25 to Life

README file

<12/28/05>

Version <1.4>

Part 1: Things You Should Know

Please read through the DirectX section of this document. This section has info
rmation that is vital to successfully running 25 to Life on your system.
1.1

DirectX

This game is optimised for Microsoft's DirectX 9.0c. In order for you to play
the game, you must have DirectX 9.0c compliant drivers for your video card and s
ound card. Please note that although DirectX 9.0c is installed with the game, y
our video and sound card drivers will not be upgraded to DirectX 9.0c drivers.
You will need to obtain the latest DirectX 9.0c drivers from your card manufactu
rer or PC supplier. These drivers cannot be supplied by Eidos.
1.2

Memory and Performance

While the game will run fine in 256MB of RAM, your playing experience will be sm
oother if you have at least 512MB.
Regardless of how much memory you have, you can maximize your available memory a
nd increase the overall performance of the game engine by doing the following:
* Closing any open windows
* Shutting down all other programs, including menu-bar programs like ICQ, AIM, M
SN Messenger, etc
* Defragmenting your hard drive
Eidos recommends that you
to Life. Other programs,
e system degradation when
em resources, potentially
1.3

have no other programs running at all while playing 25

including system utilities and screen savers, can caus
playing games, and may conflict with the game for syst
resulting in instability and crashes.

Known Issues

o If you are having trouble connecting, make sure that ports UDP 4659 and UDP 30
125 are open on your firewall or router. If your PC is behind a router, visit yo
ur router manufacturer s website and download and install the latest firmware for
your router model.
o Alt-Tabbing may cause instability and performance issues during gameplay, and
is not recommended.
Eidos is committed to providing customer support for our games on a continuing b
asis. In that spirit, there may be a patch for 25 to Life forthcoming; visit th
e Eidos website for more information.
http://www.eidos.com/

Part 2: Technical Issues

2.1

Installation & Set-up

System Requirements
The minimum system requirements are as follows:
OPERATING SYSTEM:
Microsoft Windows 2000/Windows XP (admin rights required)
(Windows 95/98/ME/NT not supported)
CPU:
Pentium IV 1.4GHz (or AthlonXP equivalent)
RAM:
256MB System Memory
GRAPHICS:
100% DirectX 9 compatible 64MB Direct3D Card with Pixel Shader 1.1 support
(GeForce 3/Radeon 8500+) (GeForce 4MX Not Supported)
SOUND:
100% DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card
OPTICAL DRIVE:
DVD-ROM drive
HARD DRIVE:
2.5GB uncompressed free disk space
INPUT DEVICES:
Keyboard and Mouse
INTERNET:
LAN and Broadband play supported
Note: Laptops & Integrated graphic cards may function but are not supported.
Recommended Spec:
CPU:
Pentium IV 2.4GHz (or AthlonXP/64 equivalent)
RAM:
512MB System Memory
GRAPHICS:
100% DirectX 9 compatible 128MB Direct3D Card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support (GeF
orce 6 & 7 Series/Radeon X series)
Preparing Your Hard Drive
To ensure that your installation is trouble free, you should check to see that y
our hard drive and file system are both tuned for optimum performance. Windows c
omes with two utility programs that find and fix any errors and optimise your ha
rd drive performance. The first of these programs is called scandisk. Scandisk w
ill check your hard drive for problems and can fix any that it finds. You can ru
n scandisk by clicking on the Start button from the Windows Taskbar, followed by
Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally scandisk.
Once scandisk has finished running, you should next optimise your hard drive's p
erformance by running a program called Disk Defragmenter. You can run Disk Defra
gmenter by clicking on the Start button from the Windows desktop, followed by Pr
ograms, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally Disk Defragmenter.
Installing 25 to Life
Installing 25 to Life is easy. Simply insert the disc into your drive. After a f
ew seconds, the Launch Panel will appear with options to Install 25 to Life, Ins

tall DirectX 9.0c, View Readme, and Quit. Click on Install 25 to Life to bring u
p the install program.
This program will guide you through the remaining process via onscreen prompts.
If at any time you are instructed to restart your computer, do so.
In the event the Launch Panel does not appear when you insert the disc:
Double-click on the My Computer icon, then double-click on the disc icon, and la
stly double-click on the Setup.exe file to bring up the Launch Panel OR:
*
*
*
.
*

Click on the Start button.

