My Game Company - Troubleshooting

The minimum requirements for each of our products are listed on the download page for that product. Click on the "Games" tab above, then click on the product you want. Somewhere on the product's page is a download link. Click on that link. The resulting page will contain the minimum system requirements for the product, as well as step-by-step instructions for downloading it.

In Windows, if you want to see if your machine qualifies, go to your desktop, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties. The System Properties window should appear, with the General tab selected by default. Listed in this tab are the operating system version, CPU, and RAM. Compare these properties to our minimum requirements to see if your machine meets the requirements.

Why do I get the error "Error reading setup initialization file"?

The most frequent cause of this problem is that an error occurred during download, and the install file has become corrupt. This happens almost exclusively on dialup connections. Any static on the line, a storm in the area, or any one of a dozen other factors can disrupt the transmission of the bits during download and corrupt the file. Try downloading the file again.

Also, make sure that the program is being installed by a user with write privileges to the Windows directory and the Windows\System directory. The installation program must have write access to these directories. If necessary, a system administrator who has the appropriate privileges may need to perform the installation.

Another cause of the problem might be old files in your Windows install directory. Search your hard drive for a file called "Fashion Cents 1.6.2.msi" or "Word Play 1.2.msi", or possibly any file with a MSI extension. (Be sure to select the option to "look in system folders".) This should direct you to the temporary directory that Microsoft installer is using. On our Windows 2000 machine, for example, the install directory is under "C:\WINNT\Downloaded Installations\", in a subdirectory denoted by curly braces. Windows XP should use "C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Temp". When you find the install directory on your machine, you should also see three INI files in that directory. These files should be safe to delete, however it may be safer to rename them. Rename all three INI files and the MSI file so they have a .OLD extension. For example, rename "setup.ini" to "setup.ini.old". The install program should work fine after that.

If you are still having problems, then visit the InstallShield Consumer Support site at http://consumer.installshield.com.

My antivirus program says your game has a virus or trojan! What's up with that?

Both Word Play and the original Fashion Cents game have an encryption layer wrapped around the executable that sometimes confuses antivirus programs. The games are virus-free, and have been certified as such by third-party sites like Softpedia, Clean Softs, and others. If you encounter this problem, please notify us so that we can contact the company that makes your antivirus software and work with them to solve the problem.

In the meantime, we recommend all of our Fashion Cents customers upgrade to Fashion Cents Deluxe. The Deluxe version, like all of our newer games, do not have this encryption layer (or any DRM), and therefore antivirus programs should not have a problem with it. All customers who purchased the original Fashion Cents game are entitled to a free upgrade for the Deluxe version. Once you verify that the trial version of Fashion Cents Deluxe runs on your computer and you want to upgrade, e-mail us and let us know. Be sure to provide your registration information (registration name and code, or a copy of your original receipt) so we can verify it in our customer database.

Why am I having errors when I try to install your program?

Installation errors are usually system-related, and everyone's system is different. We recommend you visit the InstallShield Consumer Support site at http://consumer.installshield.com.

How do I install add-on packs?

We publish add-on packs for both Fashion Cents and Word Play. Add-on packs are installed just like any of our other products. The one catch with an add-on pack is that it must be installed into the same directory as the basic product, otherwise the game won't detect the new graphics and music.

Also, add-on packs will only work with a registered version of the game. You must register (purchase) the game in order to use an add-on pack.

How do I uninstall a product or an add-on pack?

In Windows, open the Start Menu, click on Settings, then click on Control Panel. From the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs. Locate the product in the list and remove it.

I installed an add-on pack, but the game isn't using it. Why?

The add-on pack must be installed into the same directory as the basic product, otherwise the game won't detect the new graphics and music. Also, add-on packs will only work with a registered version of the game. You must register (purchase) the game in order to use an add-on pack.

Why does the game run so slow?

The most frequent cause of this problem is that the machine is does not meet the minimum system requirements for the game. Refer to the question above.

If the game does meet the minimum system requirements, but the game still runs slow, then check to see that your video hardware is configured properly.

Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel, then click on Display
Go to the Settings tab, click on the Advanced button
Go to the Troubleshooting tab
Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to Full
Click Ok

If your hardware acceleration was set too low, Windows might have disabled DirectX for DirectDraw and Direct3D. Ensure that DirectX is enabled for DirectDraw and Direct3D by performing the following steps:

To start the DirectX configuration utility, go to Start->Run, then type dxdiag.exe
Select the Display tab.
Ensure that both DirectDraw Acceleration and Direct3D Acceleration are Enabled; if they aren't, click Enable.
Click Exit.

