Error code message when trying to install, uninstall or run Rome Total War or Alexander on Windows 7

[Dunadd]

I'd previously installed Rome Total War and the (mod-foldered) Warhammer Total War mod for it and both were running fine on my laptop which is on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Now when i try and run them i get a "failed due to unspecified error" message. If i try to install Alexander or to uninstall Rome Total War i get Error Code -5006 :0x8000ffff (rest of the details in the quote box below).

My graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce GT 640M

Can anyone help please?

Error Code: -5006 : 0x8000ffff

Error Information:
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\ObjectHolder.cpp (442)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (87)
>Kernel\FileGroup.cpp (525)
>Kernel\ServiceProvider.cpp (120)
>Kerne>SetupDLL\SetupDLL.cpp (1299)
PAPP:Rome - Total War - Alexander
PVENDOR:The Creative Assembly (www.totalwar.com)
PGUID:6C1804BC-094F-431A-BEA5-37A837958029
$11.50.0.42618
@Windows XP Service Pack 1 (7601) BT_OTHER 15508.30601

[irishron]

Have you tried uninstalling it the hard way deleting all Rome folders, cleaning the registry using regedit, and moving the Installshield folders you can find to your desktop?

[Dunadd]

Have you tried uninstalling it the hard way deleting all Rome folders, cleaning the registry using regedit, and moving the Installshield folders you can find to your desktop?

No - i'm not sure how you use regedit.

It turns out that the problem with running the game was only that i'd disabled my sound card and hadn't plugged in headphones and once i plugged them in it'll run fine. I still can't install Alexander or uninstall RTW though.

[irishron]

The game won't play without sound. You can thank CA for this.
For the other, there is a registry entry borked. Back to what I posted. With regedit back up your registry before using it.

[Dunadd]

The game won't play without sound. You can thank CA for this.
For the other, there is a registry entry borked. Back to what I posted. With regedit back up your registry before using it.

I googled uninstalling RTW with regedit and found this post which says

1) Click Start then Run.
2) At the prompt type: REGEDIT. The registry editor will open.
3) Click the "+" next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4) Click the "+" next to SOFTWARE.
5) Click the "+" next to The Creative Assembly
6) Right-Click to delete the The Creative Assembly entry.
7) Click the "+" next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
8) Click the "+" next to SOFTWARE.
9) Click the "+" next to The Creative Assembly
10) Right-Click to delete the The Creative Assembly entry.
11) Close the registry editor.

Once the registry keys are removed, we'll need to remove the game files from your hard drive. These instructions assume you've installed the game in the default directory.
1) Double-click My Computer.
2) Double-click the C:\ drive.
3) Double-click Program Files.
4) Double-click Total War
4) Right-click on the Rome: Total War folder and choose delete.

Remove the RomeTW.ini file from your hard drive.
12) Click the Start button > Find (or Search) > Files & Folders.
13) Search your C:\ drive for a file named RomeTW.ini.
14) The file should be located in C:\WINDOWS.
15) Delete this file.
16) Reboot your machine. At this point the game is completely removed from your system.

I couldn't find any entry for The Creative Assembly or Rome Total War in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE but i did find them in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/SOFTWARE and deleted them and then deleted the files from C:/ and restarted the computer. But i can't find any RomeTW.ini file when i run searches in the C:/WINDOWS folder. I get the same error message when i attempt to reinstall.

[irishron]

rometw.ine will be in one of Installshield/uninstaller packages you can open with Notepad. The only way I could find the Kingdoms campaign installers once.

[Dunadd]

rometw.ine will be in one of Installshield/uninstaller packages you can open with Notepad. The only way I could find the Kingdoms campaign installers once.

Thanks very much but what folder will the Installshield/uninstaller packages be likely to be in in Windows 7 and what are they likely to be called?

[irishron]

Program Files (x86) on mine after logging in as Administrator and unhiding all files, folders, and drives in Folder Options.
The folder is called Installshield Installation Information.

[Dunadd]

Program Files (x86) on mine after logging in as Administrator and unhiding all files, folders, and drives in Folder Options.
The folder is called Installshield Installation Information.

