Help! my games disappeared?!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
Hi RichLeyshon,

Since that problem just started happening recently, try a System Restore.

How to use Windows XP System Restore:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gethelp/systemrestore.asp

--
Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________


RichLeyshon Wrote:
=================
| I've tried uninstalling everything that I have added recently. I've checked
| that I have all the latest XP SP2 updates. I've tried to use Add/Remove
| Windows components. No luck.
|
| Grrrrrrrr ....
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
|| Hi RichLeyshon,
||
|| Since this started after you installed a specific application,
|| uninstall that application, and test Pinball sucessfully before
|| you reinstall the application. It can make a difference.
||
|| --
|| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||
|| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|| _________________________________________________________
||
|| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|| =================
||| Jimmy,
|||
||| Yes, it does that but I don't see anything (that I understand) that seems to
||| reflect my problem. I am at a loss to know what to do next.
|||
||| Rich
|||
||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||
|||| Hi RichLeyshon,
||||
|||| Those events usually include a clickable URL / Hyperlink which will
|||| return a recommendation from the Microsoft Knowledgebase.
||||
|||| --
|||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||
|||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||| _________________________________________________________
||||
|||| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|||| =================
||||| Hi Jimmy,
|||||
||||| Two events were generated in the log and they are listed below. All a bit
||||| out of my league I'm afraid.
|||||
||||| Regards,
|||||
||||| Rich
|||||
||||| Details
||||| Product: Windows Operating System
||||| Event ID: 1001
||||| Source: Application Error
||||| Version: 5.2
||||| Symbolic Name: DW_BUCKET_LOG
||||| Message: Fault bucket %1.
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||| Details
||||| Product: Windows Operating System
||||| Event ID: 1000
||||| Source: Application Error
||||| Version: 5.2
||||| Symbolic Name: ER_USERCRASH_LOG
||||| Message: Faulting application %1, version %2, faulting module %3, version
||||| %4, fault address 0x%5
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||||
|||||| Hi RichLeyshon,
||||||
|||||| Next time you reproduce a Pinball crash, check your Event Viewer
|||||| (in Control Panel > Admnistrative Tools) for any Error entries under
|||||| either System or Application. They usually include a hyperlink.
||||||
|||||| --
|||||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||||
|||||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||||| _________________________________________________________
||||||
|||||| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|||||| =================
||||||| I'm also having terrible trouble with pinball. I've followed the instructions
||||||| to edit the %System Root%... file but I can never get Pinball to reappear on
||||||| the list. I have cheked that the changes were actually made to the file and
||||||| they have been.
|||||||
||||||| I have tried uninstalling and re-installing all the games. Whatever I do,
||||||| Pinball crashes after a few minutes play.
|||||||
||||||| I expect this is just coincidence but the problem seemed to start soon after
||||||| I installed Visual Basic Express.
|||||||
||||||| ANy help would be much appreciated.
|||||||
||||||| Regards,
|||||||
||||||| Rich
|||||||
||||||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||||||
|||||||| Hi KayMil01,
||||||||
|||||||| To add/remove Windows XP Games: Click START / Control Panel /
|||||||| Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components /
|||||||| Accessories and Utilities / [Details...] / Games / [Details...] / then check
|||||||| (or uncheck and then recheck the game) / Click [OK] 3 times to finish.
||||||||
|||||||| Pinball is not on that list by default. You may need to use these steps first:
||||||||
|||||||| 1. Choose Start / Run / Copy+Paste the next line into the RUN box and press [ENTER]:
|||||||| notepad %SystemRoot%\Inf\Sysoc.inf
||||||||
|||||||| 2. Scroll down to the line that reads: Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
|||||||| and delete the word HIDE from the line so it now reads: Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7
||||||||
|||||||| 3. Click File / Exit and choose YES to save the changes you made to the file.
||||||||
|||||||| 4. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs and follow the
|||||||| instructions posted in the first paragraph to reinstall Pinball now that it's on the list.
||||||||
|||||||| --
|||||||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||||||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||||||
|||||||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||||||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||||||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||||||| _________________________________________________________
||||||||
||||||||
|||||||| KayMil01 Wrote:
|||||||| =================
||||||||| I don't know what happened, but recently, I noticed the general games on my
||||||||| computer (solitaire, hearts, pinball etc.) are gone! I go into programs, look
||||||||| in the games folder, and it says it's empty. I don't know what could have
||||||||| caused the games to disappear. Is there anything I can do to get them back?
||||||||| thanks.
 
