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| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 20:30 #133556 | |
mjkerr
195 posts |
GeoffM in post 133552 said:
I was using mjkerr instead of MJKERR DELETED Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 20:34 #133557 | |
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mjkerr
195 posts |
It looks like the dates are actually from when I installed SimSig onto the HP Pavillion (Windows XP) The original files are dated 16 June 2002 09 November 2005 It looks like I had to reinstall from an IBM onto the HP Pavillion on 16 March 2010 DELETED Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 20:57 #133559 | |
GeoffM
6376 posts |
I'm sorry but I can't find any evidence of any purchases using the information supplied, including in the PM.
SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 21:16 #133561 | |
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mjkerr
195 posts |
GeoffM in post 133559 said:I'm sorry but I can't find any evidence of any purchases using the information supplied, including in the PM. What would it appear as on a bank statement? Was payment by Credit Card possible, or was it only PayPal? DELETED Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 21:23 #133562 | |
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Albert
1315 posts |
My e-mail history does not go any further back than 2014 but at the time payment already went through PayPal to Cajon Rail LLC. You could pay by card on the PayPal website without creating an account. Currently it appears as PAYPAL *CAJONRAILLLC on card statements. AJP in games Last edited: 04/11/2020 at 21:23 by Albert Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 22:33 #133564 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
Albert in post 133562 said:My e-mail history does not go any further back than 2014 but at the time payment already went through PayPal to Cajon Rail LLC. You could pay by card on the PayPal website without creating an account.That's correct, but his date of 2010 is prior to Cajon Rail LLC being formed (2012). It's so long ago I can't even remember what system was in place back then. PayPal's records only go back 7 years, as do my emails. But the OP mentions specific dates, so where did those come from? Emails? Statements? Cheque stubs? SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 22:50 #133566 | |
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Albert
1315 posts |
I think he refers to the dates of the files. They are probably just the date of the sim release, as I've got a few .exe files on my computer that pre-date me buying the computer in 2017. EDIT: the current shop appears to have been in place since August 2010 after some digging on the forum. AJP in games Last edited: 04/11/2020 at 23:05 by Albert Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 23:12 #133567 | |
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Albert
1315 posts |
Just to be sure: were these sims paid sims when they got released? I retrieved the news flash introducing them from the web archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20110818025229/http://www.SimSig.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:SimSig-scotland&catid=35:articles It does not mention prices, rather it mentions you can download the sims. Edit: according to the wiki, Edinburgh and Central Scotland both became paid sims in 2012. So there were no licenses for the 2010 version of them. AJP in games Last edited: 04/11/2020 at 23:29 by Albert Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 04/11/2020 at 23:18 #133568 | |
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JamesN
1607 posts 
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The original Scottish sims were not paid sims when first released. They were re-released as payware sims sometime just before the release of the original v4 loader in 2013. Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 07:50 #133569 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts
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2010 will have been in the freeware era. It’s possible that a donation was sent against a sim before they became payable software but if I remember right that didn’t result in a free licence when they were updated. Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 17:10 #133584 | |
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mjkerr
195 posts |
GeoffM in post 133564 said:
The dates are as follows Hard Drive installation date (folder and exe file) Central Scotland - 16 Mar 2010 Edinburgh - 16 Mar 2010 KingsX - 09 Nov 2005 Stafford - 12 Jun 2002 I also have an email with registration details 20 Mar 2010 I therefore assume this was for the purposes of the forum, as I was having problems with Edinburgh It seems odd I only installed Central Scotland and Edinburgh, if others would have been available and free This brings me back to the original problem I have lost use of these two programs since last month The others appear in the loader A new problem is it appears I can no lnger used the save game files DELETED Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 17:46 #133588 | |
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Albert
1315 posts |
The dates you see on your hard drive are the dates the files were built (just before the sim's release.) The date you see on the 16th is one day before the sims were released on the 17th, not the date you installed it (you couldn't have installed them before release unless you had insider access!) The installer does not edit this date when it installs the sim. You probably installed these particular sims because they had been released days before you created your account on the 20th, so they were prominently on the front page of the website at the time. If you can't retrieve the installer from the downloads folder of one of your old computers, it is tricky to get the installation right because you need to copy some more files. You already got a hint for rtl60.bpl. While I am thinking that the Loader is a replacement for the old 'system files' package that contained the font, I am not entirely sure that this is the case. Maybe someone can enlighten me which font these old sims need (SimSig.fon or SimSigv2.fon), likely you can just copy SimSig.fon to C:\Windows\Fonts if it is available for download somewhere (I'm not sure whether I am allowed to send it to you.) About your old saved games, the format changed somewhere between the v2 sims and the modern Loader, so these are not going to work on modern versions of the sims. The timetable format has also changed by the way, so for King's Cross and Stafford you should get timetables from the downloads page here instead of copying them from your old machine. Many timetables of the past have a modern equivalent available in the downloads. EDIT: I see in this thread that Geoff appears to have given permission to post the font online. If Geoff can confirm this, I'll upload SimSig.fon to both threads as I've got it installed (I have a functional copy of some other old .exe sims on my machine including a different version of Edinburgh, so I should have all necessary files.) Could you meanwhile check which files that start with SimSig are in your C:\Windows\Fonts folder? AJP in games Last edited: 05/11/2020 at 17:53 by Albert Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 18:31 #133593 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