Choose Run from the pop-up menu.
Type d:\setup in the box provided (where d: designates your disc drive letter)
Click on the OK button to begin the install program.

You will be prompted to select the path and directory to which you wish to insta
ll the game on your hard drive. The default is
C:\Program Files\ Eidos\25 to Life
You may change this if you wish to.
At some point, the Microsoft DirectX 9.0c install prompt will appear if you do n
ot have it on your system already. Please read the on-screen information before
selecting an option. You may either choose to install or not install at this tim
e. If the 25 to Life installer detects an active version of DirectX 9.0c on your
system, we encourage you to not reinstall DirectX. If the installer does not de
tect DirectX 9.0c, you must install it before you are able to play 25 to Life (p
lease refer to the next section of this guide before proceeding).
Starting/Loading the Game
Once the install has finished and you have opted to run the game, the Launch Pan
el will appear on the screen.
You will be given the following options:
* Click on the Play 25 to Life button to start the game.
* Click Options to view configuration settings.
* Click on the Quit button to exit the Launch Panel.
If you are going to play the game at a later time insert the disc into the drive
. After a few seconds, the 25 to Life Launch panel should appear on the screen v
ia the AutoPlay feature. Now click on the Play 25 to Life button to start the ga
me. There is also a button present to Quit.
In the event the AutoPlay feature does not work, you may click on the My Compute
r icon and then click on the disc icon to bring up the Launch Panel.
OR
*
*
*
*

Click on the Start button.

Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
Drag your mouse to the right and click on 25 to Life from the list.
Click on 25 to Life from the ensuing pop-up menu.

Uninstalling 25 to Life
If you need to UNINSTALL 25 to Life, you have the following options:
* Click on the Start button.
* Choose Programs from the pop-up menu.
* Drag your mouse to the right and click on 25 to Life from the list.
* Click on Uninstall 25 to Life from the ensuing pop-up menu and follow the onsc
reen instructions.
OR
Go to the Control Panel and choose Add or Remove Programs. Click on 25 to Life f
rom the pop-up panel to follow, select the Remove button, and follow the onscree
n prompts.

2.2

DVD-Rom Problems

25 to Life requires a DVD-Rom drive with 32-bit Windows 2000/XP drivers. (95/98/
ME/NT not supported)
I receive a "xxxxxx.xxx not found" error message when installing or running 25 t
o Life
This error message is usually the result of your computer using MS-DOS (16 bit)
drivers instead of Windows (32 bit) drivers for your DVD-Rom drive. You can easi
ly check to see if this is causing problems by opening the Control Panel (either
click on the My Computer icon or click on the Start button followed by Settings
, then Control Panel).
In the Control Panel window, double-click on the System icon then click on the P
erformance tab. You should now see a summary of the performance status of your c
omputer. One of the lines should say, File System: 32-bit and the last line should
say, "Your system is configured for optimal performance." If you see a message
saying, "Drive X is using MS-DOS compatibility mode," then you will need to cont
act your system vendor to obtain and install 32-bit drivers for your DVD-ROM dri
ve.

Copy Protection (SecuRom) Issues

If you are receiving any of the following error messages: Please Insert Original
Disk , Original disk could not be found or authenticated or Original disk could not b
e authenticated within time limit , please perform the following procedure.
The problem you are experiencing is likely due to the game s copy protection, whic
h is made by SecuRom. The most efficient way for us to further assist you, is to
have you produce an analysis file. In order to generate the analysis file of an
attempted software launch for us to evaluate, please do the following:
1) Place the original 25 to Life DVD in your DVD-Rom.
2) Re-boot the computer.
3) Open My Computer, C: Drive, Program Files, Eidos, and open the 25 to Life fol
der. Locate and right click on the TTL.exe file.
4) Choose "Launch Analysis" from the choices and left-click.
5) A disclaimer window will appear.
6) To proceed, please click on the "Yes" button.