Jimmy,

Yeah, tried that at the weekend but it told me that nothing had changed (I
went back several weeks).

Rich

Jimmy S. said:
Hi RichLeyshon,

Since that problem just started happening recently, try a System Restore.

How to use Windows XP System Restore:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gethelp/systemrestore.asp

--
Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________


RichLeyshon Wrote:
=================
| I've tried uninstalling everything that I have added recently. I've checked
| that I have all the latest XP SP2 updates. I've tried to use Add/Remove
| Windows components. No luck.
|
| Grrrrrrrr ....
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
|| Hi RichLeyshon,
||
|| Since this started after you installed a specific application,
|| uninstall that application, and test Pinball sucessfully before
|| you reinstall the application. It can make a difference.
||
|| --
|| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||
|| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|| _________________________________________________________
||
|| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|| =================
||| Jimmy,
|||
||| Yes, it does that but I don't see anything (that I understand) that seems to
||| reflect my problem. I am at a loss to know what to do next.
|||
||| Rich
|||
||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||
|||| Hi RichLeyshon,
||||
|||| Those events usually include a clickable URL / Hyperlink which will
|||| return a recommendation from the Microsoft Knowledgebase.
||||
|||| --
|||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||
|||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||| _________________________________________________________
||||
|||| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|||| =================
||||| Hi Jimmy,
|||||
||||| Two events were generated in the log and they are listed below. All a bit
||||| out of my league I'm afraid.
|||||
||||| Regards,
|||||
||||| Rich
|||||
||||| Details
||||| Product: Windows Operating System
||||| Event ID: 1001
||||| Source: Application Error
||||| Version: 5.2
||||| Symbolic Name: DW_BUCKET_LOG
||||| Message: Fault bucket %1.
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||| Details
||||| Product: Windows Operating System
||||| Event ID: 1000
||||| Source: Application Error
||||| Version: 5.2
||||| Symbolic Name: ER_USERCRASH_LOG
||||| Message: Faulting application %1, version %2, faulting module %3, version
||||| %4, fault address 0x%5
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||||
|||||| Hi RichLeyshon,
||||||
|||||| Next time you reproduce a Pinball crash, check your Event Viewer
|||||| (in Control Panel > Admnistrative Tools) for any Error entries under
|||||| either System or Application. They usually include a hyperlink.
||||||
|||||| --
|||||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||||
|||||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||||| _________________________________________________________
||||||
|||||| RichLeyshon Wrote:
|||||| =================
||||||| I'm also having terrible trouble with pinball. I've followed the instructions
||||||| to edit the %System Root%... file but I can never get Pinball to reappear on
||||||| the list. I have cheked that the changes were actually made to the file and
||||||| they have been.
|||||||
||||||| I have tried uninstalling and re-installing all the games. Whatever I do,
||||||| Pinball crashes after a few minutes play.
|||||||
||||||| I expect this is just coincidence but the problem seemed to start soon after
||||||| I installed Visual Basic Express.
|||||||
||||||| ANy help would be much appreciated.
|||||||
||||||| Regards,
|||||||
||||||| Rich
|||||||
||||||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|||||||
|||||||| Hi KayMil01,
||||||||
|||||||| To add/remove Windows XP Games: Click START / Control Panel /
|||||||| Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components /
|||||||| Accessories and Utilities / [Details...] / Games / [Details...] / then check
|||||||| (or uncheck and then recheck the game) / Click [OK] 3 times to finish.
||||||||
|||||||| Pinball is not on that list by default. You may need to use these steps first:
||||||||
|||||||| 1. Choose Start / Run / Copy+Paste the next line into the RUN box and press [ENTER]:
|||||||| notepad %SystemRoot%\Inf\Sysoc.inf
||||||||
|||||||| 2. Scroll down to the line that reads: Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
|||||||| and delete the word HIDE from the line so it now reads: Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7
||||||||
|||||||| 3. Click File / Exit and choose YES to save the changes you made to the file.
||||||||
|||||||| 4. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs and follow the
|||||||| instructions posted in the first paragraph to reinstall Pinball now that it's on the list.
||||||||
|||||||| --
|||||||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|||||||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||||||||
|||||||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
|||||||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|||||||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|||||||| _________________________________________________________
||||||||
||||||||
|||||||| KayMil01 Wrote:
|||||||| =================
||||||||| I don't know what happened, but recently, I noticed the general games on my
||||||||| computer (solitaire, hearts, pinball etc.) are gone! I go into programs, look
||||||||| in the games folder, and it says it's empty. I don't know what could have
||||||||| caused the games to disappear. Is there anything I can do to get them back?
||||||||| thanks.
Click to expand...
 
