My MW2.EXE is 463 KB...

However, there is MW2SHELL which is 986 KB, a bit closer to your posting. I'm using an image of the version which packs both the windows and DOS version on them, incidentally. However, I know for a fact that I installed the DOS version, having run the installer from DOS itself! The fact that I got to the menus should indicate such.

Odd that your MW2.exe is so small. Only way I can see it can be that small is if it was UPX compressed. I just compressed my MW2.EXE with upx --best and reduced it to: 347,494 bytes.

I was going to suggest mabye the 4GW stub wasn't included but the stub isn't that big....sooo:

1. We are using different versions.
2. It's UPX packed.
3. It's corrupted (doubtful since the game loads).

Well, just do me a favor and know that at least somewhere out there, theres an MW2.EXE that still isn't reading the CD 😉

Are you both using the same patch version?

It appears mine is 1.05. There is a 1.06 patch apparently, though at a glance it doesnt change much, Ill install it.

Sorry for double post, dont see an edit buton.

I installed the patch, no go. I dont mean to deny you of your mercenaries fun, but can you get the 1.05 and 1.06 patches (you need the 1.05 patch installed to install the 1.06 patch, apparently) and see if it stops working for you? Might not be good if the only version that runs is the buggy version, which not everyone has.

The edit button is the little circle symbol on the upper-right of a post (just below the reply button of the previous message). Hover your mouse over the other buttons to see what they do. I didn't notice them at first either 😀

Also, is it possible that you have a pirated version of the game that was pre-cracked and isn't getting patched properly? Just a thought. I don't have the game myself so I can't help with testing.

I've been using v1.0, didn't bother with the patches before.
I applied 1.05 last night and the mission loaded right up and the instructor voice activated. (I also checked the filesizes and they matched yours once I apllied the patch..just in case the patch wasn't being applied).
Also patched to 1.06 and that works fine too.

The sizes I posted were 1.05. Are you sure its the 9/11 build you are using?

I'll reitirate: The issue is that MW2.exe doesnt see the drive, even though mercs.exe does. Is the disc 'unmounting' temporarily?

Unmounting temporarily? Not sure what you mean???

The way I see it:

Mercs.exe loads
mw2shell.exe (Menu system)
loads
mw2.exe (The actual game)

Yup, using latest Daum Cafe, the one before that, and the 9-4 build, also tried the 8-16-2005 build from AEP forums. All of 'em worked. It's gotta be your copy.....either that or I'm F*cking with ya. 😁

MW2.EXE - fatal error #53: SYSERROR_CDNOTFOUND: CD-ROM not mounted

Thats the error I get when I go into a mission.

Does your CD come with the windows version as a second install option? Mine does. Maybe something different in those versions thats doing it?

MW2shell.exe also loads? I never noticed... but then thats because it loaded, heh.

Yeah, I've got the very first version of Mercs.

It installs both versions (DOS\WINDOWS) no matter which installation option you choose.

That's the error message I get when I use Mount instead of IMGmount or if I use IMGMount with an image file that doesn't have the audio tracks (or it cannot find the audio tracks because the .cue file is wrong).

One of the help files in the games directory said there was a known error with the CD audio tracks in the KEATING directory being a problem, and to solve by copying the files to a new folder named KEATING in the mercs install directory. In other words, copy and paste the CD audio from the CD into the install directory. Tried it, no go. What directory is your audio in?

I also managed to install just the DOS version, it seems that the DOS and windows are two separate installers.

DosFreak doesn't have the audio tracks in a directory because (from what I understand) they're Redbook CD audio tracks, not files, and are thus outside of the ISO9660 and/or Joliet filesystem on the data track on the CD. He has an entire CD image of the orignal game CD as a BIN/CUE file pair, and the audio tracks are part of the image (as he mentioned on the previous page of this thread). He then mounts the image as a virtual CD in DOSBox using the imgmount command.

Also, the little .cda files you see when you browse an audio CD in WinXP aren't actually the audio tracks (as they don't exist as files on the disk) but rather they're merely fake shortcut-type ghost files generated on the fly by WinXP to make it easier to open them in a CD audio player program.

Well, I dont have an AUDIO directory persay, but the readme said that the audio problem was solved by copying and pasting the KEATING directory, which I do have.

I also use an image of the game, converted from NRG to a CUE/BIN pair.

How big is your .BIN? It should be 700+mb

~260 MB....

😒

I need a new ISO...

Hey there. I'm from netmech.org, and I've found the answers to some of your issues.

1. If the game is constantly crashing in the sim, it may be because you're using the Commando mech. Try selling it and purchasing a Jenner (armor the head!)

2. My two Mercs versions both have the MW2.exe for Mercs at 463kb, and dated November 20th. One is the retail 1.05 version, and the other is the 3DFX interactive edition. I'm guessing they streamlined the file somehow (maybe upx compressed as you said), when they re-released the game. According to Kanajana, Mercs was first released on September 30th, while the 1.05 patch download was made available on October 31st. I guess the

3. Dosbox is unnecessary to run the game at full capacity. Just use mouse2kv at 1024 by 1030, VDMSound (via the dosdrv commandline), and Sapucdex if you want the music tracks to loop properly.

4. As with all of the MW2 games, the later disks have progressively less and less music tracks on them. The 1.00 and 1.05 disks should be the same, while the 3D accelerated versions chop out more and more of them as the size grows.

5. I have a theory that all dos installs from any of the 3D Enhanced CDs will not work properly. I know for a fact that the 3DFX interactive edition's dos install will not work properly. This appears to be due to the larger PRJ containing the enhanced graphics being incompatible.

For more info, check the netmech.org FAQ (which I'll be updating soon, I hope)

I wouldn't say DosBox is unncessary:

1. Superior sound quality via DosBox
2. Not having to put up with NTVDM issues (keyboard,etc....)
3. Not having to worry about video chipsets that require NOLFB.
4. Ability to use scalers and other aspects of DosBox that increase support that NTVDM cannot provide.

Has anybody gotten their copy of MW2:MERCS to run smoothly in DosBox? Mine is still unplayable because it gets too slow when there are too many bad guys around. I have a 2.4 Ghzt processor and I have tried playing around with the cycles and frameskip and I have the latest version of DosBox CVS.

Just wondering if anybody else out there has gotten it to run smoothly, and if so, how?