MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a game developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. There are two expansion packs for the game. The first expansion is MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, which was released on October 31, 2001. The second is the stand alone expansion MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, which was released on November 7, 2002.

Availability

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Boxed versions of MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, Black Knight and Mercenaries are out of print.

Issues And Fixes

These solutions are taken from the old Xplosiv site, who published the budget boxset of MechWarrior 4: Vengeance and Black Knight, and a separate budget release for Mercenaries. Many of the fixes were originally for Windows XP or lower, but they can still help when trying to fix the game on a modern computer. The default install location of the games is in:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\

Many problems with the game on Windows Vista/7 can be fixed by installing outside of the Program Files folder. For example, you could install the game in:

C:\Games\

When you try to start MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, or MechWarrior 4: Vengeance on your computer for the first time, your computer may stop responding (hang)

Step 1: Start Autoconfig Utility

1. Quit MechWarrior 4.
2. To open the Autoconfig utility, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to the MechWarrior title that you have installed, and then click Autoconfig.
3. Click Continue.
4. Start MechWarrior as usual.

If restarting Autoconfig utility does not resolve the issue, continue to step 2. Step 2: Disable the Autoconfig Utility from Starting Up To disable the Autoconfig utility, add a parameter to the game shortcut. To manually add a parameter to the game shortcut, follow these steps:

1. Insert the game CD in the CD-ROM drive. Press and hold the SHIFT key as you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically.
2. Right-click Start, and then click Open or Open All Users.
3. Double-click the Programs folder.
4. Double-click the Microsoft Games folder.
5. Double-click the Game folder.
6. Right-click the game shortcut icon, and then click Properties.
7. On the Shortcut tab, in the Target box, press END, press SPACEBAR, and then type the parameter for your version of the game (where drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which MechWarrior 4 is installed):

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior Vengeance\autoconfig.exe -noautoconfig

MechWarrior 4: Black Knight:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior Vengeance\Mw4.exe -noautoconfigx

MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Mechwarrior Mercenaries\Mw4mercs.exe – noautoconfig

8. Click Apply, and then click OK.
9. Start MechWarrior 4 as usual.

Access Violation in MW4 0x72446 Mw4.exe

To resolve this issue, use the following methods, as necessary, in the order presented.

Method 1: Install Microsoft Libraries Update from here.

If this does not resolve the issue, proceed to the Method 2.

Method 2: Reinstall DirectX.

Computer Stops Responding When You Start MechWarrior 4

To resolve this issue, restart your computer with a diagnostic startup, or disable the default Windows XP service. To do this, follow these steps: Restart Computer with Diagnostic Startup Restart your computer by using a diagnostic startup. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. Click Diagnostic startup, click Apply, and then click OK.

When prompted, restart your computer. Disable the Default Wireless Zero Configuration To disable the default Wireless Zero Configuration, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network Connections.
3. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
4. Click to clear the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box, and then click OK.

Troubleshoot with Msconfig

1. General tab, and then click Launch System Restore. You can then create a restore point in which you can use to restore your computer to a previous state.

To prevent individual items or lines of a specific configuration file from loading when you restart your computer, click the tab for that particular configuration file (for example, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, BOOT.INI), and then click to clear the check box for the individual line or item that you do not want to load. Check boxes that appear dimmed and are unavailable in the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI tabs indicate that the lines are temporarily removed by the System Configuration Utility.

To change the currently active line or item, click a different line or item, or click Move Up or Move Down to move between items.
To create a new entry in any of the configuration files, click New.
To edit a line that is currently selected, click the Edit.NOTE: When you click to clear a check box for an item or a line, the Selective Startup option (in the General tab) is automatically selected.

After you make the selections that you want, click OK, and then restart the computer when you are prompted to initiate the changes.

To extract individual Windows files directly from the cabinet files, click the General tab, and then click Expand File.

To ensure that all the configuration files and all the items that are listed in those files load when you restart your computer, click the General tab, and then click Normal startup.

MechWarrior 4 Known Video Issues.

The following video issues are known to occur with MechWarrior 4. Most video issues can be resolved by updating to the latest video card drivers. Game Difficulties After You Change Screen Resolution

1. In MechWarrior 4: , click Options on the main menu,
2. Click the Video tab, and then set screen resolution in the screen resolution list.

Note that you may be able to set options that your video card does not support. If you experience game difficulties after you change your resolution on the Options screen, use Autoconfig.exe to reset your screen resolution:

1. In the folder where the game is installed, double-click Autoconfig_.exe, By default this file is located in:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Mechwarrior Mercenaries

or

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Mechwarrior Vengenance

2. Click Advanced, and then select the appropriate screen resolution from the resolution list box. Try 640 x 480 x 16.

Do Not Change Screen Resolution During Setup If you change the screen resolution while you are running MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries Setup, the installation screen is not fully visible. To avoid this problem, do not change the screen resolution while Setup installs the game.

Fonts Are Hard to Read When Graphic Detail Is Set to Low If your computer is running Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition and the computer defaults to 640 x 480 screen resolution, change your resolution in the game to 800 x 600 to be able to read fonts properly.

Heads-Up Display (HUD) Font Seems Too Large By default, the text fonts in the HUD are set to be large and legible, but this setting can cause them to bleed past the margins in some screen resolutions. To make your font size smaller, in the folder where the MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries is installed double-click Autoconfig_Mercs.exe, click Advanced, click HUD Font Size, and then select a smaller size from the list.

Number Nine SR-9 Pro Video Card

You might experience periodic instability with the game, or the game may stop responding ("hang"). If you experience problems with a Number Nine card, Microsoft recommends that you upgrade your card.

ATI Video Cards

ATI All-in-Wonder 128 Pro

When 32-bit color is enabled for this card, graphic instability might occur in the game. To fix this problem, download and install the latest drivers from the following ATI Web site:http://www.ati.com/ ATI RADEON 7000 or 7500: If your system uses either of these video adapters, runs Windows Millennium Edition, and has game screen resolution set to 640 x 480 or 1600 x 1200, the system may stop responding when you start to play the MechWarrier 4: Mercenaries. This problem occurs with both the retail and latest drivers. To fix this problem, use Autoconfig.exe to reset your screen resolution: 1. In the folder where the game is installed, double-click Autoconfig_Mercs.exe.

By default, this is:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Mechwarrior Mercenaries

2. Click Advanced, and then select a screen resolution other than 640 x 480 or 1600 x 1200.

ATI Rage II+ If your system uses this video adapter, slight texture corruption might occur in the game. To fix this problem, download and install the latest drivers from the following ATI Web site: http://www.ati.com/

ATI Rage Pro Turbo If your system uses this video adapter, some graphics irregularities might occur in the game. To fix this problem, download and install the “Special Released” drivers from ATI: http://www.ati.com/

ATI Xpert 128 If your system uses this video adapter, texture corruption might occur in the game. To fix this problem, download and install the latest drivers from ATI:http://www.ati.com/.

nVidia Video Cards

GeForce 256

When you attempt to launch certain missions while in 1600 x 1200 x 32 resolution, your computer might restart. If you have this problem, turn off 1600 x 1200 x 32 resolution bit depth.

TNT and GeForce Cards If you run MechWarrior 4: Black Knight on a system with a GeForce or TNT video adapter and an ASUS motherboard, the game may periodically stop responding or quit. If you have this problem, contact your manufacturer for driver updates. Creative Blaster Riva TNT

If your system uses the latest reference drivers for this video adapter from NVIDIA (version 6.31), the system stops responding when you run the game. Contact the hardware manufacturer for updated drivers: http://www.creative.com/

Also, lowering your AGP aperture size might help. For more information on doing so, contact the hardware manufacturer.

Via Chipsets

Stability issues might occur with Via motherboard chipsets if you are not using the latest drivers. For example, the game may stop responding when a single game screen (such as the Star Systems or Orbital View screen) is displayed for several minutes. To fix these issues, download and install the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard from http://www.viatech.com/. In addition, flash-upgrade your computer’s basic input/output system (BIOS). For instructions on how to do this, contact Via or the manufacturer of your motherboard.

AMD Athlon/Duron Processors

If your system experiences instability when you run MechWarrior 4, and you are using the AMD Athlon or Duron processors, download and install the latest AMD processor utilities from the following AMD Web sites: http://www.amd.com/support/software.html or http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon-duron/amd_win2k_patch.html

3DFX Voodoo 5 5500

Some operating systems have problems displaying the mouse cursor and other pictures on systems using this video adapter. The original manufacturer of the Voodoo 5 5500 video card, 3dfx, has gone out of business. No driver updates are available for 3dfx cards. Contact your hardware manufacturer for any updated drivers.

NOTE: More information on specific video adapter issues is available in the Readme.rtf file in the game's installation folder. For MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries the default location is

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Mechwarrior Mercenaries

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Autoconfig Utility Resets to Default Settings

The changes that you make in the MechWarrior Autoconfig utility, affect the game when you start it.

EXCEPTION Stack Overflow, Cdac14na.dll or Dialog_500X450.tga File Not Found

To resolve this issue, follow these steps. Step 1: Remove All MechWarrior 4.0 Programs and MechWarrior Mech Paks To remove these programs:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click your MechWarrior product, and then click Add/Remove or Change/Remove.
4. Click Uninstall.
5. Click to check the Remove saved games files check box.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen to remove the game.
7. Repeat steps 1-4 to remove the remaining MechWarrior products.

Step 2: Delete the MechWarrior Folders To delete the MechWarrior folders:

1. Click Start, and then click Find or Search. Note If you are using Microsoft Windows 98, click Files or Folders, and if you are using Microsoft Windows XP, click All files and folders.
2. In the Named box or the All or part of the file name box, type MechWarrior.
3. In the Look in box, click My Computer.
4. Make sure that the Include subfolders check box is selected.
5. Click Find Now or Search.
6. Right-click the MechWarrior folder, click Delete, and then click Yes.
7. Close all the windows.

Step 3: Clean Boot the Computer To clean boot your computer, use the appropriate method for your version of Windows:

Step 4: Install MechWarrior 4

1. Insert the MechWarrior CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then follow the Setup Wizard instructions on your screen. If the Setup Wizard does not appear, complete steps 2 and 3. If the Setup Wizard appears, skip to step 4.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. Type drive:setup, where drive is the drive letter of your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
4. Click Install, click Next, and then click Change.
5. In the Path box, delete the existing path, and then type:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior 4

where drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which you want to install MechWarrior.

6. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive a prompt to create the folder.
7. Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen to reinstall MechWarrior Vengeance.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 to install other MechWarrior programs or Mech Paks.

STOP: Cannot Create Options.ini or STOP: This is isn't a database.

To resolve this issue, run the Autoconfig configuration utility before you start the game:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the following line, and then click OK

drive:\program files\microsoft games\mechwarrior vengeance\autoconfig.exe

where drive is the letter of the hard disk on which MechWarrior 4 is installed.

3. Click Continue.
4. Restart MechWarrior 4.

If the problem continues to occur, remove and then reinstall the game. To do this, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented. Uninstall MechWarrior 4 To uninstall MechWarrior 4:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Microsoft MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, and then click Add/Remove or Change/Remove.
4. Click Uninstall.
5. Click Remove saved games files.
6. Click OK.
7. Follow the instructions on the screen to uninstall MechWarrior 4.

Delete the MechWarrior Vengeance Folder To delete the MechWarrior Vengeance folder:

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type MechWarrior Vengeance.
3. In the Look in box, click My Computer.
4. Make sure that the Include subfolders check box is selected.
5. Click Find Now.
6. Right-click the MechWarrior Vengeance folder, click Delete, and then click Yes.
7. Close the Find: Files Named MechWarrior Vengeance window.

Clean Boot the Computer To clean boot the computer, use the appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows:

Install MechWarrior 4 into a New Folder

1. Insert the MechWarrior compact disc into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then follow the Setup Wizard instructions on your screen. If the Setup Wizard does not appear, complete steps 2 and 3 below. Otherwise, skip to step 4.
2. Click Start, click Run, and then type :setup, where is the drive letter of your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
3. Click Install, click Next, and then click Change.
4. In the Path box, delete the existing path, and then type the following line:

:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior 4

where is the drive letter of the hard disk on which you want to install MechWarrior Vegeance.

5. Click OK. When you are prompted to create the folder, click Yes.
6. Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen to reinstall MechWarrior Vengeance.
7. Restart if prompted.

Stop: Failed (Dderr_CannotAttachSurface)

Install the latest drivers for your graphics card.

The game installs, I go to launch it, the video plays then a black windowed area appears and the game seems to freeze?

Sometimes the game requires 2 - 3 minutes to set up and load correctly but if this time is exceeded then you can try the following.

To manually add GOS switches to the command line in the game shortcut, follow these steps:

Insert the game CD in the CD-ROM drive.
Press and hold the SHIFT key as you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically.
Right-click Start, and then click Open or Open All Users.
Double-click the Programs folder.
Double-click the Microsoft Games folder.
Double-click the game folder.
Right-click the game shortcut icon, and then click Properties. On the Shortcut tab, in the Target box, press END, press SPACEBAR, and then type the GOS switch that you want to use. If you want to use an additional GOS switch, press SPACEBAR, and then type the next parameter.

For example, to add the GOS switch to , type:

"drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior Mercenaries\MW4.exe" /gosnovideo

Or

"drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MechWarrior Mercenaries\MW4.exe" /gosnosound

Note GOS Switches are not case sensitive.

Click Apply then ok.

If the /gosNoSound switch resolved the issue, then the issue will lie with the Sound card Driver or the Sound Harware Acceleration or a codec driver.

If the /gosNoVideo switch resolved the issue, then the issue will lie with the Video card Driver or a codec driver.

The following table lists the GOS switches you can use to start MechWarrior 4.

Parameter Description

gosUseHW Overrides all checks and forces the use of 3-D acceleration.
gosNoDialogs All PAUSE dialog boxes will run automatically but will never be displayed.
gosNoJoystick Disables joystick enumeration and use.
gosNoForceFeedback Disables force feedback joysticks from using forces. You can still use them as joysticks.
gosNoMemory Disables the GameOS memory manager.
gosNoBlade Disables the Blade software rasterizer and uses the D3D RGB rasterizer instead.
gosCheckMemory Checks for memory overwrites/reads on all allocated memory blocks.
gosAllSymbols All modules loaded with MechWarrior 4 will have their .PDBs loaded and will display symbols in any stack walks.
gosInfo "fred.txt" Writes machine information to the Fred.txt file and exits without doing anything else.
gosInfo On its own writes to the debuglog.txt file.

System Requirements

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General Information

External Links

MekTek Development

MekTek Studios