Compatability etc

kaygee46

New member
I have Trainz 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, TC etc etc all loaded on a PC running XP Pro and I want to load them onto a new PC running W7 Pro. Two questions - will there be any problem registering the installation on the new PC bearing in mind a purchaser of a second hand disk can't register it, and two, do I need to install every version, or will 2010 run the routes from the earlier versions. (I haven't got 2012 yet).

(Looking forward to the release of the Brisbane Valley Line by Kentith)
 
You are already registered, you won't have to do so again. 2010 should run everything you want, since it has compatibility mode.:)
 
2010 should run everything you want, since it has compatibility mode.
That is quite true up to a point. I have found that very highly detailed routes...you know, the kind I like...simply will not draw in Surveyor in 2010, and so they cannot be worked on, even though they were fine in 2006. I tried importing some of my more detailed routes into 2010 to work further on them, but had to give up. It seems to be a built in limitation of some kind.
 
Do you realise that if you load past build 44088 in TS10, you will lose compatibility mode?
This will have a serious affect the amount of older content you can use.
 
That is quite true up to a point. I have found that very highly detailed routes...you know, the kind I like...simply will not draw in Surveyor in 2010, and so they cannot be worked on, even though they were fine in 2006. I tried importing some of my more detailed routes into 2010 to work further on them, but had to give up. It seems to be a built in limitation of some kind.

The main reason for older routes not drawing in 2010 is due to faulty assets and assets with faulty dependencies, mostly tag errors and obsolete terminology in the config files. Once the errors are corrected the routes load and run just fine, frequently much better than 06. At least that has been my experience using compatibility mode.

tomurban
 
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Thanks for those warnings George and Jonathan, sometimes when you make a recommendation you forget important details.
 
Thanks for the replies. I've re-loaded TS2010 on the W7 PC but it needs a patch and the build is out of date. When I try to run the patch it fails saying a component of Trainz is open. Well, I had to open Trainz to run the patch download, so how can I patch it without opening any Trainz files. Does the patch update the build No? I remember having trouble installing this originally now.
 
Thanks for the replies. I've re-loaded TS2010 on the W7 PC but it needs a patch and the build is out of date. When I try to run the patch it fails saying a component of Trainz is open. Well, I had to open Trainz to run the patch download, so how can I patch it without opening any Trainz files. Does the patch update the build No? I remember having trouble installing this originally now.

You need to install the patch manually. Follow the instructions in Shane's link and you will have a successful patch. Best if you do not run the program prior to patching. Also be patient. Depending on your computer specs, patching process can take an hour or more.

tomurban
 
The main reason for older routes not drawing in 2010 is due to faulty assets and assets with faulty dependencies
So four faulty assets out of hundreds is enough to cause a route not to draw properly? I am not sure I buy that argument.
 
Actually, it can happen, depending on the nature of the fault.

If it is high-poly (high buffer count) tracks/splines for example, and said tracks/splines are used intensively on a route, it can cause whole baseboards to disappear.

Also, inefficient/faulty content can trigger the limiter, which will affect the draw distance.

Shane
 
To get back to the original post, I did the same thing but all I did was copy the working directories of each Trainz version I wanted to move to my Win 7 machine to an external hard drive and then copied them to the drive of the Win 7 machine after plugging the external drive to the new PC. I then just created a desktop shortcut for each version pointing to the trainz.exe file in each directory. Worked like a champ and no need to install and patch. The only thing you seem to lose by doing it like this is you have to manually point any new patches to TS12 to the TS12 directory. I have TRS2004, TRS2006, TC3, TS2009, TS10 and TS12 all running in this way.

William
 
If it is high-poly (high buffer count) tracks/splines for example
That is not a "faulty" asset, although it may be considered "inefficient" by some. It would seem N3V has "improved" performance by disallowing those items that might demand better performance from both the software and the hardware.
 
That is not a "faulty" asset, although it may be considered "inefficient" by some. It would seem N3V has "improved" performance by disallowing those items that might demand better performance from both the software and the hardware.


George: Are you sure your system is up to the task? Large detailed routes also require a lot of computer horsepower to run smoothly. Just trying to be helpful here.

tomurban
 
Not necessarily the latest and greatest, but not too shabby:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: DX58SO__
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz (8 CPUs)
Memory: 3316MB RAM
Page File: 403MB used, 4796MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 9800 GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0605&SUBSYS_C9813842&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1024.0 MB
Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8585 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/30/2009 22:02:00, 5896320 bytes
 
Not necessarily the latest and greatest, but not too shabby:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: DX58SO__
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz (8 CPUs)
Memory: 3316MB RAM
Page File: 403MB used, 4796MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 9800 GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0605&SUBSYS_C9813842&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1024.0 MB
Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8585 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/30/2009 22:02:00, 5896320 bytes

Your video drivers are ancient. You can update here

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp-260.99-whql-driver.html

It may help. tomurban
 
To get back to the original post, I did the same thing but all I did was copy the working directories of each Trainz version I wanted to move to my Win 7 machine to an external hard drive and then copied them to the drive of the Win 7 machine after plugging the external drive to the new PC. I then just created a desktop shortcut for each version pointing to the trainz.exe file in each directory. Worked like a champ and no need to install and patch. The only thing you seem to lose by doing it like this is you have to manually point any new patches to TS12 to the TS12 directory. I have TRS2004, TRS2006, TC3, TS2009, TS10 and TS12 all running in this way.

William
Thanks William. I had done something similar. I installed my old XP C: drive into my Windows 7 PC as a second drive with the option of dual booting, but if I tried running any of the Trainz programs residing on the old drive from the new C: drive it would fail with a message saying something along the lines of Trainz could not communicate with the computer, or maybe the other way around, and that's why I was asking about loading them all onto the new drive. To run any of the versions I had to boot into the old XP drive. When you said you had simply copied yours across and it worked I thought well, having them on a separate drive in the computer is no different so I had another look at it. Turns out all my XP installations were set to run under Open GL not Direct X and changing this fixed them all, so no new installations, no patching, no rebuilds - they all work. Thanks again William and to all who responded to my original query.
 
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