barbituate
Chieftain
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1
Solution: New CDs (after returning them twice)
More detail:
What a headache. I know it's been said in these threads before, but tech support for 2K Games/Take 2 is rediculously incompetent.
Tried everything I could find on this error in this forum and others. Here's the exact error I get:
Title: Feature transfer error
Feature: DefaultFeature
Component:
File:
Error: Catastrophic Failure
This was received during the installation of the game. Specifically after placing the 2nd disc into the cdrom drive and clicking OK to continue with the installation, it crashed immediately after hitting the OK button. The error above popped up with the only option of OK, once you click that, the installation dies.
Here are some of the things I tried before contacting support:
- Install with Norton Antivirus disabled
- Custom Install to 2nd hard disk
- Express Install
- Install for All users
- Install for just this user
- Install while logged in as administrator
- Copied data3.cab file (only file on 2nd disc) to HDD and pointed to that location instead of the 2nd CD (copied fine to HDD, but the installation still failed with same error, so not a read problem on the CDROM)
- Installed a different game to make sure Windows XP is working okay
- Scanned system for viruses (with updated definitions) - none
- Made sure no rogue processes were running on the system (all procs accounted for)
- Looked on Google for errors of the same nature, lots of references to having to be an administrator (did that already)
Recommendations from other people having this problem with other games (found in forums online)
- Unmark "Read-Only" for 'All Users' and 'Shared Documents' folders
- Remove contents of %temp%
- Attempt install from Safe Mode as administrator
Needless to say, nothing worked. Support gave the following recommendations (after stating what I tried above nonetheless):
--------------------------------
TAKE 2-NA wrote:
>
> Dear Sir/Madam
>
> Thank you for contacting Take 2 Technical Support.
>
> Solution:1. Delete all temporary files from your system.
> Navigate to C:\Windows\Temp and delete all files in this folder.
> Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\*Your User Name*\Local Settings\Temp
> and delete all the files in this folder.
> You may need to turn on the ability to view hidden files and folders to do
> this. To do so, double click My Computer, then click Tools and Options.
> Then click View and select the option to view all hidden files.
> Then reboot and try the game again.
>
>
Done. Files deleted out of both temp folders.
> 2. Close down all background tasks.
> To do this click Start, then Run, then type MSCONFIG and click OK. From
> there click on the tab marked startup.
> For Windows XP users click the button marked as Disable All, then click
> Apply and Close.
> For Non Windows XP users, please remove the ticks from all of the boxes
> apart from the below four and then click Apply and close.
> LoadPowerProfile
> ScanRegistry
> SystemTray
> TaskMonitor
> Once this has been done, please reboot the computer and then try the game
> again.
>
Done. After reboot, no extraneous processes running.
> 3. Reinstalling the game.
> Please uninstall the game, then delete the folder that is left behind. Then
> reboot the computer, reinstall the game and reboot again. Then install any
> patches that are available for the game, reboot the computer and then try
> the game again.
>
The game never installed in the first place. THAT'S MY PROBLEM. And upon an installation failure, there is no lingering, left-behind folder in the attempted installation directory. In fact, the failed installation contents are in the "InstallShield Installation Information" folder found under C:\Program Files\.
I've removed the contents of this directory before attempting to install as well. No difference, installation still crashes.
> 4. Run a thorough Scandisk and Defrag on your computer.
> From the Start menu please select and run a thorough Scandisk of your
> computer's hard disk drive. Then run the Defrag option from the same menu.
> Then reboot and try the game again.
>
Not sure how this has any bearing on the INSTALLATION. Especially since the installation has failed on both of my hard drives *and* on a completely different computer. But performed the defrag and scandisk nonetheless. No errors, hard drive is defragmented.
> 5. Update your drivers.
> Please ensure that you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers for
> your video and sound cards available from the website of the card
> manufacturer.
