Discovered Solution For Theme Mpeg3 Problem

Awhile back I posted a problem where Themes in Windows 9x couldn't be used because the sound files would make them crash. At the time this, and a problem where I couldn't get a simple game like Microsoft's Return Of Arcade (Galaxian, et al...) to open without having to end task on the non-starting program which would then BSOD, frustrated me to the point where I chucked it all and went with Windows XP. Well, I'm back! I noticed this as a response by a tech. to a post in the Microsoft XP Multimedia Bulletin Board: "Rename the file "ctmp3.acm" to "ctmb3.bak" on your system. This will disable the Creative Technologies MP3 decoder on your system that WMP is incompatible with. Rename it back to reenable that decoder and break WMP." By the way, a registry cleaner might then delete the entry "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" Subkey "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs,C:\Windows\System\ctmp3.acm." so if you'd like to reenable the Creative plugin you'd have to also recreate this reference to the original file.

Doing this let Windows use the Fraunhofer mpeg3 plugin that WMP uses, and my Themes now run perfectly! Now, that other problem with Galaxian (and other games) in the Revenge Of Arcade assortment use to drive me nuts. Well, I searched in the Microsoft database and I found that this is a known problem! (That is, clicking the shortcut and getting nothing but an entry in the Close Program box and, in a couple of minutes, a frozen PC.) The solution is running DXDiag before running the game! You needn't run any of the tests. Just open the DxDiag program, and after it settles in, close it. Then you can start and run the Return Of Arcade games without any trouble. They suggest creating a shortcut on the desktop for DxDiag, but I did that, then moved it to the QuickLaunch toolbar, as I keep the desktop iconfree. Just open it through Start, run. Enter "C:\program files\ directx\setup" and right click the icon and make your shortcut.

What with the Themes and Object Desktop I'm getting all the eye candy I might want (even none, if I choose) and feel more in control of things than with XP. What is all that stuff going on in the background on that thing? Well, I know it's the future but I'm enjoying 98 again, and do you know, if you've got your programs installed cleanly and keep the registry clean of removed programs then there's no need for fanatisism about running programs. I can have a zillion things running at once in 98, as long as they've all been installed so they each are running properly. Those "limited" resources are just that: resources! They're there to be used. I could care less that I have only 30% free when a mess of stuff is going on. When I finish some stuff, after a little bit, the free resources are increased as Windows recovers them from the closed programs. What's so bad? Hey, if I want to play a resource intensive 3d game and make it as fast as possible, I'll either close program stuff first, or clean boot to start with using msconfig (which is usually left alone at normal startup.) Generally though, I give little thought to it. I remember lots of crashes in the days when I didn't make use of System File Checker after installing each new program. Before rebooting after an install, I always run that thing with the check for changed files active. If a file's been changed to the same or newer version I leave it alone. If it's gone older, I restore first from newer, then older. Meaning, I use first the DX 9 Setup folder as the source, since it's the newest, then IE6 SP1 folder (I download and install IE and DX from a folder on my HD), and only use the C:\win98 (where I have the Win98 cabs) if the file date is older then the Windows I'm running (now, 98-2nd edition.) Doing this keeps the sfc database up to date, and it's actually rare that I need to switch the files but without the System File Protection of the newer OS's, we're the guardian of the files! So, I don't fear using the sfc tool to restore if it's obvious that it needs to, and I don't mess things up by restoring everything from the original cd (like it's designed to.) That's how Internet Explorer gets messed up, mostly. Microsoft has us download the newer browser version, then deletes the temp install files leaving us no way to refresh individual files that might be messed with by game or utility (like photo programs) installs. Repair is available, but sometimes that messes with security updates installed after the browser and it's not always advisible to reinstall all the original files. Using sfc this way just replaces the once in a awhile file that would probably have caused BSOD, DLL Hell, etc.

Whew, I've got too much time today!

See ya,

Dennis

 

HI Dennis,

I remembered (sort of) your original problem and searching your previous posts I found the original thread here
You could have posted a followup there... as far as I can tell the thread is still open... but it's great that you came back here with the outcome.

I have to admire your persistance. Congratulations on a great piece of detective work.

Internesting comments on windows resources... course they are there to be used but some programs just won't play nice and try to hog them all (plenty of complaints about Netscape 7.1 and Win9x in that department!). I'm not very big on eye and ear candy, no themes, just some favorite photos as desktop wallpaper and favorite wavs as sound events.... the Three Stooges saying "hello , hello, hello" is "my Windows startup sound

On Windows 9x file "guardianship ", I don't even have SFC on Win95B so I guess I've been pretty lucky.. but then I'm pretty conservative when it comes to adding new updates and programs and do my homework first to see what others have to say. My rule of thumb is keep the newer files and don't let an uninstaller remove any windows\system files! Also I don't go in for these registry cleaners. My motto is to leave well enough alone. Works for me.