Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

My workplace admins won't let us install games to our computers, but I can run them from a flash drive. I was able to get version 3.0 to run fine from the flash drive, but the patch installation program will not finish without crashing... it gets to about 17% and then I get the "not responding" Windows 7 circle of doom.

I've tried running the patch from the main drive and from the flash drive; I've also tried it on both my home and work computers. None of these options leads to a successful patch. I'm successfully running version 3.24 on my home computer, so unless the download has changed recently (maybe the patch is corrupted on Shrapnel's end?) it's not the patch itself, it's the fact that it's being patched to a flash drive.

I really need version 3.24; the purpose of this is to give me a little extra time (sometimes work is slow, so I often have 1/2 hour or more of free time) to work on my MP game, so any other version is worthless.

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

Can't you patch the game at home to 3.24, copy that version onto your USB stick, and then use that at work? Since you will likely encounter problems trying to patch directly onto a USB stick, as that will confuse the hell out of Wondows.

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

The only issue I can see with this is the way Windows 7 stores the saved games; basically, it hides them away (I should underline the word "hides", as they are a challenge to find) in a user folder, not in the folder you installed D3 to. My work computer uses XP, so I'm wondering if the "home version" will get confused when I run it on the work system; in other words, will it try to save/load games using a folder that doesn't exist, and crash, or will it just create a new folder?

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

My understanding* is that if you install Dominions to "C:\Dominions", then Windows 7/Vista won't hide the save game files from you like it does when you install it to the suggested default directory. So maybe un-install Dominions at home, re-install to the root of the drive, then patch, then copy the folder to the stick for use at work.

Then for playing at home, either play directly from the stick (which a lot of people do), or just copy the save files from the stick to your home machine (and vise-versa when you want the turn to be available at work)

*(I'm not exactly sure, as I don't use Dominions with Windows 7 or Vista, so I'm going on what I remember seeing posted before on this topic)

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

I'm not at home, so I can't be 100% sure of this, but I'm fairly certain that I didn't use the default install folder, and it still put the saves in the "Virtual Store" folder.

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

I have used the "copy the entire installed path to another drive" method under Windows 7 (copied from an XP system) and when the app is run from there, it seems to put the saved games under the Dominions folder where you'd expect them.

That said, it was not running on a thumb drive (though it was an external removable drive.)

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

So basically, I just cut and paste my (already patched) dominions folder to the flash drive?

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

That's the plan. And then you run the game from the Dominions executable on the flash drive.

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

It appears to be working... I'll know for sure once I boot it up at work. "No, boss, this is totally work-related!"

Re: Can't run patch 3.24 for a flash drive install...
 

Everything is working! Thanks, all.