Win+XP+Guide

**EAW in Windows XP problems**
(Answer submitted by Kay 'Huntress' Hammil)
 * QUESTION - On starting EAW I get an error message saying 'not a valid win32 application'.**

ANSWER - Replace your current EAW. EXE file that is found in the main game folder with this version. This is the fresh copy of a newly installed EAW version 1.0 EXE file. http://www.sandbaggereaw.com/SG/eaw1_0.zip

Just in case, keep your original EXE file. Rename it something like EAW.BAK, in the event that the user ever wanted to revert to that file.

(Answer submitted by Wudpecker Nov. 22, 08) You probably have the "Infogrames Interactive" version of EAW on your CD. Copy the EAW files and directories into a new folder. This bypasses the Infogrames registry it uses for its folder. I also recommend installing the new 1.28 patch (or later version) in the new directory while you are at it. This should get rid of the **'not a vaid win32 application.'** Still have problems? Paste this file in Windows\System32 and let overwrite the "autoexec.nt" That's it. Try eaw.exe again.
 * QUESTION-- I tried installing from the CD, but can't even play the game once. Error message: 'not a vaid win32 application.' What do I do?**
 * Try this:** --Go to your Windows directory in XP. You may have to change your browser to "show hidden system files" first. Then go to Windows\Repair and copy the file **autoexec.nt** (either right-click and "copy" or CTRL-C to copy )


 * Try # 2** -- Go to http://www.sandbaggereaw.com/EAWKeyFiles.html and download a new eaw.exe file, like Huntress suggests above. I recommend 1.28 exe, as mentioned.

Do not download the eaw 1.0 version, I say. Download a 1.2 version. The newest exe as of July 2008 is **eaw1.28. Get the download here at the wiki** (MAIN page) and install it in your main EAW folder. (If you are fearful about overwriting, just rename your old one first--like "orig.exe". ) __If you use 1.28 or later, you do NOT have to do any exe re-naming for ANY exe's as mentioned below this__.

Some other .exe's available are the No-CD versions, such as __eaw12aNoCD__.zip or __eawv1-2a__.zip. Put your new 1.2 version of the exe in your main EAW directory and don't forget to __Rename it__ **EAW.exe** (or eaw.exe ). Try running the game again. Then un-install the CD version of the game! If you don't want to un-install it, at least get a new EAW.exe file for your install version, as Huntress suggests. Sounds weird, but the Infogrames CD doesn't install well in XP and gives you the "not a valid 32-bit application" error. Try it. If it works, make a new shortcut by right-clicking the eaw.exe from the new folder and drag that shortcut to your desktop. Or better yet, get EAW Control 2000 (see the bold text below). Another oddity is that right-clicking on the eaw.exe and picking "create a shortcut" and then putting the shortcut on your desktop sometimes works, as well. EAW Control 2000 does the same thing. The upside of doing this is that installing Win98 and then XP will set up a dual boot for you. You can then start up either Win98 or XP. Very convenient if you ever have a virus that crashes XP. __Ooops. Sorry__. If you put NTFS on your hard drive instead of the FAT filing system, Win98 won't work. Win98 requires the FAT system and MUST be on C:\ drive.
 * Try # 3** --If you can, Download XP Service Pack 1 from Microsoft. This has a backward compatibility for EAW. Service Pack 2 also has backward compatibility. EAW should run now even on a Infogrames install.
 * Try #4** --Make a new EAW folder directory somewhere. Copy your installed EAW main folder and all the files and put it in the new folder. The good news is that this can be your "clean copy" of EAW. You want to save a clean copy for later use anyway.
 * Try #5** -- If you are not disgusted by this time, install the **Win98se Operating System on your C:\ drive**. All problems will disappear. And Win98 copies are very cheap. This means your WinXP has to be installed somewhere else-- on another D:, E: or such partition or hard drive.


 * EAW Control 2000** is a really handy utility for running EAW from your desktop. It's at Sandbagger's under "Lost and Found". Changes screen resolutions and lots of other things, including starting the game from desktop. You install it in your EAW directory.

(Answer submitted by Wallace 'Wudpecker' Wood, updated Nov.22, 08 )
 * QUESTION - Problems installing EAW to run in Windows XP and using different ".exes".**

1) **Renaming old exe's**--Get the 1.28 Patch or later updates (see HOME page). It allows renaming any exe to one of your choice in XP, such as "Midway.exe" or "EAW-test.exe" Or whatever. You can also use some of the old exe's without having to re-name them for XP. Those longer names will probably NOT work for flying online, however. Just for home use offline. Without 1.28 or later, any of the special "EXE's" available will have to be renamed to just "eaw.exe". XP will only run the name "EAW.EXE" (or eaw.exe). For instance, Andy's Eaw2c.exe will not work until you change it to "EAW.exe" and suchlike.

Also-- On the exe re-naming subject, get one of Mr. Jelly's game managers. A new one is in the works as of November, 2008. The game managers OAW and OAW Unified will do the renaming automatically. Mr. Jelly has an offline graphics game manager at his site, or at Sandbagger's Tally-Ho as well.

2 ) **CD Version install problems--** Your game version CD may cause problems. InfoGrames EAW version doesn't like XP on an install. You may get //Error message: 'not a vaid win32 application--// when you try to play. See the post above this one. __The game should work fine in XP if copied to a new directory__. You do this by copying all the game files into a folder. Run the game from the new folder. Why? Because the new folder bypasses the Infogrames install registry changes.

Only the Microprose original CD works well when you do an install from CD. Some MicroProse files may be found if you ask at SimHQ.com /forums / European Air War. Microsoft Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2, EAW should run in XP. (**see "can't install from CD" above)**

3) **Other tricks--** Make a shortcut of the eaw.exe file by highlighting it, then right-clicking mouse and choosing 'shortcut'. It will be found under the "s" group below. Drag this on your desktop and run the game from there. This sometimes works when other solutions don't in XP. There is also a neat program called "EAW Control 2000" in the Lost-and-Found at Tally-Ho (Sandbagger's) that does a shortcut and many other clever things for EAW on the desktop.

Remember, copy the game itself first (it will have the eaw.exe file in it and many other CDF files, some folders like music, etc.) and put it in a new folder. Run the game from that folder. Test it first, of course. I recommend installing the 1.28 patch for it.


 * QUESTION - On installing EAW from disk, I still have problems**.

Don't forget to use the 1.2 "Patch". Run the game once so EAW can generate a special control file called "eaw.ini". You can copy eaw.ini files from other versions if you find one. By Kay "Huntress" Hammil.

ANSWER - This is the EAW INI file; it's really better if a game install can generate its own, but I have read at different websites that if the game is still not running due to this error, people should just go ahead and install the patch. In this case, the patch may or may not take, since first, MicroProse, then later Atari tech support insist that a .ini file be in the game directory for the patch to take. I don't know the truth of this belief of theirs, but on the chance that they are correct, then this would provide a .ini file for people unable to launch a mission in order to generate one. When this file is downloaded, it should be opened in Notepad and the user should migrate to the [Miscellaneous] heading and verify that the letter used for the CD check (I have assigned D as being the most common letter assignment for the CD-ROM) is the same letter as the game would assign to their CD-ROM. If a change needs to be made in the letter, edit the file and save it (File | Save). That line is Debug Path=x\, where x is the CD-ROM letter assigned by the system and game. Copy the file into the EAW directory. This should get the file past the CD check, until the user can download a modified executable and get rid of the check altogether. I believe the other parameters set in this copy of the .ini are generic, so the file should do for what the patch wants it for. http://www.sandbaggereaw.com/SG/eaw1_0ini.zip