[Alaskan02]

Hi Spud,
The file in question is ztbdwypt1.zip found in Trainsim.com
Cheers.

spud, on 30 May 2012 - 04:39 AM, said:

They do say ignorance is bliss!

Alaskan02,
could you give me the name of the zip file and the source for it and I'll have a look at the problem with my installation and that would or could help solve thing more quickly.
Unpacking APAK's to the default MSTS should never be a problem because that is where TSUnpack expects the route to be. It is mini-routes that stymie the program as it is old and written before mini-routes were used except by guru's so the program itself has no way to change the path but route riter overcomes that weakness.
Post the complete file name of the activity and where to download it and I'll work at it and see if I can help.
I notice that your install is in the WIN7 C\Programs(86) folder which is most likely the source of all your problems. Installing MSTS with WIN 7 to where WIN7 directs it by default will cause nothing but permission issues from now until the cows come home. Steam4me site has a tutorial on installing MSTS with WIN 7 that prevents all the UAC problems.
I do not use WIN 7 myself (XP) so am not well versed in the problems but there are thousands of posts on the sites with problems when it is installed in the X86 folder.
Got to go to the Dr. now but back later in the day.

[spud]

Got the file and will checkout what I can on the APAK although I do not add activities that require buying payware software but I should be able to check out getting the APAK to unpack for you.
At the moment I have to run some chores and will get back to you on my findings a bit later.
:)

[spud]

Alaskan02, and Chris,
Well once again I managed to create chaos with a small brain fart on my part.
I made an error in my original tutorial post starting at #9. I actually added an additional step that is incorrect. Re-read the tutorial which has been corrected (for default installtion) Step #9 & 10 has changed and #11 & 12 eliminated.

Chris,
yes if you renamed the folder you have to change the registry path to match YOUR name but using the corrected tutorial you will navigate to YOUR PRR installation and the path will be correct for your installation.

Now I downloaded the activity and was able to get TSUpack to work fine except that a message appears that says:

"The installed track database for this route is version 11689, the activity was built on version 8638. Continue?"

This tells me the activity was written on an older version of the route and of course I did not 'Continue', not wanting to possibly muck up my route.

I'm pretty sure there is a work around for this but please go to the CLW site and ask either Ron or Mike about what to do with the activity include all info and error messages you receive.

I apologize for not getting my own tutorial correct but it has been modified to help future users.
:sign_sorry:

[spud]

If you have good backups of the route you could try the Continue part of the TSUnpack message posted in my last message and see how it goes or if it will work afterwards.

If you like to live dangerously the following could be tried as well.

CAUTION: Information only modify the tdb at your own risk the serial number of the track database (11689 on my installation) can be found at the beginning of the file. You could back up the tdb, better still the entire installation, and try to modify a copy of the tdb and change the serial number to whatever TSUnpack message lists and see if the activity would unpack. After it does then go back into the tdb and change the serial number back to the original. Try running the route and activity and see if that works???
This is, of course only for the 'non-faint of heart' hard core simmer with GOOD backups just in case everything goes sour.
Personally there is not an activity made that I would work that hard to install. APK activities are generally older ones that are based on former version of PRR-ER and as such may or may not work even if you do get the files to unpack.
Now if I were working with a small easy to re-install route maybe I would but the PRR is just not in that league at all. It is a complicated, extremely large route that has taken years to develop and in my case a couple of years to update to the most current version and I sure as he** do not want to mess it up and have to start from scratch again.
:sign_sorry:

[Alaskan02]

spud, on 30 May 2012 - 04:39 AM, said:

They do say ignorance is bliss!

Alaskan02,
could you give me the name of the zip file and the source for it and I'll have a look at the problem with my installation and that would or could help solve thing more quickly.
Unpacking APAK's to the default MSTS should never be a problem because that is where TSUnpack expects the route to be. It is mini-routes that stymie the program as it is old and written before mini-routes were used except by guru's so the program itself has no way to change the path but route riter overcomes that weakness.
Post the complete file name of the activity and where to download it and I'll work at it and see if I can help.
I notice that your install is in the WIN7 C\Programs(86) folder which is most likely the source of all your problems. Installing MSTS with WIN 7 to where WIN7 directs it by default will cause nothing but permission issues from now until the cows come home. Steam4me site has a tutorial on installing MSTS with WIN 7 that prevents all the UAC problems.
I do not use WIN 7 myself (XP) so am not well versed in the problems but there are thousands of posts on the sites with problems when it is installed in the X86 folder.
Got to go to the Dr. now but back later in the day.

Hi Spud,
The file name is ztbdwypt1 which is in Trainsim .com

[spud]

Alaskan02, on 01 June 2012 - 04:08 AM, said:

Hi Spud,
The file name is ztbdwypt1 which is in Trainsim .com

Yep got the filename from your first post about it. Downloaded the file and used Route Riter to change the path to the registry following my tutorial. When that was done the APK file will work but I got a popup box that said:

"The installed track database for this route is version 11689, the activity was built on version 8638. Continue?"

This message tell me that the activity was developed from a much older version of the PRR-ER with the TDB version 8638. I have posted that you could Continue as the message asks and see what happens but be aware I do not know if that would screw up your PRR-ER installation or not. In any case I would back up my route before trying to add an activity that was NOT written for the present PRR route but rather for a much older version that may cause the activity to fail due to path changes etc. in the newer version.

Frankly I would not recommend using this activity if after you change your registry path using Route Riter and you get the warning above. IMHO "it just ain't worth it to me."
:ko2:

[conductorchris]

Hmmm. Route Riter, when changing the registry, makes the path for the folder containing the train.exe program.

However (and I'm realizing I probably didn't make myself clear when I wrote originally) the folder who's name I changed was the name of the folder of the route itself. Which (unless I'm misinterpreting something) Route Riter will not go so far as to point the registry to.

Christopher

[Alaskan02]

spud, on 30 May 2012 - 04:39 AM, said:

They do say ignorance is bliss!

Alaskan02,
could you give me the name of the zip file and the source for it and I'll have a look at the problem with my installation and that would or could help solve thing more quickly.
Unpacking APAK's to the default MSTS should never be a problem because that is where TSUnpack expects the route to be. It is mini-routes that stymie the program as it is old and written before mini-routes were used except by guru's so the program itself has no way to change the path but route riter overcomes that weakness.
Post the complete file name of the activity and where to download it and I'll work at it and see if I can help.
I notice that your install is in the WIN7 C\Programs(86) folder which is most likely the source of all your problems. Installing MSTS with WIN 7 to where WIN7 directs it by default will cause nothing but permission issues from now until the cows come home. Steam4me site has a tutorial on installing MSTS with WIN 7 that prevents all the UAC problems.
I do not use WIN 7 myself (XP) so am not well versed in the problems but there are thousands of posts on the sites with problems when it is installed in the X86 folder.
Got to go to the Dr. now but back later in the day.

[Alaskan02]

Hi Spud,
The file in question is ztbdwypt1.zip which is in Trainsim.com
cheers.

[spud]

Alaskan02, on 02 June 2012 - 01:22 AM, said:

Hi Spud,
The file in question is ztbdwypt1.zip which is in Trainsim.com
cheers.

Alaskan02,
see my post #12 and #16 in both of these I have said I downloaded the file and used TSUpack to extract the APK file. However when doing that it gives a warning message that my PRR-ER route TDB is serial number 11689 and the activity in question was written using the TDB serial number 8639. Quite simply this means that the activity was written using a much older and earlier version of PRR-ER. In fact the activity was written in 2009, 3 years ago. Because with updates and changes made as the route developed to its present version there may be path problems with the activity as written. I do not know that for a fact but just making an educated guess.

The main thing is learning how to use Route Riter to temporarily change the path to the PRR-ER so TSUpack will work. Have you been able to accomplish that yet? If not then everything written previously is a MOOT Point until you successfully accomplish the change, APK file will never work for the PRR-ER mini route.
:bigboss: