Groundhog Day

[Orange46]

In mid December, I got a blue screen of death. Nothing worked but a reinstall of Vista. Fortunately, i found RT3 in the Windows.old file and I dragged it into my new program file. The game worked, seemly as before. Fast foward to Saturday morning. I had just played the day before and I loaded up my Game file (where i save after every session) and start playing - but something isn't right- I was playinng in the diesel era and there are steam trains down there. So, i load a different save - Track (where i save before buidling) and it is in 1926, just like my game file. I go back to the menu and all of the minimaps look like the 1920's scenario. In my RT3 save game folder, I see that my latest file date is Dec 18. What happened to all of more more recent save overs? I also look at my new scenario, but it isn't in the map file, just an older testing name that's dated Dec 18, 2008. I know I resaved that in 2009 and started my last game using it long after Dec 18.

Next day, I made some changes to the scenario and then started a new game. Worked fine all day, but I can't find it in the RT3 maps or saved game file. Next day, I make a minor change to the file that I can load, and start another new scenario using the new map and it works all day (ok, 2 hours or less). Today, Jan 6, when on the menu screen I can see that all of my in game saves from yesterday are there, but I still can't find the files. Yesterday, I searched in vain for them and they're still not in the expected RT3 folder, but they are present in the game menu. Further, a new map file (!!.gmp created yesterday) is still available to load from the editor, but I can't find it in my maps folder, where the most recent map (Richard's Railroads.gmp) is dated Jan 4, 2009 and probably isn't the same version as the one I saved on Jan 5 but the Jan 5 version can be loaded from the editor!
Does anyone have any thoughts?

One further note - on the Dec versions of the game that came up the old in game lower left map window was present, while a week ago and today and yesterday I have the new map window with the zoom and rotate buttons. I didn't download any new versions of RT3 in Dec or January, although I did download and install the wonderful new cargo car skins. I took a screen shot, but mynewest screen shot is from early December. I must have an RT3 file someplace else, but where?

I just had another bright idea - I used the RT3 Application from the folder (where all my missing files are supposed to be) to start the game (I had been using the shortcut on the desktop), but that exe has yesterday's saves even though they're not in the gamesave files in that folder. So, my desktop shortcut seems to be linked to the Application exe file in my weird RT3 folder. I just right clicked on the desktop icon and that brought me to the same App that I just used. ???

[SRV Ron]

When faced with a hard crash either caused by malware, corrupted operating system, or hard drive failure, there is nothing like a Ghost backup to install everything back to normal in 35 minutes for 50G of of operating system, programs, and data complete with all of the patches and updates.

With the falling prices of portable hard drives, $89 for a 250G USB powered portable hard drive, backing up is easier then ever.

A note on using such drives for Ghost backup or similar software; Back up the supplied software on the drive and format that new drive to NTSF. Do a full format, may take 1-2 hours. Then, you don't have to worry about the 2G file size limit of FAT 32 when making the backup image. Don't forget to copy the supplied software back to the portable drive if you wish to use it.

[thegrindre]

That's good advise, SRV. Always fully format that external drive as to the same format as your system before you use it. (NTFS) And, it does take a long time to do it, btw.

[Orange46]

I finally found my files in VirtualStore. What is it? Is it temporary? Is that why my stuff keeps disappearing? Why is it going there? How do I change it so that my save games, save maps and screen shots go to the proper RT3 file? Does anyone have any ideas?

[Hawk]

Does anyone have any ideas?

Upgrade to Windows XP.

Seriously though, I wish I could help you but I'm staying away from Vista like the plague.

[Orange46]

Well, I just moved the VirtualStore files to the right place and now my saves for those file names seem to be going to the right place. But, will a Gremlin strike again in the future?

[JFMarvelous]

Hey Orange46, What is "Richard's Railroads"

[thegrindre]

I'm going to have to agree with Ed on this issue...

[AZ Rail Rat]

Upgrade to Mojave

[Hawk]

Ah yes! Mojave. The great hoax, and a failure at that.
Sad that so many people fell for that load of malarkey, at least according to the propaganda dished out by Uncle Bill and gang, but this article would seem to indicate otherwise.

http://windowssecrets.com/2009/01/08/02 ... /?n=story1

[Orange46]

Vista is a strange bug. RT3 1.06 worked on my nephews 64 bit laptop using Vista, so I got Vista for my 32 bit desktop. Ugh.

Richard's Railroads is my version of SMR for RT3. It's a modification of North America thru the Ages but playable in any era and runs for only 50 years (NAtA runs over 150 years), with lots of freight and limited money. So far, my favorite test started in 1959, but I didn't get to play the last 12 years due to the problem noted in this thread. The scenario really requires lot's of micromanaging of trains, so maybe its real title should be Dispatcher (also a 1950's AH game). But the new car graphics really makes the scenario, as you will be running many unit trains and they look great. The only problem I have is that it gets really hard if you start in the 20th century. I had no chance of any medal in the 1959 test game, but I was having too much fun running trains to care. (Actually, I came close to gold in 2 tests, but haven't yet achieved it in any test, but the real goal for this scenario is to force you to run trains like a dispatcher for 50 years. I should probably give the Gold to anyone who finishes while losing, and give a Rasberry to anyone who finishes in less than 50 years. OK, not a good idea. Now, I'm retrying 1879, the default start year, to see if the version I recivered still works - and so far it's running nicely.

[JFMarvelous]

Richard's Railroads is my version of SMR for RT3

So Orange46, Are you gonna share your version with the rest of us

[Orange46]

I'm like Sid - no user community involvement.

I don't normally give Betas to Hawk until I've finished testing, but I could make available the latest version (with some difficulty problems for starts after 1900) now that I've found where Vista hid it. (edit- I'm currently also testing allowing industries to be built, which currently aren't allowed, but might help the 20th century problem and hopefully not make the 19th century too easy. In the RT2 version of NAtA you could even purchase industries, but that made the RT3 version too easy.)

Hawk, do you want me to send this Beta to you, or just share it to those who PM me with an address.

[Hawk]

Since it's beta you can just PM it to folks that want it, or you could post it as an attachment in a post, as long as it's not over 9 MB.