Again, the video and sound driver do not come into play during the INSTALLATION. But I've put the latest drivers for the NB (nforce - 3.13 - already installed) and graphics card (ATI Radeon 9800XT - Catalyst 6.1 - was 5.1)
>
> Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
> will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.
>
Happy to remove the previous correspondence, as long as you guys actually read the history of the case. I explained in detail what I've already tried, yet the recommendations are asking me to repeat myself. If a backline role exists in your support organization, I'd like this to be escalated. This appears to be a pretty nasty example of a crashing installation, and it may require an expert of the "InstallShield" program interface to understand this better.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Run through installation screens, select express install. 2. Installation completes on DISC 1 and the request pops up for disc 2 ("Setup Needs The Next Disk - Please insert Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Disk 2").
3. I insert disc 2, allow it to completely spin up.
4. Click the OK button for the window requesting disc 2.
5. Immediately after the OK button is selected, the "Feature transfer error" appears and when I click the OK button (only option) on that window the installation crashes.
Thanks for trying. Open to any other suggestions, but please look at the history to see what I've already tried.
Brian
> Thanks for your time,
> Brian (I'm a 'sir' in case that wasn't clear)
>
>
>
>
> Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
> will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.
>
> Kind Regards, Take 2 Technical Support
--------------------------------
So those didn't work either. Tried on a completely different system which failed, and this is pretty much the deal-breaker. Unless there's some HUGE coincidence between the two systems, it was likely a CD issue.
Bought the game from Amazon, and they happily replaced it the first time. But with a 2ND SET OF CDS, the installation still crashed in the exact same place (which made me doubt the bad CD theory). Fought with support a little more, then returned the 2nd set as well. Amazon decided not to give me a 3rd set after I explained that they may have a bad batch of CDs, but they did refund my money.
Went to Fry's Electronics and bought the game from there. No problems during installation. So bad set of CDs after all. Go figure. Just unlucky I guess.
Hope this helps someone not go through the rediculous ordeal of dealing with Take 2 Interactive's tech support. Wanted to make sure it was documented well somewhere on the web.
HTH,
Brian
More detail:
What a headache. I know it's been said in these threads before, but tech support for 2K Games/Take 2 is rediculously incompetent.
Tried everything I could find on this error in this forum and others. Here's the exact error I get:
Title: Feature transfer error
Feature: DefaultFeature
Component:
File:
Error: Catastrophic Failure
This was received during the installation of the game. Specifically after placing the 2nd disc into the cdrom drive and clicking OK to continue with the installation, it crashed immediately after hitting the OK button. The error above popped up with the only option of OK, once you click that, the installation dies.
Here are some of the things I tried before contacting support:
- Install with Norton Antivirus disabled
- Custom Install to 2nd hard disk
- Express Install
- Install for All users
- Install for just this user
- Install while logged in as administrator
- Copied data3.cab file (only file on 2nd disc) to HDD and pointed to that location instead of the 2nd CD (copied fine to HDD, but the installation still failed with same error, so not a read problem on the CDROM)
- Installed a different game to make sure Windows XP is working okay
- Scanned system for viruses (with updated definitions) - none
- Made sure no rogue processes were running on the system (all procs accounted for)
- Looked on Google for errors of the same nature, lots of references to having to be an administrator (did that already)
Recommendations from other people having this problem with other games (found in forums online)
- Unmark "Read-Only" for 'All Users' and 'Shared Documents' folders
- Remove contents of %temp%
- Attempt install from Safe Mode as administrator
Needless to say, nothing worked. Support gave the following recommendations (after stating what I tried above nonetheless):
--------------------------------
TAKE 2-NA wrote:
>
> Dear Sir/Madam
>
> Thank you for contacting Take 2 Technical Support.
>
> Solution:1. Delete all temporary files from your system.
> Navigate to C:\Windows\Temp and delete all files in this folder.
> Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\*Your User Name*\Local Settings\Temp
> and delete all the files in this folder.
> You may need to turn on the ability to view hidden files and folders to do
> this. To do so, double click My Computer, then click Tools and Options.
