Problem with The Sims 2 Pets

[dfrog]

I have the same problem as 'Nisselina' (posted yesterday), here are my answers to your questions >
Please answer these questions when posting about issues:

1. What version of Game Jackal are you running?
V2.9.18.590 Trial Version – I want this to work so that I can buy full version
2. What Operating system are you using? 64 bit? service pack?
WINXP Home SP2
3. If you have virtual drives, disable them while profiling and playing profiles.
All uninstalled
4. Remove packet writing software from your system (including Roxio's Directcd, Nero's Incd, Roxio/Sonic's DragtoDisc, Drive Letter Access, CyberLink InstantBurn, etc.)
None installed
5. What protection does your game use? Don't know? Find out before posting about issues (and include that information)! Use Protection ID. It's a free program. Use ProtectionID and scan your HD directory where the game is installed (right click the icon on your toolbar, and select "scan files/folders"). Or just scan the main program .exe(s) that you find in the game directory on your hard drive. Provide the protection name and the version number.
Scanning -> C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Pets\TSBin\Sims2EP4.exe
File Type : Exe, Size : 17565619 (010C07B3h) Bytes
-> File has 1210291 (01277B3h) bytes of appended data starting at offset 0F99000h
[!] Safedisc 4.60.000 detected !
[!] protection level: Safedisc API
[!] Possible CD/DVD-Key or Serial Check -> serial number
- Scan Took : 3.688 Seconds
6. What is the name of the game you're trying to run?
The Sims 2 Pets
7. What is the version of the game?
Expansion Pack
8. Is it cd or dvd version?
DVD
9. What region or country is the original disc from?
UK
10. What cpu are you running?
AMD Athlon XP2400
11. What optical drives (dvd-rom,cd-rom, burners) are you using to create profiles with?
LITE ON DVDRW SHW 16H5S
What firmware version is installed on your reader?
LSOW – 5&289D00C9&0&0.1.0
12. What security software (firewall, antivirus) are you using? Please provide version numbers.
Avast V 4.7 Home Edition Comodo Firewall V 2.4.16.174
13. Describe your problem, provide full error messages, and please state clearly what you were doing when you received those error messages.
Have created The Sims 2 Pets profile in GJ and game plays perfectly without using DVD, UNTIL Windows is closed, when Windows is re opened then I select Sims 2 Pets icon in GJ or from Desktop I get >> “Please ensure The Sims 2 Pets disc is in the drive” – “Please insert The Sims 2 Pets disc and select OK to retry”
14. You should have two log files in your Game Jackal directory. The first is called. Proc Monitor.log, and the second is called Profile.log (do not post the Profiler.log file... notice the "r" at the end). Copy and past the information into your next post. Here is one way to do it: [script]text of the log file[/script]
Game Jackal log file - Proc Monitor
Log date - 23/09/2007 23:28:05

***********************************************
[23/09/2007 23:28:05] Monitoring process ID 2896
[23/09/2007 23:28:06] Process ID 2896 was not found, debouncing...
[23/09/2007 23:28:06] Process ID 0 still was not found, searching for another process...
[23/09/2007 23:28:06] Process ID 0 was still not found, leaving...
[23/09/2007 23:28:06] Process method used, monitored Sims2EP4.exe

Game Jackal log file - Profile
Log date - 23/09/2007 23:27:54

***********************************************
[23/09/2007 23:27:54] Profile - The Sims 2 Pets
[23/09/2007 23:27:54] Profile mode: 2
[23/09/2007 23:27:54] Profile CP: 2
[23/09/2007 23:27:54] Driver mode: 47732
[23/09/2007 23:27:55] Process will not be created in a suspended state.
[23/09/2007 23:27:55] Process created successfully
[23/09/2007 23:27:55] MaplomH.dll/MaplomHL.dll not in use!
[23/09/2007 23:28:06] Profile deactivated.


15 a) Download imgburn. It's a free program: http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download
(it's also an excellent program imo)
b) Go to Tools > Filter Driver Load Order. Click "Clipboard". Then paste the information you pasted into your clipboard into your next post (ctrl-v).
===============================================
Filter Driver Load Order - ImgBurn v2.3.2.0
===============================================

Upper Device Filter: redbook
Upper Class Filter: maplom
Device: CD/DVD-ROM Device
Lower Class Filter: Afc
Lower Class Filter: cdrbsdrv
Lower Class Filter: PxHelp20
Lower Device Filter: imapi

Filter Name: redbook
File Name: C:\windows\System32\DRIVERS\redbook.sys
File Version: 5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
File Description: Redbook Audio Filter Driver
Product Name: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Product Version: 5.1.2600.2180
Company Name: Microsoft Corporation
Copyright: © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Filter Name: maplom
File Name: C:\windows\system32\Drivers\maplom.sys
File Version: 2, 9, 18, 590 [2.9.18.590]
File Description: Maplom.sys
Product Name: Game Jackal
Product Version: 2, 9, 18, 590 [2.9.18.590]
Company Name: SlySoft Inc.
Copyright: Copyright © 2007 SlySoft Inc.

Filter Name: Afc
File Name: C:\windows\system32\drivers\Afc.sys
File Version: 1, 0, 0, 2 [1.0.0.2]
File Description: Arcsoft(R) ASPI Shell
Product Name: Arcsoft(R) ASPI Shell
Product Version: 1, 0, 0, 2 [1.0.0.2]
Company Name: Arcsoft, Inc.
Copyright: (C) Arcsoft, Inc. 1999-2005. All rights reserved.

Filter Name: cdrbsdrv
File Name: C:\windows\system32\Drivers\cdrbsdrv.sys
File Version: 7. 0. 0. 5 [7.5.0.0]
File Description: CD-ROM Filter Driver for Windows2000/xp
Product Name: B's Recorder GOLD7
Product Version: 7. 5. 0. 0 [7.5.0.0]
Company Name: B.H.A Corporation
Copyright: Copyright (C) 2000-2004 B.H.A Corporation

Filter Name: PxHelp20
File Name: C:\windows\System32\DRIVERS\PxHelp20.sys
File Version: 3.00.43J [3.0.43.9]
File Description: Px Engine Device Driver for Windows 2000/XP
Product Name: PxHelp20
Product Version: [2.0.0.0]
Company Name: Sonic Solutions
Copyright: Copyright © Sonic Solutions

Filter Name: imapi
File Name: C:\windows\System32\DRIVERS\imapi.sys
File Version: 5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
File Description: IMAPI Kernel Driver
Product Name: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Product Version: 5.1.2600.2180
Company Name: Microsoft Corporation
Copyright: © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.




I would really appreciate your help to master this

 

[Targon]

Do you have a CD/DVD in the drive when you are trying this? I have seen cases where a game will pick up the CD/DVD in the drive and check it's protection rather than using Game Jackal. So, remove any CDs or DVDs from the drive before you try to bring it up.

 

[matthew]

Can you do the following test.

1) Make sure there are no CD/DVD's in the drive.
2) Open the GJ interface, right-click on the SIMS profile and select edit.
3) Uncheck "Auto start"
4) Update and close the edit dialog.
5) Start the profile. The game will not be started by GJ (as we turned off auto start).
6) Now open explorer and navigate to the CD/DVD drive... you should be able to see the contents of the CD/DVD.

Let me know if this works.

FYI, you will need to manually deactivate the profile when finished with the test.

 

[dfrog]

Thanks Targon, but there is no disc in the drive. Having created a profile the disc was removed from the drive ( I had to remove the disc to establish that GJ worked, and it did). Having started the game a few times (just to convince myself that GJ was good, and I was delighted at this stage), I then closed down and re booted Windows (still no disc in the drive), then to prove GJ to myself again, I tried to start Sims 2 Pets (still no disc in the drive) but I got the request to "put The Sims 2 Pets disc in the drive & select OK to try again." (less delighted at this stage - but I'm 100% sure that it will work, just need some good guidance)
I appreciate your help
dfrog

 

[dfrog]

Reply to Mathew

Thanks Mathew - tried your test - (bear in mind that I had just booted into Windows and therefore in the state where I need help) and nothing showed in Explorer for the target cd/dvd drive letter. So................ I removed The Sims 2 Pets profile and recreated it, then I did your test again, and there it all was, explorer showed the contents of the DVD under the target drive (no disc in drive). To summarise, create profile - do your test - see DVD in Explorer / shut down Windows - do your test - Explorer shows an empty target drive.
I hope you have the answer
dfrog

 

[Webslinger]

Filter Name: Afc
File Name: C:\windows\system32\drivers\Afc.sys
File Version: 1, 0, 0, 2 [1.0.0.2]
File Description: Arcsoft(R) ASPI Shell
Product Name: Arcsoft(R) ASPI Shell
Product Version: 1, 0, 0, 2 [1.0.0.2]
Company Name: Arcsoft, Inc.
Copyright: (C) Arcsoft, Inc. 1999-2005. All rights reserved.

