Part 2:Q: Game crashing or other issues on systems running Windows Vista/7Tip0: Be sure to install the game as Administrator: right click on
SETUP.EXE from the DVD and choose
Run as Administrator, also do the same for
TWEE_upgrade.exe and for
TheWitcherPatch.1.5.exe too
Tip1: Be sure your Windows Vista/7 is up to date: "The Witcher may exhaust virtual address space when running on 32-bit Windows Vista. Microsoft has released a hotfix that addresses this problem. Please download the hotfix from the following location when playing the game on 32-bit Windows Vista:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105 . If you have patched your installation of Vista to SP1 or have Windows 7, then you already have this hotfix. KB940105 is already included in Windows Vista Service Pack 1:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f559842a-9c9b-4579-b64a-09146a0ba746&DisplayLang=en " ( 64-bit Vista and all Windows 7 versions do not have this problem )
Tip2: On nVidia hardware and VIsta Ultimate be sure to uninstall the DreamScene application as the it conflicts with the video driver ( read the Release Notes of the video driver )
Tip3: Get
TweakUAC and set UAC to QUIET, not Disabled ( do run the application again if you want to restore you previous UAC mode )
Tip4: Set the game to run in
Compatibility Mode: right-click on
witcher.exe -> properties -> Compatibility -> Windows XP SP2 , also check the 640x480 mode, and the disable decorations, then press Apply and OK
Tip5: Run the game as Admin: right click on
witcher.exe and RUN AS Administrator
Tip6: If running the game from an external USB drive be sure to set up the currently used Power Settings Profile so that USB devices are NEVER put to sleep/suspend ( the Performance profile is recommended when gaming anyway )
Q: I can't use the keyboard in-game and i'm running on Vista:
A:Quit the Sidebar application before starting the game.
Q: I get "Please insert original DVD" in the boxed german version of the Enhanced Edition game:
A:1 Updating the game to version 1.5 will remove the need to have the DVD in drive while playing.
A:2 Atari exchanges your broken game DVD 1
http://forums.eu.atari.com/showthread.php?t=864651) Send an email with your postal adress with your EE cd key number to
TWEE@atarisupport.de !!2) you will get a new DVD 1 as soon as possible.
!! This is for Germany only. Such beeing the case this error message also refers ot other international versions, please check your local Atari agency or check the
Atari forum of your country.
!! Q: Game crashing or DVD not recognized on systems running Nero 7 or Symantec SuitesTip: Try to disable these applications and run/install the game ( quit the application, and end any left over processes in the TaskManager, even uninstall them and reboot, since they may leave active processes still running in the background that you can't terminate and that may interfere with the game )
Q: Game DVD not recognized on systems running applications that add drag-to-disc functionality (i.e. Roxio software)A: You must either uninstall that software or you need to populate the DVD volume on each system restart.
To populate the DVD volume:- 1. Click Start and then Control Panel.
- 2. Click Performance and Maintenance and then System.
- 3. Click the Hardware tab and then Device Manager.
- 4. In Device Manager, click the + next to DVD/CD-ROM Drives to expand.
- 5. Right-click on your DVD-Writer drive and select Properties.
- 6. Click the Volumes tab, then Populate and OK.
- 7. You may now close any open windows.
- 8. Enjoy the game!
Q: Bonus DVD not recognised by the InstallerTip: You might try to make an image of the disk and use that to continue installing:
Just thought I'd share my experiences with my installation problem since I found a workaround to the "Insert Bonus Game Content Disc" problem that may hopefully work for others. It involves creating and mounting images of the original media but works perfectly, though why the original media doesn't work is a mystery to me, since I'd imagine an image would be exactly the same as the original. Anyway, here's what to do:
0. Download and install the freeware tool MagicDisk from
http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm.
1. Insert your Enhanced Edition install DVD.
2. Launch MagicDisc and select
Make CD/DVD Image from the tray icon.
3. Ensure that the drive containing the DVD is selected in the
Source CD/DVD-ROM drop-down menu.
4. Choose an appropriate location and name to store an 'image' of this DVD under
Output File. For convenience I called mine
Witcher1.
5. Click on OK. It'll take quite some time (10-20 minutes) so go and watch TV or something and come back later.
6. Do the same for the Bonus Content Disc, calling it anything you want -
Witcher2 sounds good.
