LotR:BfME noDVD 1.02 question

[kenmeller]

Bought game (DVD), arrived today.

Install on a Win2k setup which has CloneCD, Alcohol, etc.

Game objects to presence of CD/DVD emulation software.

Download and install official 1.02 patch and iND's 1.02 fixed file patch.

Game doesn't run - no error messages, warnings just a little HDD activity then zilch.

Repeat the whole process on 2nd HDD which boots into a minimal WinXP.

Game works fine - so all hardware is ok.

So why no go on the Win2k drive?

Does the noDVD patch remove sensitivity to blacklisted software? If so, what else could cause the problem?
If not, how can tell which software I need to disable and is there a quick way to do this eg. using task manager or do I have to uninstall such software?

As a matter of principle I object strongly to this copy protecction method.

I believe that by probing my machine EA have infinged my Human Rights to Privacy. There is no warning that my machine will be scanned on the packaging and once opened software cannot (under British/European Distance Selling regulations) be returned.

Someone aught to test this in court.

[DABhand]

You need latest service pack installed for 2000

[kenmeller]

I am using sp4.

[Joe Forster/STA]

What's the result with the official 1.02 update but without the no-CD patch for 1.02?

[kenmeller]

Hi Joe,

Using the officially updated game.dat, I get the the splash screen, the CD/DVD emulation software present warning, click ok and the game closes.

Using the noDVD version 1.02 game.dat, task manager gains an entry of lotrbfme.exe which disappears just over a second later - end of story.

Any ideas?

The hardware might be the same running under both Win2k and WinXP but there's a world of difference in the apps (and possibly drivers) installed in each partition.

Ken.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hi Ken,

What I wanted to aim at is that, perhaps, something is wrong with your Windows 2000 installation and the game wouldn't run on it anyway. You know, an application, a driver, a config setting, whatever... I suggest that you temporarily remove CloneCD - or only its registry entries, after backing them up; see relevant threads on this forum! - and try again with or without the 1.02 update, with the original CD and without a no-CD patch. Does that work?

Joe