Uplink instantly crashes except in Admin account.

[Cheeselog]

Uplink crashes before even starting in anything but my Admin account. I have a fully patched version of windows XP and installed Uplink (from my disc in the boxed edition) and patched it with the current 1.55 patch. I can play in my administrator account, but not in any non-admin account.

After many reinstalls, here is the pattern I am seeing:

Admin: Works with or without patch. I still need to type in the code from my little black card even with the 1.55 patch whenever I create a new user in the game. If I install and play for a bit with my Admin account, it creates the user folders and debug log as expected.

Subaccount: Immediately crashes even before starting.
If it is a fresh install of the game, no user folder or debug log is created. The game crashes with windows "uplink.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience" message.


BUT if I first open the game in Admin, created a user in the game, then close and log off and then try to start the game in a sub account, It still crashes, but with the additional error window "Uplink Error. An error has occured in Uplink. Files integrity is not verified. Failed loading 'data.dat'"

The user folders and debug log are only created and updated while using the Admin account. If I go into my non admin account straight after installing and updating, no user folders are created and no debug log is created.



Here is the debug log. I don't know how useful it will be since it is only written to when i open the game in my Admin account.

===============================================
NEW GAME 1:33, 20/8/2012
===============================================
Version : 1.55
RELEASE
Win32 Build
Version 1.55 (RELEASE)
Compiled on Mar 22 2007 at 14:20:39
(code-C)(code-M)(code-T)
Loading uplink options from C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/options...failed

=====DEBUGGING INFORMATION ENABLED=====
Initialising Steam...Could not initialize Steam: Function not found.
Loading application data
Successfully loaded data archive data.dat
Successfully loaded data archive graphics.dat
Successfully loaded data archive loading.dat
Successfully loaded data archive sounds.dat
Successfully loaded data archive music.dat
Successfully loaded data archive fonts.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch2.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch3.dat
Finished loading application data
Init_Game called...creating game object
Finished with Init_Game
Saving uplink options to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/options...success
Initialising SDL...done
SDL is now opening a 1024x768 window in 32 depth ...done
SDL is now changing the window caption and diverse settings ...done
Initialising OpenGL...
Finished initialising OpenGL.
Now registering callback functions...done
Saving uplink options to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/options...success
Init_Fonts called...setting up system fonts
Registering fonts...done
Loading system fonts into memory...
done
Unregistering fonts...done
Finished with Init_Fonts
Init_Sound called...setting up sound system
Compiled with SDL_mixer version: 1.2.7
Running with SDL_mixer version: 1.2.7
Finished with Init_Sound
Init_Music called...loading modules
Finished with Init_Music
Creating main menu.
====== END OF DEBUGGING INFORMATION ====
Loading LAN from data/lans/sample.txt...done
Saving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.tmp...success. Moving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.usr...success
Saving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.tmp...success. Moving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.usr...success
Saving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.tmp...success. Moving profile to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/Haxu.usr...success
Saving uplink options to C:\Program Files\Uplink\users/options...success

[orillian]

Initialising Steam...Could not initialize Steam: Function not found

Sticks out the most, seems to have a problem with steam. have you installed steam for all users?

[Mas Tnega]

There's nothing out of the ordinary in that log.

The issue is most likely that you're trying to edit a file in Program Files without admin access. See what happens you install it someplace else.

And yes, even with 1.55 you still have to use the code card. The changelog mentions that in 1.55, they included a text file of it in their downloadable version.

[Cheeselog]

I do have Steam installed on that computer, but I'm installing from a disc.

I've installed it from my Admin account and from my sub account, and both gave me the same result with the error messages.

I will try installing in a different directory tonight...

edit:

Its the same situation installing into a different directory (this one was very creatively named Downlink). Ive now installed and uninstalled this at least 6 times, with the exact same error. Ive noticed that the debug log is only written to if i open Uplink in Admin and close it. Since Uplink won't open in any other account, I won't ever get any useful information in the debug log.

I guess I failed the initial hacking assignment: "install Uplink game on your pc"