I have a problem. I cant unlock! I am running Vista (again) and i went to unlock and poof 'Unlocking Error'

I tried on U12, nope, i've also tried on U13, nope still! I done a clean instal of LFS on standard U, same, U12, same, U13, same.

Im running 64bit version if that makes a difference .

Hm I dont know in how far the 64 and 32 bit versions differ, but the unlocking worked for me and all others. Dunno if one of them used the 64bit version though.
Are you sure the windows firewall isnt blocking LFS?

Quote from ORION :

Hm I dont know in how far the 64 and 32 bit versions differ, but the unlocking worked for me and all others. Dunno if one of them used the 64bit version though.
Are you sure the windows firewall isnt blocking LFS?

Yes, LFS is in the exceptions list. I can get the online server list for the demo ok, no problems there, just unlocking.

EDIT: I can connect to demo servers and race.

I stll cant unlock!

Delved a bit into it last night and i think it does connect. If i type me username in wrong, it tells me there isnt that nick on the system, if i type me password wrong, it tells me the GAMEpassword does not match, but when i get them right, it says unlocking error.

Help please!

Has anyone else tried unlocking with the 64 bit version of Vista?

I just looked over the other Vista-related threads and couldnt find anyone who said it worked for him in the 64bit version. Two said it didnt work, Gener_AL said his network card isnt supported so he cant unlock anyway.
I COULD hijack my brother's computer and install a 64bit Vista there, because he has a 64bit CPU, which is needed for the 64bit Vista I guess.
Gotta download the 64bit version at first, though.

I don't know if scawen is aware of this either, but I am unable to unlock in Cedega in linux, I have seen another person on this forum who has, but I am unable to get a reply from him with his settings.

(Sorry if this is off topic, but seeing as the topic is unlocking errors)

Quote from Scawen :

Has anyone else tried unlocking with the 64 bit version of Vista?

Works, can't remember off my head whether it was with U11 or 12 though.

Running vista 64 here, and I can't unlock it..

on U12, now testing U14..

EDIT: 14 no go either..

EDIT2: It's not the firewall..

EDIT3: Hmmm.. I've got music in the menus, but not a peep in in-game sound...

Quote from VinE :

EDIT3: Hmmm.. I've got music in the menus, but not a peep in in-game sound...

you need to adjust your sound lag, in the options -> misc screen
see info in this thread.
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=163145#post163145

Yes. But that should be reported to Microsoft as an issue. Please could you Vista users report that to Microsoft as a bug in the Vista Beta.


The need to increase sound lag suggests that either :

1) there is some kind of long delay between writing to the looping sound buffer, and that info actually making it to the sound card.

Or :

2) there is a bug in the function waveOutGetPosition - this is the funciton that LFS calls to get the position in the buffer where the sound is being generated from, and it writes the new sound a little way ahead of that read point. How far ahead to write depends on the value of the "sound lag" setting.


Increasing sound lag to 0.3 seconds may make the sound come out but then there is a long delay between your engine revs increasing, and you actually hearing that increase.

So my point is that this is a quite serious problem with Vista and if not fixed then it rules out the possibility of generating interactive sound using the waveOut system.

Feel free to quote me or send Microsoft a link to this post.

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=166685#post166685

Ok, I have now installed the windows beta client (= bug reporting tool), and filled out some forms already. Looks like they want to have very detailed information, though.
Scawen, would it be much work to write a small test app? I don't know if they will be willing to download the whole LFS archive just to test this.
However, the sound starts to come up at a sound lag of about 0.22, but its almost only noise, and very stuttering. When you increase the sound lag further, its gets louder, and the noise is very strong at 0.24, and you begin to hear an engine rev through it. At 0.3 it seems clean.
Im sorry that I can't record the sound, maybe that would help already...

tried again to unlock on vista 64

get strange error on start up of LFS
Could not create english file

when i try unlock, get error
could not create file

----------------------------------------------------------
System/drivers
AMD opteron 146U
NForce 4 Ultra
http://www.nzone.com/object/nz ... orce_vista_x64_beta2.html
Using Realtek 8139 NIC (MS drivers)
Onboard Realtek AC97 audio (Drivers used see above link)
Using 1Gb Ram
-----------------------------------------------------------

gonna test sound now and investigate network activity on unlock.

(was using a creative card that still has no drivers !! )

*******
Update 20.35pm
*******

OK tried installing fresh LFS Ver Q > patched to ver U->

Start up error fixed , first unlock attempt > unlock error >2nd attempt LFS hardlock>tried to kill proccess >system lock

Patched to U14->

Can attempt unlocking without hardlocking system now , but still gives "unlock error"

---------------------------------

Sound is exactley as described as Orion stated, ive tried a few things , Vista alows you to split channels etc or give app priority nothing seems to help this lag/clip effect going under .26/27

I did find a fix for if sound totally stops working in game (which it did on 2 occasions) disable all music then re-enable (i didnt try shift&w shift &n if i can reproduce this ill post and test these hot keys)

----------------------------------

just wait till s3 they might intergrate it into if you ask victor reeeeaaal nice

Quote from Gener_AL (UK) :

Sound is exactley as described as Orion stated, ive tried a few things , Vista alows you to split channels etc or give app priority nothing seems to help this lag/clip effect going under .26/27

if i had to guess, i think it would be this new functionality that is causing the sound issues in LFS in vista.

Can you post some more details on "this new functionality" please?

Gener_AL: can you record sound? I guess it would help to have some sound file to attach to the report, even though a little program would be nicer.
Maybe there are other programs (music players / generators) with the same problem, so they can test if their bug fixes work.

lots of informational links here, mostly "behind the scenes" stuff though; not so much detailed info on the new features, but how the new features work, and changes that have been made to the audio stack and APIs.

http://blogs.msdn.com/larryost ... chive/category/10954.aspx

Quote from ORION :

Scawen, would it be much work to write a small test app? I don't know if they will be willing to download the whole LFS archive just to test this.

Quite a lot yes but I've done one, because we will need to prove this bug to Microsoft with a simple example. I can supply the source code if this program seems to prove the point.

But first, please can you test the small program (attached).

What do do : reduce the "Write ahead" value (with N / M keys) and see how low you can go before the sound gets corrupted. Example : on my computer it starts to get corrupted at 0.04, is permanently corrupted at 0.03 and goes silent at 0.02.

"Write ahead" is the same as "Sound lag" in LFS. If you try the A / Z keys to change the frequency then you can see the benefit of having a smaller "Write ahead".

Ok, it works perfectly as expected. On my WinXP notebook, I have exactly the same result as you, no matter if I set the CPU to 1500MHz or 500MHz.

On Vista, I get smooth sound only for 0.28 and higher. At 0.23, the sound is almost gone, only a bit noise every 2-5 seconds or so. 0.22 = no sound at all.

Thanks, going to write the report now.

Quote from ORION :

Ok, it works perfectly as expected. On my WinXP notebook, I have exactly the same result as you, no matter if I set the CPU to 1500MHz or 500MHz.

On Vista, I get smooth sound only for 0.28 and higher. At 0.23, the sound is almost gone, only a bit noise every 2-5 seconds or so. 0.22 = no sound at all.

Thanks, going to write the report now.

Well... shall I attach the source code first?

Then they will know what the program does... that might be helpful!

One other thing Orion...

You need to do one more test. We need to know if the delay is still true. On XP, if you set the write aheed to 0.3, then try changing frequency, you will notice that it takes a third of a second before the sound changes.

Is it the same on Vista (when you have set the write ahead to the minimum level where it works ok) ? Or is the frequency change time delay very small if you do that?

OK here's the source code for that program. And I've included the compiled program in the zip as well. This should help the Microsoft people understand what's going on, if the report ever makes it to a programmer!

EDIT : removed the attachment and added a link to an updated version of the test program. The new zip file contains :

Source code
Compiled exe
README.txt explaining the issue

www.liveforspeed.co.uk/Sound_Test_CPP_SOURCE.zip

Well I reported it now, but Im not sure if it was actually sent.... you click finish, and it jumps back to the beginning, without any message. Weird...
I saved it on my disk so I can upload it again.

[EDIT]
The felt delay is the same on both XP and Vista.

Apparently it didnt send anything... I will try to find the problem after eating

[EDIT2]
Ok, Im now 100% sure it didnt send anything. There should have been a promt asking for a MS Passport login, but there was nothing. I will have to create such a passport account now, but I hope next time it will not just do nothing when I click "Finish".

Good luck Orion. And thank you for your efforts. I have written to a programmer friend to see if he has any MS contact I could get in touch with about this as well. It seems to be a very important bug...

Ok everything has worked now... you have to fill in the build field, in order to be allowed to check the checkbox that gets the details from the current computer, which overrides the build field then. lol
Additionally, it was required hat you have a ms passport "cookie" as xml data in your user folder somewhere.
Thanks google

I have tried to explain the problem in a nice way, and included our testing results in there. If they dont understand this... well then they can apply as coder for valve :P