Thanks again. I found the folder for Rome Total War inside the Installshield Installation Information folder. Couldn't find any RomeTW.ini file, but i deleted the whole folder for Rome Total war in the Installshield folder.

Restarted my PC. Tried to reinstall Rome. It said it couldn't be installed as MSS32.dll file was not found the first time. I tried to reinstall again and it's back to saying a previous installation/uninstallation hasn't been completed.
Tried pasting the MS32.dll file from another game into the Windows folder. Doesn't seem to make any difference.

When i go to Control Panel and Add/Remove Programs it shows Rome Total War as still installed, but when i click uninstall nothing happens.

I've searched the whole of C:/ for any files with Rome or Creative in the name, but none of the ones that are left have anything to do with Rome Total War.

[irishron]

Try Activision, Sega, ,,?
There could be a Installshield for Barbarian Invasion, too.

[Dunadd]

Try Activision, Sega, ,,?
There could be a Installshield for Barbarian Invasion, too.

If there's an Installshield folder for BI i can't find it - but it could be one of them that just has nothing to identify it and no setup file i suppose (edit - no - identified them all and there's none. If i've uninstalled Rome without uninstalling BI first could that have messed things up?)

I found a Rome Total War folder in the Games folder and deleted it from C: , but i don't know where to find the Games folder in the Registry in case it needs deleted there too

[irishron]

In the registry, I search for rome, barbarian, activision, sega, creative and discount anything not creative assembly, and about any other combinaation I might think of while doing it.

This may help. http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic...Rome-Total-War

[Dunadd]

In the registry, I search for rome, barbarian, activision, sega, creative and discount anything not creative assembly, and about any other combinaation I might think of while doing it.

This may help. http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic...Rome-Total-War

yeah i'd posted a link to that already, thanks though. I couldn't find any Rome TW.ini file anywhere but i deleted what i could find that was clearly Rome Total War and Creative Assembly. Can't find any BI stuff. After deleting more registry keys Rome Total War doesn't show up in programs when i go to Control Panel any more, but i still get the same error message when i try to reinstall it.

[irishron]

In the top-right corner of Computer, in the Search box, have you tried rome and the others?

Have you searched the Windows\SysWOW64 folder? I don't know about Rome since have not reinstalled it yet but Medieval2 and Kingdoms entries have been buried in there on 64bit Windows.

[Dunadd]

In the top-right corner of Computer, in the Search box, have you tried rome and the others?

Have you searched the Windows\SysWOW64 folder? I don't know about Rome since have not reinstalled it yet but Medieval2 and Kingdoms entries have been buried in there on 64bit Windows.

yeah - I've searched C:/ repeatedly - the only RTW related things left are crash reports (from re-install attempts failing) and back-ups of Reg keys i made before i deleted them from the Registry.

I think i may have deleted some of the Rome related Reg keys without deleting the registry folders they were in (or the sub-keys but not the main key if that's more accurate?) Maybe that's the problem

Suppose i'll just have to wait for Rome 2.

[irishron]

You can try now running the free version of Ccleaner or Eusing Free Registry Cleaner or another free registry cleaner and see if it finishes cleaning up.

[Dunadd]

You can try now running the free version of Ccleaner or Eusing Free Registry Cleaner or another free registry cleaner and see if it finishes cleaning up.

Thanks again. Tried creating a system restore point and then using CCcleaner so far. Didn't make any difference to the installation problem unfortunately. Will try the same with Eusing later.

One thing i notice is that some folders can't be opened even when i check show hidden files and uncheck Hide System Files, not even if i log in as an administrator. They have padlock symbols on them.

[irishron]

Some I can't get into either. Those take a Developer's license and the keys that go with it. Us laymen and women get cut out of this loop.

[Dunadd]

Some I can't get into either. Those take a Developer's license and the keys that go with it. Us laymen and women get cut out of this loop.

Is it so other companies can't copy their programming?

[irishron]

Their programmers can reverse-engineer about any code. No, it's more to protect us from ourselves. It's on a "need to know" basis and we are not part of it. I f you really want to know, do what Gates and Zuckerberg preach, "Learn to code".