KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q321083: Dungeon Siege: Err Msg: Decoding Error - Compressed Data

Article: Q321083
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 1.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbimu
Last Modified: 14-AUG-2002

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Dungeon Siege, version 1.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

While you play Dungeon Siege, you may receive an error message similar to the
following:

  Fatal Error has occurred and the application must be shut down.

  Decoding error - compressed data is corrupt or unreadable.

  -or-

  Unable to open file '<file>'
  Check your nodes_misc.gas file for a typo. Cannot continue, the program will
  now exit.

  -or-

  Decoding error! Compressed data is either corrupt or unreadable, possibly due
  to hardware failure. Try replacing or repairing the resource file
  (reinstall?) to fix this problem.

You may also experience the following behavior(s):

- During installation a resource file (*.dsres) does not copy.

- The game or computer stops responding (hangs).

- There is no sound during game play.

CAUSE
=====

This issue can occur if one or more of the following are true:

- Dungeon Siege resource files that are currently being stored in memory are
  becoming corrupted due to incorrect settings on the computer hardware.

- Dungeon Siege interacts extensively with almost every system in the PC and as
  a result, is very sensitive to the hardware configuration.

- There is a corrupted resource file (.dsres).

RESOLUTION
==========

Verify Files
------------

Verify that the resource files is corrupted by running a cyclical redundancy
check (CRC) on the files. To do this, follow these steps.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following
steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product
documentation to complete these steps.

1. Right-click the desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

2. Click Browse, click DungeonSiege.exe, and then click Open. By default, the
  path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Dungeon Siege\DungeonSiege.exe".

3. In the "Command line" box, to the right of the quotation marks ("), type a
  space, and then type " verifydata=true" (without the quotation marks).

4. Click Next, and then click Finish.

5. Double-click the new shortcut.

  The CRC takes several minutes to complete.

If any of the files do not pass the CRC test, the files are corrupted. To remove
and reinstall the game, use one of the following methods:

Method 1:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.

3. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Dungeon Siege, and then click Add/Remove.

4. Click Uninstall, and then click OK.

  NOTE: Do not click to select the "Remove saved games" check box.

5. After the removal is complete, verify the integrity of your hard disk to look
  for lost clusters and errors. To do this, follow these steps:

  a. Double-click My Computer on the desktop, and then click the hard disk
     where you will install Dungeon Siege.

  b. On the File menu, click Properties.

  c. On the Tools tab, click Check Now under Error-checking.

  d. Under "Check disk options", click to select the "Scan for and attempt
     recovery of bad sectors" check box.

  e. Click Start.

6. Reinstall Dungeon Siege.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q321742 Dungeon Siege: How to Troubleshoot Setup Errors

Method 2:

1. Insert the Dungeon Siege disc 1, and hold down the SHIFT key to prevent the
  autorun program from starting.

2. Copy the resource file or files, as appropriate, from <CD-ROM
  drive>\DSIEGE\RESOUR_1 to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Dungeon
  Siege\Resources:

   - OBJECT_1.DSR

   - VOICES_1.DSR

NOTE: If you receive errors copying the files, there may be a problem with the
disc or drive. For additional information about troubleshooting CD-ROM and
DVD-ROM drives, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q218617 How to Troubleshoot CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Read Issues

  Q321641 How to Troubleshoot Issues with Reading CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD
  Discs

3. Insert the Dungeon Siege disc 2, and hold down the SHIFT key to prevent the
  autorun program from starting.

4. Copy the resource file or files, as appropriate, from <CD-ROM
  drive>\DSIEGE\RESOUR_1 to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Dungeon
  Siege\Resources:

   - LOGIC_1.DSR

   - SOUND_1.DSR

   - TERRAI_1.DSR

NOTE: If you receive errors copying the files, there may be a problem with the
disc or drive. For additional information about troubleshooting CD-ROM and
DVD-ROM drives, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q218617 How to Troubleshoot CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Read Issues

  Q321641 How to Troubleshoot Issues with Reading CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD
  Discs

5. Right-click each of the damaged files, click Rename, and then change the file
  name to end with .OLD.

6. Right-click each of the new files, click Rename, and then change the file
  name as follows:

   - OBJECT_1.DSR is changed to OBJECTS.DSRES.

   - VOICES_1.DSR is changed to VOICES.DSRES.

   - LOGIC_1.DSR is changed to LOGIC.DSRES.

   - SOUND_1.DSR is changed to SOUND.DSRES.

   - TERRAI_1.DSR is changed to TERRAIN.DSRES.

Install the Dungeon Siege Update
--------------------------------

Install the latest Dungeon Siege Update. For additional information about the
Dungeon Siege Update, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q324477 Dungeon Siege 1.0: Availability of the Dungeon Siege Update and the
  Fixes Included in the Update

Set Hardware to Default Settings
--------------------------------

If you have a retail computer and have changed the configuration of the CPU clock
rates and other BIOS settings such as memory, contact your computer manufacturer
for help restoring the factory default settings.

If you have a non-retail computer, such as a computer that you built yourself,
and you have configured the CPU clock rates and other BIOS settings such as
memory, contact your hardware manufacturer for help in configuring these
settings.

For information about how to contact , click the appropriate article number in
the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

  Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

  Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

MORE INFORMATION
================

For additional information about other causes of these behaviors, click the
article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q321084 Dungeon Siege: Game Stops During Startup at Black Screen

Additional query words: msgame

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbimu 
Technology        : kbHomeProdSearch kbGamesSearch _IK kbDungeonSiege
Version           : :1.0
Issue type        : kbprb

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.