Chris,

I don't have a problem being able to find the program, it just keeps
crashing. I followed the previous advice to remove the HIDE command from
%System Root% ... so that I could remove and re-install the game, but this
had no effect on the displayed games in Windows Components.

Rich

Chris H. said:
Specifically on Pinball alone, it has never appeared on the list in Control
Panel/Add or Remove Windows Components/Accessories/Games. For some reason,
Microsoft kept it a separate path even though it is listed under All
Programs/Games.

If mine gets deleted for some reason (more own stupidity), I open Windows
Explorer, then navigate to the C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Pinball directory
and drag/drop a link for the pinball.exe file to my desktop as a Shortcut.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -


RichLeyshon said:
I'm also having terrible trouble with pinball. I've followed the
instructions
to edit the %System Root%... file but I can never get Pinball to reappear
on
the list. I have cheked that the changes were actually made to the file
and
they have been.

I have tried uninstalling and re-installing all the games. Whatever I do,
Pinball crashes after a few minutes play.

I expect this is just coincidence but the problem seemed to start soon
after
I installed Visual Basic Express.

ANy help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Rich

Jimmy S. said:
Hi KayMil01,

To add/remove Windows XP Games: Click START / Control Panel /
Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components /
Accessories and Utilities / [Details...] / Games / [Details...] / then
check
(or uncheck and then recheck the game) / Click [OK] 3 times to finish.

Pinball is not on that list by default. You may need to use these steps
first:

1. Choose Start / Run / Copy+Paste the next line into the RUN box and
press [ENTER]:
notepad %SystemRoot%\Inf\Sysoc.inf

2. Scroll down to the line that reads:
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
and delete the word HIDE from the line so it now reads:
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7

3. Click File / Exit and choose YES to save the changes you made to the
file.

4. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs and
follow the
instructions posted in the first paragraph to reinstall Pinball now that
it's on the list.

--
Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any
rights.
_________________________________________________________


KayMil01 Wrote:
=================
| I don't know what happened, but recently, I noticed the general games
on my
| computer (solitaire, hearts, pinball etc.) are gone! I go into
programs, look
| in the games folder, and it says it's empty. I don't know what could
have
| caused the games to disappear. Is there anything I can do to get them
back?
| thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Follow up - in case anyone else has a similar problem...

I tried to run the game with no sound and it worked. I then disabled the
sound card and turned on the game sound and it worked.

After a lot of searching, Windows found a driver from somewhere and the game
now seems to work and the volume of my audio has increased twofold!

Cheers,

Rich

RichLeyshon said:
Chris,

I don't have a problem being able to find the program, it just keeps
crashing. I followed the previous advice to remove the HIDE command from
%System Root% ... so that I could remove and re-install the game, but this
had no effect on the displayed games in Windows Components.

Rich

Chris H. said:
Specifically on Pinball alone, it has never appeared on the list in Control
Panel/Add or Remove Windows Components/Accessories/Games. For some reason,
Microsoft kept it a separate path even though it is listed under All
Programs/Games.

If mine gets deleted for some reason (more own stupidity), I open Windows
Explorer, then navigate to the C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Pinball directory
and drag/drop a link for the pinball.exe file to my desktop as a Shortcut.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -


RichLeyshon said:
I'm also having terrible trouble with pinball. I've followed the
instructions
to edit the %System Root%... file but I can never get Pinball to reappear
on
the list. I have cheked that the changes were actually made to the file
and
they have been.

I have tried uninstalling and re-installing all the games. Whatever I do,
Pinball crashes after a few minutes play.

I expect this is just coincidence but the problem seemed to start soon
after
I installed Visual Basic Express.

ANy help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Rich

:

Hi KayMil01,

To add/remove Windows XP Games: Click START / Control Panel /
Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components /
Accessories and Utilities / [Details...] / Games / [Details...] / then
check
(or uncheck and then recheck the game) / Click [OK] 3 times to finish.