Albert in post 133588 said:EDIT: I see in this thread that Geoff appears to have given permission to post the font online. If Geoff can confirm this, I'll upload SimSig.fon to both threads as I've got it installed (I have a functional copy of some other old .exe sims on my machine including a different version of Edinburgh, so I should have all necessary files.)Um... that's not me! I certainly wouldn't want users to upload exe/dll/bpl/fon files to this site as I can't verify their source. OP: Through the great detective work by others, it appears you made a donation to some sims. Those sims are mostly available on the Loader, much better than back then. I'm not going to spend time supporting something so old that's been replaced a long time ago. SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 18:44 #133594 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts
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mjkerr in post 133584 said:These two are still available in modern form on the loader as freeware. Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 20:07 #133598 | |
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Jan
906 posts |
Albert in post 133588 said:About your old saved games, the format changed somewhere between the v2 sims and the modern Loader, so these are not going to work on modern versions of the sims. If I remember correctly, before the loader save files generally weren't compatible between sim versions at all, so updating from an old sim to the loader is no worse in that regard. Albert in post 133588 said: The timetable format has also changed by the way, so for King's Cross and Stafford you should get timetables from the downloads page here instead of copying them from your old machine. Many timetables of the past have a modern equivalent available in the downloads. You can still open them (and subsequently save them in the new format) via "Timetable -> Open (merge with current)", but yes, it's a bit more involved, especially if you also want to copy over the original timetable description. Two million people attempt to use Birmingham's magnificent rail network every year, with just over a million of them managing to get further than Smethwick. Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 20:22 #133599 | |
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mjkerr
195 posts |
Albert in post 133588 said:The dates you see on your hard drive are the dates the files were built (just before the sim's release.) The date you see on the 16th is one day before the sims were released on the 17th, not the date you installed it (you couldn't have installed them before release unless you had insider access!) I have now deleted the files However, I was using the properties function which gives me the installation date From memory the time was about 22:00 Equally, I remember being one of the first to download and test these Here is what it looked like when I obtained them, and what it looked like, in 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20111023210924/http://www.SimSig.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:SimSig-scotland&catid=35:articles I have also looked in the downloads folder, but there is nothing from SimSig It looks like I installed the programs then deleted the installer, as it would appear it was free at the time I then assumed it could be downloaded again in the future Equally, I have a box folder with purchases and their codes, and again nothing from SimSig (but the others on this Hard Drive are present) Clearly not the case I have now tested Stafford and Carlisle on my new computer, they work fine Shame I have lost my previous installations in the process of upgrading DELETED Last edited: 05/11/2020 at 20:26 by mjkerr Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 20:50 #133601 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts
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All the simulations you have mentioned on this thread are still available by the loader, Stafford and Kings Cross are still freeware, the Scottish sims are now pay ware and have been for seven years now. You can still use them all, but would need to purchase a licence for the Scottish sims. The pre-loader .exe versions of all of these sims have not been available to download for a long long time as once they were available on the loader the .exe versions were obsolete, much in the same way Windows 3.11 was made obsolete by Windows 95 or the horse and cart were made obsolete by motor vehicles. Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 21:10 #133602 | |
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mjkerr
195 posts |
Stephen Fulcher in post 133601 said:All the simulations you have mentioned on this thread are still available by the loader, the Scottish sims are now pay ware and have been for seven years now This is the point I was trying to work out I downloaded them, using them up to last month, now I have lost them Looks like gone forever Simple choice now - free current or pay for simulations I was previously using... DELETED Last edited: 05/11/2020 at 21:12 by mjkerr Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 22:00 #133607 | |
Peter Bennet
5402 posts |
The initial releases of Edinburgh and Central Scotland were free in 2010. Then, in 2012, they were re-released as payware along with Cowlairs and NEScotland. This article says that everyone who had previously donated for either of the two originals were issued with a free license for all four as a thank-you. If you've not got a license then it's unlikely that you had made a donation prior to 2012 or made a purchase thereafter. If you can show that you had made a donation and that for some reason I'd overlooked you then we can resolve that. In fact, I may still have the data somewhere. Peter I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs! Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 22:17 #133608 | |
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TUT
532 posts |
mjkerr in post 133602 said:Stephen Fulcher in post 133601 said:Well I know it's a bit galling, I mean, nobody wants to have to pay for something twice, but I actually think SimSig and modern software in general deserves some praise in that if you actually do own a legitimate license well it'll last and last. In the good old days, when my Rome: Total War disc finally got too scratched to be used I just had to accept I was gonna have to buy it again if I wanted to play it again. And similarly, if you leave your book on the train, you can't very well walk into WHSmiths and insist that you bought The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2010 and can't see why you should bloomin well have to buy it again. I think there comes a point where you have to say fair's fair. On the other hand I've said before the withdrawal of the .exe sims has clobbered the freeware-payware ratio and while I don't mind paying for my games, it's noticeable that the old large free sims are much fewer these daysAll the simulations you have mentioned on this thread are still available by the loader, the Scottish sims are now pay ware and have been for seven years now Log in to reply |
| Reinstall assistance 05/11/2020 at 23:28 #133611 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
Jan in post 133598 said:Partly true. The old format didn't have any entity identifiers in it; the data was just arrays of structures of a given entity type. So if (say) a signal was added to the sim, it and all signals that came after it in the array would be loaded from the wrong array entry. Similarly if a signal was deleted. And the order of the array was defined by the compiler, not the sim author, so even not adding or removing or renaming could result in the order changing (though usually it only changed if the position in the source files was changed). Changes that didn't involve saved items, such as changing the length of a track circuit or even where in the simulation a signal was or how many aspects it had, didn't affect saves. Log in to reply |