7. From the MagicDisc tray icon, go to
Options and disable
Autoverify (you may leave it on if you wish, but it takes a few minutes to verify and seems pointless - I've had no problems with this disabled - in fact I installed it without verifying).
8. From the MagicDisc tray icon, select
Virtual CD/DVD-ROM, then to
G: No Media (may not be G: but doesn't matter),. Select this then
Mount. Then navigate to
Witcher1 and open it.
9. Continue to install as you normally would (or wouldn't, as the case may be), and when the installer asks from the "Bonus Game Content Disc", repeat step 8 and select
Witcher2 before continuing with the installation. It actually works!
10. Once the installation is finished, select
Virtual CD/DVD-ROM again, click on
Witcher2 and
Unmount.
11. Insert the original install DVD and play.
Yes, it looks long-winded, but once you're done at least you can play the damn game. I've only tried it on one machine, but if this worked for me I don't see why it can't work for anyone else.
Disable the Autosave feature from the in-game menu Options
Q: NVIDIA SLI USERS having lights shining through texturesTip: Install the freeware
nHancer application. Run it and the program will scan your PC for installed games.
1. Make a copy of your Witcher profile
2. No need to rename the new copied profile...just make sure you point the new profile to your Witcher.exe under the executables window below your profiles. It will override your original profile but won't delete it.
3. Highlight your Witcher profile and then on the right side column select SLI Mode
4. Uncheck 09 (Prince of Persia: SOT) and check 03 (Half Life 2)
5. Close up nHancer and your good to go
Q: Mirror finnish textures with ATI cardsTip: For everyone in this thread owning an ATI card and running with one of the latest set of Catalyst drivers:
the one reason for some textures (i.e. the ramp leading upward from Kaer Morhen's courtyard and most of the windows during the game) to appear completely transparent and/or reflective when they shouldn't be, is related to the Adaptive Anti-Aliasing setting in CCC.
The use of forced AAA (NOT AA) causes some of the textures in-game not to show up correctly.
The issue has been aknowledge by ATI after I sent a ticket to the driver's team in February, and was told it was being looked into.
I think they'd have it fixed by now, had it been possible.
On a side note, forcing AA and AF in CCC can lead to unpredictable results, such as none of the two filtering methods being applied at all even if they are disabled in-game.
The right way to apply graphic fltering in The Witcher is by leaving AA and AF to application preference (and enable them in-game, of course) and disable AAA in CCC.
Q: Can I install the extra missions and the bonus material later or will I have to install them with the patch?A: The 2 extra adventures can be installed later, the bonus material does not need to be installed at all
Q: What about savegame version compatibility?Q: I've continued with a DEMO savegame in the FULL game and the game is stuck/black screen after i talk with Mikul to enter the cityA: That depends on game version, the ground rule is that a newer version savegame will not be compatible with an older game version; exceptions noted below, also read in the post above about game patches and versions:
DEMO: The DEMO savegames are not compatible with the FULL game, as the DEMO contains only about 80%-90% of the main game, continuing with this savegame in the FULL game will lead to a black screen after talking with Mikul to enter the city at the entrance near the mill. After uninstalling the DEMO, do delete the game saves so that you don't accidentally load them in the FULL game version.
1.0/1.1/1.1a/1.2: The savegames are compatible between these versions, meaning that a savegame made with version 1.0 of the game will load and play fine in version 1.2 ( and the other way around ).
1.3: This patch brings more fixes in the game that might not be seen by using a version 1.0/1.1/1.1a/1.2 savegame, the patch notes even warn about savegame problems when using older savegames so restarting a new game or at least restarting the current chapter might be needed. Also there might be more problems that might creep up later in the game. The most obvious seen so far have been: static and fixed size shadows rotated 90 degrees from the sun direction for all the characters ( not fixable so far ) and game crashing when using the sewers/cemetery/swamp exits ( partially fixable with the IFO fix mentioned way below ).
1.4(EE)/1.5: The savegames are compatible between these versions, meaning that a savegame made with version 1.4 of the game will load and play fine in version 1.5 ( and the other way around ). This patch touches many things like character models, scripts and quests making it mostly incompatible with version 1.0/1.1/1.1a/1.2 savegames and slightly with version 1.3, so restarting a new game or at least restarting the current chapter might be needed ( partially fixable for 1.3 with the IFO fix mentioned way below ).
Any other savegame version combination will probably yield a lot of quest errors not seen on a first look.
Any new game should be started with patch 1.5.
