to edit the Stars! .ini file in the Windows directory since, if you will be using a restricted user account when you play, you will no longer be able to edit the .ini file.
The most important item you want to add in the Stars.ini is under the Misc heading. you want to have NewReports=1 set. This provides you full information when dumping planet information to a report file. The entry should look like this:
[Misc]
NewReports=1
Ptolemy
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Wed, 06 September 2006 09:00 |
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As Kotk has mentioned, there are a few other things that get set in the Stars.ini file. However, once you have installed the game using an administrator account, simply start the game and get make your preferred layout settings. Also, it would be a good idea to set up your most common zip orders - I have one for moving populations. Zip orders are also stored in the stars.ini file.
Once you have done this, simply save and exit the game and all those settings will be automatically written to the Stars.ini file.
Ptolemy
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Wed, 06 September 2006 10:03 |
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| mjnagle |
| Civilian |
Messages: 3
Registered: September 2006
Location: Hollywood | |
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To Ptolemy and everybody else:
Thanks for the advice, but the problem does not seem to be due to an inability to write to stars.ini.
The account I am using to play Stars! already has full administrator rights.
For what it's worth, every time I start the game, stars.ini is updated, as shown by the timestamp on the file.
What's more, my recent games list DOES get updated when I start a new game, and stars.ini IS automatically modified by the game to indicate this.
Any other suggestions?
[Updated on: Wed, 06 September 2006 10:09]
Why search for Artificial Intelligence when there is such a crying need for the Natural Kind? - Michael J. FlynnReport message to a moderator
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Wed, 06 September 2006 11:58 |
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Definitely do as Prickly Pea suggests - play 40 turns in single player mode. If you start getting messages that your people are revolting and such, then you have a problem with your serial number OR how you have entered it.
As far as I know, all the serial numbers use only upper case letters. Make sure you enter it with upper case letters and not lower case.
Ptolemy
Though we often ask how and why, we must also do to get the answers to the questions.Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Wed, 06 September 2006 22:59 |
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| Quote: |
I can't imagine how this happened.
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Since a crack exists to generate serial numbers, it is possible you are unlucky.
Edit to add: Perhaps this raises an interesting legal issue. If Empire (or Microsoft or any other company) sold you software, you could prove having a valid license... and then this software wouldn't work claiming it was pirated... is Empire liable to fix the problem?
[Updated on: Thu, 07 September 2006 01:54] Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Fri, 08 September 2006 22:46 |
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| multilis wrote on Thu, 07 September 2006 14:59 |
Edit to add: Perhaps this raises an interesting legal issue. If Empire (or Microsoft or any other company) sold you software, you could prove having a valid license... and then this software wouldn't work claiming it was pirated... is Empire liable to fix the problem?
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Short answer: yes, but they'd probably go for the simpler option of giving you a replacement/refund.
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| Re: Serial Number Problem |
Sat, 09 September 2006 00:11 |
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I can't imagine how this happened. I have never played the game except in single-player mode and have never given away my Serial Number.
Is there any way to legitimately get a new Serial Number (preferably without charge)?. It seems that Empire doesn't even sell Stars! any longer, and crisium.com does not seem to exist.
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mjnagle: I have 2 serial numbers and I only use one. I was given the second serial number by a member of the Stars! community that stopped playing the game years ago. Since I don't need it, if you PM me, I will let you use it. I do have one condition:
You MUST NOT give it out to anyone else.
Regards,
Ptolemy
Though we often ask how and why, we must also do to get the answers to the questions.Report message to a moderator
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