my os is stuck between gameex error and instantsheller

[sman26]

Hello

I was trying to have gameex play the lightning MAME avi video file before it loaded so under the "start before game ex begins" portion it let me point to the avi file. After the reboot I get the Game Ex error "Sorry and error was encountered" I can see from the line items it's when it was trying to load the avi file. When I then click "close this window" I just come to a black screen with cursor I can move because I have InstantSheller enabled. I can't get back to gameex to disable the avi file I was trying to run so that GameEx would start. Any idea how to get past this? Safe mode in XP takes me to the same result. Normally when I back out of GameEx it goes back to Windows where I can disabled InstantSheller but since I can't get to GameEx and back out to get to XP I can't turn off Instantsheller.

Really appreciate any help. Don't want to have to wipe and start over.

GameEx v11.26

XP sp2

p4 2 gig ram

Shawn

[Tom Speirs]

Use CTRL-ALT-DELETE and start a new process - explorer.exe.

This should bring you to windows.

[sman26]

Thanks Tom....you're a life saver. Your instructions let me right in.

Trying to set an intro video is what messed me up and I was able to find instructions on that. An intro sound to replace the default one is where I am having difficulties. I found the instructions in the FAQ to replace the "introsound.wav" file in the c:\program files\gameex\themes\"whatever theme you're using folder". Funny though because I am using the DEFAULT-MEDIA CENTER-BACKGROUND V1 and there is no MEDIA folder even in there like some of the others yet that default GAMEEX intro sound is pulling from somewhere. I can start a new thread if you like on this.

Thanks again,

Shawn

[Tempest]

GameEx looks in the default-default theme first for emulator logos. Perhaps it does the same for introsound.wav?

The nice thing about using the default-default folder is that your media will be consistent, even if you switch themes.

Edit: There is an introsound.wav in the default-default folder, so I am sure that is what is happening.

[sman26]

Hi Tempest.

That's strange because I was thinking it's playing one of these darn introsound.wav files in one of these THEME Media folders so I just started replacing all of them with mine and got to Default Default and replaced that one and ran GameEx again and it still played the default GameEx sound. I would just continue replacing all the sounds but it would be nice to know exactly which one it is pulling from.

[Draco1962]

I believe that GameEx looks in the theme Media folder for the theme you have installed first, then Default-Default theme if the file is not present (be it a sound, video, or image file).

I had a similar issue with some sound files a few months ago. I was getting DirectSound errors and GameEx would abort before it could even look in the Default-Default theme Media folder . I started substituting the custom sound files one at a time with the default sounds and discovered that one of the files that had worked previously was now corrupt. I deleted the file and replaced it with another and my sounds worked fine after.

[sman26]

My problem is that the THEME I am running "Default - Media Center - Background V1" has no MEDIA folder in it SO...

i've tried adding a MEDIA folder and putting my introsound.wav file in that theme. - Didn't work - still pulling the default sound.

i've tried replacing my introsound.wav with the introsound.wav file in the "Default - Default" MEDIA folder - Didn't work - still pulling the default sound from somewhere.

What am I missing?

Thanks.

[Draco1962]

  On 10/5/2010 at 12:15 PM, sman26 said:

My problem is that the THEME I am running "Default - Media Center - Background V1" has no MEDIA folder in it SO...

i've tried adding a MEDIA folder and putting my introsound.wav file in that theme. - Didn't work - still pulling the default sound.

i've tried replacing my introsound.wav with the introsound.wav file in the "Default - Default" MEDIA folder - Didn't work - still pulling the default sound from somewhere.

What am I missing?

Thanks.

Even though you may be able to play the file in WMP or other media player outside of GameEx, the file may be corrupt enough to not play well with GameEx (my issue). What I would probably try is a substitution with a known working file that you can hear in GameEx and see if it works. If so, then your file may be corrupt.

My Carbon & Steel theme has custom sound files. You may wish to try that and see if you hear the custom sounds.

[sman26]

Thanks....where do I find the themes. Is it a sticky?

[sman26]

It shouldn't be this hard should it?...still not working. Here's what I did...So i grabbed the EXITSCREENSAVER.WAV out of the "Default - Galaxian\MEDIA" which should be a legit wav file. Plays in WMP just fine. There is no INTROSOUND.WAV file in my "Default - Media Center - Background V1" folder so I make a MEDIA folder and rename the EXITSCREENSAVER.WAV to INTROSOUND.WAV and dump it in. I also overwrite the INTROSOUND.WAV file in the "Default - Default" MEDIA folder with this new INTROSOUND.WAV (exitscreensaver.wav) file. I start up GameEx and I still get that darn default GameeX startup sound. Where the heck is it hiding so I can overwrite that sum bit**. I have followed the instructions submitted by others but that isn't working.

Thanks for any additional help.