As for older savegames, it depends, if you are not that far in game ( like in Chapter 1 or maybe at the start of Chapter 2 ) a full restart will be faster and safer, if you are further in game ( middle of Chapter 3 and beyond ) things can get tricky when advancing so do at least restart the chapter and do the IFO fix on that savegame.
Also you can even ask a fellow forum user for a savegame here:
http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=23708.0Q: I have a lot of saves in my SAVE directory and loading a saved game takes a lot of time, can i speed this up?A: As saved games get bigger while the game story progresses it will take more time for the game to read/load each saved game. Try to backup you saved games and only leave less than 5 saved games in the save game folder.
Q: I copied ( or I try to run ) the game from a 32bit Windows installation on a 64bit Windows system and it does not start ( i copied the registry keys too )?Q: I don't have any in game subtitles and/or the menu text is missing and i don't have these registry settingsA: Missing registry settings are at fault. Some registry paths are different on 64bit Windows for 32bit applications ( like The Witcher is ). The main administrative system wide installation keys are at different locations, while the user keys are at the same location and are recreated by the game when missing.
On 32bit Windows the main administrative system wide installation keys are these:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CD Projekt Red]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CD Projekt Red\The Witcher]
"InstallFolder"="C:\\Program Files\\The Witcher"
"Language"="3"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CD Projekt Red\The Witcher\1.00.0000]
While on 64bit Windows the main administrative system wide installation keys, for The Witcher, are these ( notice the path difference ):
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\CD Projekt Red]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\CD Projekt Red\The Witcher]
"InstallFolder"="C:\\Program Files\\The Witcher"
"Language"="3"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\CD Projekt Red\The Witcher\1.00.0000]
So while transferring the game from a 32bit system to a 64bit one do remember to edit the saved registry keys file containing these keys and replace
SOFTWARE\CDProject RED\ with
SOFTWARE\\WOW6432Node\CDProject RED\ and then import them on the 64bit system.
Q: The game crashes when i try to leave the swap/cemetery or I get "Cannot load module. invalid IFO file", what can i do?A: The issue is the one known as the IFO module error, you get that error when trying to to change zone (mostly in chapters 2 and 3).
To fix this, you need to make some manipulations, first, if you are under XP, go to my computer, get on your C drive, open the tools menu -> Folder options, View tab. In there, look for "Hidden files and folders", click on show hidden files and folder. Next look for "Hide protected operating system files", uncheck it.
If you are under Vista, go to the control panel and look for folder option, the rest of the procedure is the same : View tab. In there, look for "Hidden files and folders", click on show hidden files and folder. Next look for "Hide protected operating system files", uncheck it.
Now, start the game, and load your savegame ( normal savegame, not quick or auto ). Once it is loaded, press ALT-Tab to get out of the game, go to the following folder:
Windows XP/2003: C:\Documents and Settings\
<your user name>\Local Settings\Application Data\The Witcher\temp\saves\
<name of your loaded savegame>Windows Vista/7: C:\User\
<your user name>\AppData\Local\The Witcher\temp\saves\
<name of your loaded savegame>In that folder, delete all the files that end with the
.SAV extension.
Then go back in the game, move around a bit,
save your game and reload it. The problem should be fixed.
Q: My game is installed on a ext2/ext3 partition and it crashes while loading, what can i do? A1: Do copy or install your game on a NTFS partition while running on Windows.
A2: "The Witcher" runs pretty well with WINE under Linux, and since patch 1.4 ( for the original owners ) and patch 1.5 ( for the Enhanced users ) you don't need any hacks as the TAGES disk protection was removed and the DVD disk is not needed to play the game.
Q: I get "Warning Minimum system requirement not met." even if my system hardware is better than the minimumA: To get it to work, you will need to have at least patch 1.2 and create a shortcut to the file
C:\Program Files\The Witcher\System\witcher.exe ( if you used the Default installation folder )
Right click on that shortcut and go in properties, in the target box, add
–dontForceMinReqsAfter the changes it should look this way:
“C:\Program Files\The Witcher\System\witcher.exe” –dontForceMinReqsA guide on how to different game video settings affect game performance: The Witcher Enhanced Edition Tuning GuideIf you want to see older version of FAQ check out: http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=8809.0
If you will find another question worth to add (of course WITH the answer!!!) to our FAQ do not hesitate to send a Private Message to Licaon_Kter.