Pinball is not on that list by default. You may need to use these steps
first:

1. Choose Start / Run / Copy+Paste the next line into the RUN box and
press [ENTER]:
notepad %SystemRoot%\Inf\Sysoc.inf

2. Scroll down to the line that reads:
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
and delete the word HIDE from the line so it now reads:
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7

3. Click File / Exit and choose YES to save the changes you made to the
file.

4. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs and
follow the
instructions posted in the first paragraph to reinstall Pinball now that
it's on the list.

--
Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any
rights.
_________________________________________________________


KayMil01 Wrote:
=================
| I don't know what happened, but recently, I noticed the general games
on my
| computer (solitaire, hearts, pinball etc.) are gone! I go into
programs, look
| in the games folder, and it says it's empty. I don't know what could
have
| caused the games to disappear. Is there anything I can do to get them
back?
| thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi RichLeyshon,

Excekkent news! Thank you for taking the time to post that. :-)

RichLeyshon Wrote:
=================
| Follow up - in case anyone else has a similar problem...
|
| I tried to run the game with no sound and it worked. I then disabled the
| sound card and turned on the game sound and it worked.
|
| After a lot of searching, Windows found a driver from somewhere and the game
| now seems to work and the volume of my audio has increased twofold!
|
| Cheers,
|
| Rich
|
| "RichLeyshon" wrote:
|
|| Chris,
||
|| I don't have a problem being able to find the program, it just keeps
|| crashing. I followed the previous advice to remove the HIDE command from
|| %System Root% ... so that I could remove and re-install the game, but this
|| had no effect on the displayed games in Windows Components.
||
|| Rich
||
|| "Chris H." wrote:
||
||| Specifically on Pinball alone, it has never appeared on the list in Control
||| Panel/Add or Remove Windows Components/Accessories/Games. For some reason,
||| Microsoft kept it a separate path even though it is listed under All
||| Programs/Games.
|||
||| If mine gets deleted for some reason (more own stupidity), I open Windows
||| Explorer, then navigate to the C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Pinball directory
||| and drag/drop a link for the pinball.exe file to my desktop as a Shortcut.
||| --
||| Chris H.
||| Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
||| Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
||| Associate Expert
||| Expert Zone -
|||
|||
||| |||| I'm also having terrible trouble with pinball. I've followed the
|||| instructions
|||| to edit the %System Root%... file but I can never get Pinball to reappear
|||| on
|||| the list. I have cheked that the changes were actually made to the file
|||| and
|||| they have been.
||||
|||| I have tried uninstalling and re-installing all the games. Whatever I do,
|||| Pinball crashes after a few minutes play.
||||
|||| I expect this is just coincidence but the problem seemed to start soon
|||| after
|||| I installed Visual Basic Express.
||||
|||| ANy help would be much appreciated.
||||
|||| Regards,
||||
|||| Rich
||||
|||| "Jimmy S." wrote:
||||
||||| Hi KayMil01,
|||||
||||| To add/remove Windows XP Games: Click START / Control Panel /
||||| Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components /
||||| Accessories and Utilities / [Details...] / Games / [Details...] / then
||||| check
||||| (or uncheck and then recheck the game) / Click [OK] 3 times to finish.
|||||
||||| Pinball is not on that list by default. You may need to use these steps
||||| first:
|||||
||||| 1. Choose Start / Run / Copy+Paste the next line into the RUN box and
||||| press [ENTER]:
||||| notepad %SystemRoot%\Inf\Sysoc.inf
|||||
||||| 2. Scroll down to the line that reads:
||||| Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
||||| and delete the word HIDE from the line so it now reads:
||||| Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7
|||||
||||| 3. Click File / Exit and choose YES to save the changes you made to the
||||| file.
|||||
||||| 4. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs and
||||| follow the
||||| instructions posted in the first paragraph to reinstall Pinball now that
||||| it's on the list.
|||||
||||| --
||||| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
||||| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
|||||
||||| Visit my MSN Games and Windows Gaming Help Site: www.msce.mvps.org
||||| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
||||| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any
||||| rights.
||||| _________________________________________________________
|||||
|||||
||||| KayMil01 Wrote:
||||| =================
|||||| I don't know what happened, but recently, I noticed the general games on my
|||||| computer (solitaire, hearts, pinball etc.) are gone! I go into programs, look
|||||| in the games folder, and it says it's empty. I don't know what could have
|||||| caused the games to disappear. Is there anything I can do to get them back?
|||||| thanks.
 
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