Yes, another bloody MSS32 DLL error.

[Ghost Of Ravenstar]

Okay, a bit of backround. I've been playing RTW for quite a few years now. Recently I switched to a new computer, reinstalled the game from my original CD and played. Everything worked fine until I bought the three-disk full expansion pack Rome; Anthology. After installing the expansions, I then had to reinstall because when I started up Barbarian Invasion, the application would apparently open but never move past the opening stages, taking up a place in the processes window of the task manager but never even showing the opening screen. This would happen roughly one in four times.

In the end I tried to reinstall yet again, upon which the exact same thing happened when I tried to run BI, except now it does it every time, and trying to run it from the CD-drive (by opening it and clicking the .exe inside the DvD instead of the one in my Programs folder) it would spring up the message;

'MSS DLL file is installed in the Windows or Windows system directory - it must be installed in the application directory'.

However, on opening the BI folder (I checked, all files are indeed in the same folder, there are no splits or duplicates), I see mss.dll sitting comfortably in the RTW folder, just above the BI .exe. My system32 folder also has an mss.dll file, this one approximately five kilobytes larger then the one in my RTW folder. Deleting it brings up the same message, except now RTW says the file isn't installed at all. Copying the System32 version and replacing the one already in my RTW folder has no effect.

I am running Windows 7, 32 bit. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not running any mods that I am aware of, though I may have installed them in the past. If so, then they don't exist in the folders any longer. Possibly they created other folders in the systems directory that I need to remove? I don't know.

[irishron]

"MSS.DLL is missing" means you will have to reinstall for the game to find it.

Have you disabled/turned off the UAC?

[Ghost Of Ravenstar]

I've already reinstalled the game twice. It sends me back the same error each time I do so. And yes, I run it with admin privileges.

[irishron]

Is the one in the system32 folder newer than the one with the game, perchance?

Have you done http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=397636 from the C: drive icon? It could be a permissions issue.

[Ghost Of Ravenstar]

Yes, the mss.dll file inside the System32 folder appears to be newer then the one in the RTW folder, since it is bigger. I'll check that link and try it out soon, thank you.

[Ghost Of Ravenstar]

Changing my security, as the link suggests, does nothing. The same error occurs.

[irishron]

Try installing it in C:\Games?

[Ghost Of Ravenstar]

Installing to C:\Games had no effect. It should be noted that it is only Barbarian Invasion that exhibits this error. The original Rome: Total War works perfectly. Alexander: Total War simply sits at the initial opening screen and does nothing until closed by the task manager.