Uninstall whatever installed that. Possibly Photo Impressions . . .

I know that filter causes fits with Anydvd and other Slysoft software.

 

[Targon]

Thanks Mathew - tried your test - (bear in mind that I had just booted into Windows and therefore in the state where I need help) and nothing showed in Explorer for the target cd/dvd drive letter. So................ I removed The Sims 2 Pets profile and recreated it, then I did your test again, and there it all was, explorer showed the contents of the DVD under the target drive (no disc in drive). To summarise, create profile - do your test - see DVD in Explorer / shut down Windows - do your test - Explorer shows an empty target drive.
I hope you have the answer
dfrog

From Nisselina's post, Game Jackal works until a reboot, so....

If things work until you reboot, it almost hints that something is auto-starting with Windows that is causing the problem. Have you tried running msconfig to turn things off from your startup that you don't want to auto-start with Windows?

If you have ANY program that creates a virtual CD/DVD drive, it may be that something gets turned off or disabled by Game Jackal during the profile creation process(which is why it may work when you first do it), but then gets re-enabled on reboot.

What anti-virus software are you running as well? Is it a straight anti-virus package, or it it a "security suite" with firewall, anti-spam, and other junk? Most of these security suites were designed around Windows XP, but are tweaked to run under Vista. In the case of several, the tweaks to get them to work under Vista do NOT work well. The personal firewall in most of them for example can clamp down without notice and make it so you can't use a web browser. Spam blockers depending on how they work can get in the way of other programs as well.

 

[dfrog]

Uninstall whatever installed that. Possibly Photo Impressions . . .

I know that filter causes fits with Anydvd and other Slysoft software.

Webslinger - Thank you, I uninstalled 3 Arcsoft programs, which left Acf.sys in Windows\System32\Drivers, so......I removed it from there (got a warning from Nero Check that something was amiss in the registry but that it had fixed it) AND.....GJ is running The Sims 2 Pets - without a disc - even after a reboot.
Thank you again
dfrog

 

[dfrog]

From Nisselina's post, Game Jackal works until a reboot, so....

If things work until you reboot, it almost hints that something is auto-starting with Windows that is causing the problem. Have you tried running msconfig to turn things off from your startup that you don't want to auto-start with Windows?

If you have ANY program that creates a virtual CD/DVD drive, it may be that something gets turned off or disabled by Game Jackal during the profile creation process(which is why it may work when you first do it), but then gets re-enabled on reboot.

What anti-virus software are you running as well? Is it a straight anti-virus package, or it it a "security suite" with firewall, anti-spam, and other junk? Most of these security suites were designed around Windows XP, but are tweaked to run under Vista. In the case of several, the tweaks to get them to work under Vista do NOT work well. The personal firewall in most of them for example can clamp down without notice and make it so you can't use a web browser. Spam blockers depending on how they work can get in the way of other programs as well.

Thanks Targon - I'm running Avast V4.7 not part of a 'suite' just stand alone, and a stand alone Firewall.
You will see from my reply to Webslinger that thanks to all you guys I've not only managed to have GJ working as it should (even after a reboot - which was my problem), but I have also learned quite a lot (I'm a little bit further up my learning curve now).
One other thing that I will mention is that even in this 'working well state' if I use Explorer to look at the target CD Rom drive, it still shows empty, whereas, based on an earlier help post I kind of expected to see The Sims2 Pets sitting in there.

Thanks again for your help.
dfrog

 

[Webslinger]

Webslinger - Thank you, I uninstalled 3 Arcsoft programs, which left Acf.sys in Windows\System32\Drivers, so......I removed it from there (got a warning from Nero Check that something was amiss in the registry but that it had fixed it) AND.....GJ is running The Sims 2 Pets - without a disc - even after a reboot.
Thank you again
dfrog

You're welcome. :agree: