Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question: Ok, I got the installer and there are problems with either the installation or the start. I am sure I have done everything correctly so far. What now?
Answer:
    Such misbehavior may be due to a number of reasons:
  • missing/wrong Tooltypes
    Some fixes won´t run properly (or at all) if you do not set the correct tooltypes for your system. Read the documentation to find out which tooltypes are supported. Example Tooltypes which may help are NoCache, NoVBRMove, NoAutoVec, PAL/NTSC, NoMMU.
  • readme file that comes with the install package
    This often explains some specific problems, keys or tooltypes that have to be set.
  • wrong WHDLoad version
    Most Installs need the latest version of WHDLoad and will not run with a older one. The golden rule is to always have the latest version installed.
  • your machine is incompatible
    Especially a 040/060 CPU or some turboboards/other hardware may cause problems. Try to turn off all extra hardware and try to start the install again.
  • unsupported version
    Many commercial games have been sold in more than one version (full price release/budget re-release/coverdisk release, PAL/NTSC version,...). Of course an install can only work if it has been written especially for a special version of a game. If you have a different version of the same game, it won´t work. In that case, the only way to use the install is to contact the author of the install and ask him to support your version. In most cases the author will help you and patch your version of the game, too, within a few days.
  • old version of the install
    As soon as a bug is discovered and removed, the new version of the fix is made available at the WHDLoad website. Always get the latest version of the install. Please note that the latest version is not always the one in Aminet. Some patches are not released on Aminet at all, and many are released with a few weeks delay!
  • you discovered a bug
    Although all fixes are tested before release, a bug might have escaped unnoticed. If you think you have discovered a bug, write a detailed report of your problem to the author of the patch. For this, use the bug report form. Try to report your problem as accurately as possible. If we aren't informed about bugs we can't correct them. Note: The ONLY correct place for problems/bug reports is the bug report form and not comp.sys.amiga.games because not every developer reads it.
Question: I have a game but I don't find an installer for it ?
Answer: Make a list of your wishes. You may also include games which are already installable on HD on their own (copyable files and/or an installer supplied with the game itself) which have problems (even with simple degrading problems or no quit), even if it's not that likely that we patch them in near future. Keep in mind that a person is only able to patch about 25 games per year. Indicate with a priority which are your favourites (eg ! and +) and dislikes (-), and check yourself which games already have HD installs.
Question: Is it possible to use WHDLoad to install a demo/game which uses the operating system ?
Answer: In general it is not possible for a demo/game running inside WHDLoad to access any OS stuff. You as the writer of the required Slave program have to patch all accesses to the OS. Either you disable such accesses or you have to emulate them appropriately.
Question: If WHDLoad uses the MMU (option NoMMU/S is not set and on a 68030 option MMU/S is set there are short errors in the graphics and/or in the music (e.g. Beast2). A bug ?
Answer: This occurs during loading. The reason is that WHDLoad must switch off the interrupts during loading for a short period if the MMU is used. This behavior cannot be changed.
Question: When I try to use the NTSC tooltype WHDLoad shows an Guru.
Answer: There is an bug in MCP 1.30 in the ScreenManager which causes WHDLoad OpenScreenTags call to crash. Disable the ScreenManager in MCP to aid.
User asks: Concerning the registration of WHDLoad, I think it's quite correct to demand a shareware fee but it's kind of unfair in my case, because the old WHDLoad Slaves work without registering and do not display the requester.
But recently I found a long awaited original: Shadowlands. I have installed the game using the appropriate WHDLoad-installer, but without the registered version, it isn't possible to save gamepositions. There isn't even an option to save back to floppies. And if I bear in mind that the 30 DM added to the price simply to have a playable game (due to the important save option) then I ask myself why I bought the original at all, even if it was cheap!
Ok, if I had other originals which would have extra features enabled after registering, that would be an incentive for me to register. But for only the one game?
Harry answers: The cost for installation work can't be estimated correctly anyway - if it was based on the number of hours to produce the installs, then WHDLoad would have an average registration fee of 150-200 DM.
I work on a game for about 15 hours on average (admittedly, I do rather complicated and tricky things) and often more. For example I have spent 40 hours on Unreal and it's still not finished. But for that, the stuff is completely tested and runs (except for a few odds and ends, sometimes I simply can't see any further into a game even if I pottered about it long enough - e.g. Masterblazer & its highscore).
If I quote 20 DM per hour (a quite cheap price for that kind of work in Germany) that would be 300 DM per install and multiplied by 35 installs totals 10 kDM. *As a matter of fact* I could also make money in the industry with program support during that time.
I'm not after the money, therefore my installs always work with the lowest possible version, but don't complain if an install *really* needs a higher version (especially my ones)... Simply see the registration fee as a reward for the installs already done.