7) The application will now generate an "AnalysisLog.sr0" file within the root o
f your hard drive.
8) Please "zip" the file (to avoid email corruption) and e-mail it to Support@se
curom.com with the subject line "Analysis file for evaluation." To zip the file
right click on the Analysislog.sr0 file and left click Send to and left click Comp
ressed (zipped) folder. This will create a new folder in the C: drive called Ana
lysisLog, its icon should look like a folder with a zipper up the side. This is
the file you need to send to SecuRom.
SecuRom will check the Analysis file and notify you of the results.
AutoPlay Issues
Why doesn't the AutoPlay feature come up when I insert the 25 to Life disc into
the drive?
This is usually a configuration issue. There are many different ways to enable t
he AutoPlay functions of Windows. The standard method is described below:
1)
Enter the Control Panel from the desktop by clicking on the Start button
, followed by Settings, and then Control Panel.
2)
Double-click the icon labelled System, usually located alphabetically to
wards the bottom of the Control Panel window, to bring up the System Properties
panel.
3)
Click on the tab at the top labelled Device Manager and when the new pan
el appears, locate the section labelled CD/DVD-ROM and click the Plus (+) sign i
n front of it. (If there is a minus sign in front, don't click it.)
4)
Now double-click the CD/DVD-ROM drive revealed and the CD/DVD-ROM Proper
ties panel will appear.
5)
Click on the Settings tab at the top.
6)
Towards the middle of the panel, you should see a few checkboxes within
the Options section. At the bottom of that section, you should see a checkbox la
belled Auto insert notification.
7)
Make sure there is a check mark in the box provided and click on the OK
button to complete the process.
Windows 2000 and Windows XP users will need to make sure their Autorun is enable
d, if the disk is not auto-starting upon insertion.
If the game Auto plays multiple times:
Some CD/DVD ROM drives cause 25 to Life to AutoPlay multiple times, which also m
ay result in lack of control within the game. To remedy this problem click on th
e CD/DVD ROM properties in the System Properties panel and under settings turn o
ff Auto Notification.

2.3

Crashes and Lock-Ups

When I start 25 to Life, my mouse cursor disappears and my computer locks-up.

Chances are your installed audio card drivers are not compatible with DirectX. T
he only solution is to get a DirectX 9.0c-compatible driver from your audio card
manufacturer.
When I start 25 to Life, I receive the following error message:

"The application TTL.exe referenced memory at address xxxx:xxxx that can't be re

ad from."
Chances are your installed video card drivers are not compatible with DirectX. T
he only solution is to get a DirectX 9.0c-compatible driver from your video card
manufacturer.
The Installer keeps stopping when a certain percentage is complete.
There are three likely causes:
* You may have run out of free space on your hard drive. Please remove unwanted
programs to free up additional space for the game, and then reinstall 25 to Life
.
* Files are possibly being copied to a corrupted area of your hard drive. If thi
s is so, you'll need to run the scandisk program and make sure to use the Thorou
gh option (see previous). After scandisk has finished running and has informed y
ou that your drive is free of errors, try to re-install.
* There may be dirt or fingerprints on the disc itself. Examine the bottom of th
e disc; if you see any fingerprints or dirt, carefully clean the disc using a cl
ean, soft, lint-free cloth by wiping from the centre of the disc (near the hole)
towards the outer edge in a straight line.
25 to Life is crashing to the desktop with no error messages.
This problem can be caused by several different things. Here's a list of the mos
t common culprits associated with these crashes:
* Make sure the disc is clean (check for both scratches and smudges on the readi
ng surface).
* Make sure the game has been installed properly.
* Make sure DirectX 9.0c has been installed properly.
* Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card and that they are Di
rectX 9.0c-compatible.
* Make sure you have the latest drivers for your sound card and that they are Di
rectX 9.0c-compatible.
* Make sure Virtual Memory is enabled on your system.
* Run Scandisk.
* Run Disk Defragmenter.
* Clean out old temp (.TMP) files from the C:\WINDOWS\TEMP or C:\WINx\TEMP direc
tory on your hard drive (from Windows Explorer).
* Make sure you do not have any third-party Windows memory management utilities
(like QuarterDeck's QEMM) running resident prior to playing 25 to Life.
* Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows disk caching utilities running
resident prior to playing 25 to Life.
* Make sure you do not have Norton's Crash Protector running resident prior to p

laying 25 to Life.
* Try uninstalling and then reinstalling the game.
* Try exiting the game, rebooting your machine, and re-entering the game.
Note: If your system crashes to the desktop while playing 25 to Life, you shou
ld probably
reboot your computer before starting a new play session.
Otherwise, DirectDraw or
DirectSound may be in a locked s
tate, and the game will be unable to use your sound or video
hardware.

2.4

DirectX-Related Questions

DirectX has become the new standard in Windows application development. Nearly a
ll high-performance software will be geared around this technology, so we do not
recommend that customers attempt to alter its installation on their system
Can I Run Without DirectX?
I cannot use DirectX on my computer! Is there any other way to run 25 to Life?
If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer, you will not be able to r
un 25 to Life.
2.5

Technical Support

If you need further technical assistance after reading the Readme file please co
ntact us using any of the methods listed below.
When contacting us, please be sure to provide us with as much information as pos
sible. Make sure to note the exact type of hardware that you are using in your s
ystem, including: your video card, sound card, DVD-ROM drive, amount of RAM pres
ent, speed and manufacturer of your processor. Also, make sure to include the t
itle and version of the game, and a detailed description of the problem.
It will also help if you prepare by creating a DXDIAG
efore you call us. Simply follow these instructions:
*
*
*
*
*

diagnostic file in Windows b

Click on Start
Click on Run
Type dxdiag
Click on OK
Click on the Save All Information button and save the file to your computer.

When you call our Technical Support line either have this file open or have a pr
inted copy. If you send an e-mail query you will need to attach the file to the
e-mail.
Technical Support Contact Details (United Kingdom)
Address

Wimbledon Bridge House

1 Hartfield Road
Wimbledon
SW19 3RU

Phone 0870 9000222

Web
www.eidos.co.uk/support/index.html
You can submit an e-mail to our support team using the support section of our we
bsite, which you can visit by clicking the link above.
Technical Support Contact Details (United States of America)
Address

Eidos Customer Services

651 Brannan Street
San Francisco
CA 94107
Phone 415 615-6220
Fax
415 547-1201
Web
http://support.eidosinteractive.com
You can submit an e-mail to our support team using the support section of our we
bsite, which you can visit by clicking the link above.

Note: Our Technical Support agents do not have, and will not give out hints, ch
eats, or codes.
Alternatively, you may find help with hardware problems on one of the websites m
aintained by the supplier, some of which are listed below:
3D labs:
ATI Technologies:
Creative Labs:
Matrox:
nVIDIA:
Intel
Terratec:

www.3dlabs.com
www.ati.com
www.creative.com/worldwide.asp
www.matrox.com
www.nvidia.com
support.intel.com
www.terratec.net

Eidos maintains a web page with links to all major video and audio card manufact
urers, which is a good first stop if you are looking to update your drivers. You
can reach this page at:
UK:
US:

www.eidos.co.uk/support/index.html
http://support.eidosinteractive.com

Further technical information and drivers for Windows-based PCs can also be foun
d at http://www.windrivers.com/
AJB
2.6 Acknowledgements
Portions utilize Microsoft Windows Media Technologies. Copyright (c) 1999-2004
Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved