Trainz and Windows 7

I've been away for a few days so I'm not sure if this has been discussed before. I couldn't find anything using the Forum search function but if it has been covered, my apologies.

I visited a web site that gave me a Trojan infestation on my older PC - a single core P3.2GHz with 2GB RAM and a 512MB video card. Good in it's day but outdated now and well below Vista standards. Rather than remove the Trojans I reformatted and installed the free beta of Windows 7, a 2GB download from the Microsoft site.

TRS2004 runs perfectly as does Download Helper.

The same with TRS2009. CM2 refused to function initially until I downloaded the Nvidia Win7 beta drivers. I suspect that CM2 needed the OpenGL included with the Nvidia drivers. CM2 then connected to the Download Station immediately and functioned perfectly.

Frame rates don't seem quite as good as in XP, but this might just be my perception because I haven't yet installed FRAPS. The graphics seemed crisper and the colors more saturated. But again this might be my perception.

There are two issues I've not been able to resolve:
In TrainzObjectz the open folder for an asset does not work as it should (this also happens in Vista); and
The auto patch update for TRS2009 failed (as it does with XP without SP3) - I really think Auran just must change the loader for this.

I am really impressed by Win7. It runs just fine on this below mid-range PC and all the applications that I use in XP and Vista work in it, apart from my TV card which even in XP and Vista is a real bummer to set up.

For those who migrate from Vista it will be an easy transition. The layout and feel is almost identical. From XP it will take a a while to learn some of the new "features".

I think it was a very shrewd move by Microsoft to release this free beta for all and sundry to play with, just like Auran did with the beta TRS2009. I'm sure many of those who try will end up buying.

Phil

I have also played with the 7 beta a bit, and like it very much. I do not have it installed on a Trainz machine though. I am looking forward to using it as my primary OS when it's mature.

I recently read (somewhere) that Windows 7 incorporates Microsoft's Virtual Machine technology to run older (e.g. XP) applications far better than Vista does - which is my only gripe with Vista - a few of my XP applications simply will not run on Vista.

The xp virtualization tech will be available for Windows 7 Professional and up, but it really isn't for games, the performance and capability just isn't there to run something so intense. It's mostly for business applications.

Philskene, are you running the Beta version (build 7000) or the Release Candidate that was just released on tuesday (build 7100)?

I'd assumed it was a beta that I downloaded from the MS site, but in the bottom right of the Win7 desktop it says:

"Evaluation Copy. Build 7100"

So I guess this makes it the Release Candidate, though I'm not sure what the difference is between a Release Candidate and a beta. To me they are both developmental versions so that bugs can be reported and, one would hope, rectified.

During bootup it says "Windows 7 Ultimate".

I just thought it was worthwhile reporting that Trainz will run on this new version of Windows.

Phil

philskene said:

I'd assumed it was a beta that I downloaded from the MS site, but in the bottom right of the Win7 desktop it says:

"Evaluation Copy. Build 7100"

So I guess this makes it the Release Candidate, though I'm not sure what the difference is between a Release Candidate and a beta. To me they are both developmental versions so that bugs can be reported and, one would hope, rectified.

During bootup it says "Windows 7 Ultimate".

I just thought it was worthwhile reporting that Trainz will run on this new version of Windows.

Phil

Click to expand...

Hi phil,

Just a quick FYI, there are at least four major stages in any software development process. First come the alpha builds. These are the starting point for the software and are hardly ever released to anyone except the original development team.

Next up, we have the Beta 1 build, which may be released to the general public for testing. The beta 1 build will act like a normal operating system and is designed for long term testing. This build is the equivalent of build 7000 of Windows 7. The beta 1 will contain a reasonably stable program core and some reasonably stable features. As more features are tested and more bugs are reported and fixed, the build number of the Beta 1 is incremented, so with windows 7 we had major builds leaked like 7057, 7062,7077, and 7100 (before it was announced as the RC). Beta 1 builds may also be given to hardware or software development companies for them to prepare new drivers or product updates. This is where the majority of software leaks come from.

The Beta 2 of the OS may be released shortly after the first Beta 1 and will run concurrently with the beta 1. It is generally a locked down version of the beta 1 that is designed for a select group of testers to perform limited and preselected tests, then the software sends the test results back to the parent company, and wipes itself off of the computer. The beta 2 build is also incremented, but due to it's short lived nature and the fact that all it's testers are tracked, the beta 2 builds are hardly ever leaked. BTW, Microsoft may have officially denied the release of the beta 2 of Windows 7, but it did happen, and it was only released to "select" Microsoft TechNet and MSDN subscribers.

When a sufficiently prepared build is made, and when the parent company decides to do so, a Release Candidate - Escrow build is launched, generally not to the general public. In Windows 7's case, the RC-Escrow build was Build 7077. The actual RC build is the build that the software company beleive is sufficiently ready to be sold if they wanted to. The RC build is normally launched to the general public or all testers to allow for sufficient testing to take place. In the case of windows 7, the RC had to be released to the general public for usability tests as no official version had been released to the public since the Beta 1 build. The RC will be tested for a relatively lengthy period of time to allow for major "show stopper" bugs to be removed and for usability to be tested thoroughly.

The final stage in software development is to release the software to the manufacturers, or RTM. The RTM build is the build that will be sold in the stores. The Manufacturers get first crack at it in case there are any major changes they need to make to thier hardware or software to make it compatible with the new software. Then the software is sent to the disc printers, and/or to the download servers and is released officially to the public for purchase.

Hope this helps,

I have just upgraded from Vista to the release version of Windows7. I too had to upgrade my ATI drivers to get opengl loaded. Trainz 2009 runs without problems but Trainz 2006 won't shut down. I have to wait 10 minutes or kill the app rather than quitting as selecting the quit button lock the screen reventing me from tabbing to another app.

I think Windows 7 SUCKS!! I still can't download anything and when I finally get it downloaded, I can't get it to appear in surveyor. I wanna go back to XP but its out dated. Btw, I'm not a computer guy, I just wanna play the game lol

Wyonate said:

I think Windows 7 SUCKS!! I still can't download anything and when I finally get it downloaded, I can't get it to appear in surveyor. I wanna go back to XP but its out dated. Btw, I'm not a computer guy, I just wanna play the game lol

Click to expand...

I doubt your problems are Windows 7 related. More likely, some sort of permissions OR the content is actually faulty and won't display because of that.

Bill

well i have been running windows 7 since bata and i have never had a single problem at all so it may be another issue

The key is that all versions of Trainz must Always be run as an administrator on Windows Vista and 7. N3V can try to develop Trainz to work around the permissions issue with Windows over Trainz's installation folder(s), but it always runs better when running as an administrator in the end.

I would like to get some tutorials and information on every thing that you need to know about running Trainz on Vista or 7 up some time soon. I will likely put it on the Trainz WikiBook.

Regards.

I am running Windows Seven 64 bit as well. And I haven't had any problems with Trainz 2010 and or 2009. And I never run them as Adminiostrator. I just installed them to disk D

Hello Retro,

That tutorial you are talking about would be greatly appreciated here. I haven't had any problems with Win 7, but it would be a welcome security blanket if I do.

Thanks in advance from me.

Bernie

Hey i dont how this happend butt i bought trainz 2009 and it didnt download?Anyone know what might have happend

Well I can't tell you what has happened but you haven't lost it. Go to the Auran - N3V site https://www.auran.com/planetauran/ log in and look at the menu on the left. Under 'Shop' you will see 'Order History' Your order will be there with a link to re-download it. Just remember where you save it.

thank you!my mom would she found out!