Another thing you can check is to make sure you are running with the latest service pack for your version of Windows. For example, Windows 2000 has a problem with DirectDraw vertex buffer callbacks not succeeding, which prevents video drivers from using the full features of DirectX. This causes slower performance in programs that use DirectX. However, obtaining the latest service pack for Windows 2000 will solve this problem.

Go to Start->Windows Update
Follow the onscreen instructions to connect to the internet and download the latest service packs and critical updates for your system

You should also update your video driver to ensure you are running with the latest version. You can do this through the Windows Update feature of your operating system (usually found under the Start menu). You can also do this by checking the video card manufacturer's web site.

If none of the above actions helps, then there may a problem with DirectX or a DirectX-related setting that needs to be changed. Click here to go to the Microsoft DirectX Support Center.

Why don't I have any sound?

First, check the volume settings on your computer. You should check both the Windows volume setting, as well as the volume setting on your speakers (if any). Also, check to see that playback has not been muted.

If the volume levels are ok and the sound has not been muted, then check the sound setting in the game. When playing the game, there should be a sound button on the display somewhere (looks like a little speaker). Make sure the game sound is turned on.

If the game sound is turned on, then there may be a problem with DirectX or a DirectX-related setting that needs to be changed. Click here to go to the Microsoft DirectX Support Center.

Why is the picture black, distorted, or otherwise messed up?

Some users who have DirectX 9.0 have experienced graphics problems with not only our game but others too. Try updating to the latest version of DirectX (which as of March 20, 2004) is DirectX 9.0b. You can download it from Microsoft by clicking here.

If that doesn't work, then there may be a problem with your video driver. You should update your video driver to ensure you are running with the latest version. You can do this through the Windows Update feature of your operating system (usually found under the Start menu). You can also do this by checking the video card manufacturer's web site.

If that doesn't help, then check your color setting. Our games support 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit color settings. For some reason, the setting we most frequently have problems with is the 16-bit setting. If your current setting is causing problems, try another setting. You can do this by going to the Control Panel and selecting Display. Go to the Settings tab and change the Colors setting to one of the other settings that we support.

If this doesn't work, then there may be a problem with DirectX or a DirectX-related setting that needs to be changed. Click here to go to the Microsoft DirectX Support Center.

My game used to run fine, but now it locks up. What happened?

Our games run in Full Screen mode, by default. But there is an option in each game that users can select to run in Windowed mode. Sometimes, someone will click this option accidentally or out of curiosity, not knowing what it does.

Most of the time, this isn't a problem. The game simply switches into Windowed mode, and runs fine. However, if your desktop resolution is set to 800x600 or smaller, then Microsoft Windows doesn't provide the right mouse coordinates to our game, and the game appears to be locked up. The reason for this is that when our games run in Windowed mode, our game windows are slightly larger than 800x600 (because of the added title bar and window frame), and in that situation, there is a bug in Windows that causes our game to get wrong mouse coordinates. We reported it to Microsoft, but to our knowledge, it has never been fixed.

The easiest way to correct the problem is to just change your desktop resolution to something higher than 800x600 (say, 1024x768).

However, we realize that some people like 800x600 and don't want to change their desktop settings. In that case, you should temporarily increase your desktop resolution, rerun the game, put the game back into Full Screen mode, exit the game, and then change your desktop resolution back to its original setting.

Why do I get the error "Could not create DirectDraw Object"?

The game had a problem initializing the DirectX video. See previous question.

Why do I get the error "Could not create primary surface"?

This could be a memory problem, if your computer doesn't meet the minimum system requirements of the game. Refer to the first question at the top of this page.

If your system has sufficient memory, then there may be a problem with your video driver. You should update your video driver to ensure you are running with the latest version. You can do this through the Windows Update feature of your operating system (usually found under the Start menu). You can also do this by checking the video card manufacturer's web site.

If the game does meet the minimum system requirements, then there may be a problem with DirectX or a DirectX-related setting that needs to be changed. Click here to go to the Microsoft DirectX Support Center.

Why do I get the error "Could not create secondary surface"?

See previous question.

Why do I get the error "Failed to create surface for bitmap"?

See previous question.

Why do I get the error "Failed to set up clipper"?

See previous question.

Why do I get the error "Could not initialize DirectSound"?

Check to see if there is some other program running that is using your system's audio. Some programs that may cause this problem are CD players, jukebox programs, RealPlayer, or Windows Media Player.

If there are no other programs running, then there may be a problem with DirectX or a DirectX-related setting that needs to be changed. Click here to go to the Microsoft DirectX Support Center.

Why do I get the error "Could not load <sound filename>.wav"?

This could be a memory problem, if your computer doesn't meet the minimum system requirements of the game. Refer to the first question at the top of this page.

Why do I get the error "Failed to render item"?

Several customers have reported this problem in the past. The problem has been fixed in the current versions of our programs. Visit the Products page to download the latest version of the game.