> Then click View and select the option to view all hidden files.
> Then reboot and try the game again.
>
>
Done. Files deleted out of both temp folders.
> 2. Close down all background tasks.
> To do this click Start, then Run, then type MSCONFIG and click OK. From
> there click on the tab marked startup.
> For Windows XP users click the button marked as Disable All, then click
> Apply and Close.
> For Non Windows XP users, please remove the ticks from all of the boxes
> apart from the below four and then click Apply and close.
> LoadPowerProfile
> ScanRegistry
> SystemTray
> TaskMonitor
> Once this has been done, please reboot the computer and then try the game
> again.
>
Done. After reboot, no extraneous processes running.
> 3. Reinstalling the game.
> Please uninstall the game, then delete the folder that is left behind. Then
> reboot the computer, reinstall the game and reboot again. Then install any
> patches that are available for the game, reboot the computer and then try
> the game again.
>
The game never installed in the first place. THAT'S MY PROBLEM. And upon an installation failure, there is no lingering, left-behind folder in the attempted installation directory. In fact, the failed installation contents are in the "InstallShield Installation Information" folder found under C:\Program Files\.
I've removed the contents of this directory before attempting to install as well. No difference, installation still crashes.
> 4. Run a thorough Scandisk and Defrag on your computer.
> From the Start menu please select and run a thorough Scandisk of your
> computer's hard disk drive. Then run the Defrag option from the same menu.
> Then reboot and try the game again.
>
Not sure how this has any bearing on the INSTALLATION. Especially since the installation has failed on both of my hard drives *and* on a completely different computer. But performed the defrag and scandisk nonetheless. No errors, hard drive is defragmented.
> 5. Update your drivers.
> Please ensure that you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers for
> your video and sound cards available from the website of the card
> manufacturer.
Again, the video and sound driver do not come into play during the INSTALLATION. But I've put the latest drivers for the NB (nforce - 3.13 - already installed) and graphics card (ATI Radeon 9800XT - Catalyst 6.1 - was 5.1)
>
> Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
> will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.
>
Happy to remove the previous correspondence, as long as you guys actually read the history of the case. I explained in detail what I've already tried, yet the recommendations are asking me to repeat myself. If a backline role exists in your support organization, I'd like this to be escalated. This appears to be a pretty nasty example of a crashing installation, and it may require an expert of the "InstallShield" program interface to understand this better.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Run through installation screens, select express install. 2. Installation completes on DISC 1 and the request pops up for disc 2 ("Setup Needs The Next Disk - Please insert Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Disk 2").
3. I insert disc 2, allow it to completely spin up.
4. Click the OK button for the window requesting disc 2.
5. Immediately after the OK button is selected, the "Feature transfer error" appears and when I click the OK button (only option) on that window the installation crashes.
Thanks for trying. Open to any other suggestions, but please look at the history to see what I've already tried.
Brian
> Thanks for your time,
> Brian (I'm a 'sir' in case that wasn't clear)
>
>
>
>
> Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
> will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.
>
> Kind Regards, Take 2 Technical Support
--------------------------------
So those didn't work either. Tried on a completely different system which failed, and this is pretty much the deal-breaker. Unless there's some HUGE coincidence between the two systems, it was likely a CD issue.
Bought the game from Amazon, and they happily replaced it the first time. But with a 2ND SET OF CDS, the installation still crashed in the exact same place (which made me doubt the bad CD theory). Fought with support a little more, then returned the 2nd set as well. Amazon decided not to give me a 3rd set after I explained that they may have a bad batch of CDs, but they did refund my money.
Went to Fry's Electronics and bought the game from there. No problems during installation. So bad set of CDs after all. Go figure. Just unlucky I guess.
Hope this helps someone not go through the rediculous ordeal of dealing with Take 2 Interactive's tech support. Wanted to make sure it was documented well somewhere on the web.
HTH,
Brian
