A Collection of Fixes

[Eroneouse]

..................Vista Specific and General advice.................

Back up any files before makeing changes to them so you can restore things to how they were if a fix does not work for you.
Ensure you have uptodate drivers links below to the two main driver suppliers for Nvidia and ATI and an Omega driver link too.
Nvidia Driver link > Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers
ATI Driver link > Support Home
Omega drivers Link > OmegaDrivers.net - Home of the ATI & NVIDIA Omega Drivers. Home
AA help, thanks Dragonseed > nHancer - Advanced Control Panel for nVidia Cards

Uninstall completely the creature creator demo if you have it installed, before you install Spore retail release. Manually make sure all the demo files are gone.
Ensure you have the dot net framework programs from microsoft installed at least have dot net 1.1 and 2.0 I understand dotnet1.1 is often not in vista...

1 - Ensure that your firewalls are not interfering For assistance with configuring your software firewall, please contact the manufacturer. I have listed some of the major firewall providers below for ease of use.
Zone Alarm: ZoneAlarm by Check Point - Award winning PC Protection, Antivirus, Firewall, Anti-Spyware, Identity Protection, and much more.
Norton/Symantec: AntiVirus, Anti-Spyware, Endpoint Security, Backup, Storage Solutions | Symantec Corp.
McAfee: McAfee - Antivirus Software and Intrusion Prevention Solutions
Windows Service Pack 2 Firewall: Windows XP home page

2 - Try installing Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Hotfix (KB886903) and see if it helps.
dotnet 1.1 linky >> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en


dotnet 2.0 linky >> Download details: .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package (x86)

For some reason I cannot get the SP1 links to work sorry I cant see server. However there is also a service pack 1 dotnet hotfix available from microsoft the last time before now that I looked.


If you are running with dual GFX cards set one to off/disabled.
Ensure resolution for monitor is not above 1600 on either axis.
Clean up and defrag drive before installing.
Some games work much better if the drive they are installed to has quite a bit of free space so if you can then try to make at least 40% of your drive free.
Because of the copy protection it would be wise to remove things like daemon tools as SecuROM may have a problem with them.



If you have thought of a fix feel free to pm me so I can add it to the list, only pm me if you believe you are the originator for that fix please or add your own to the thread
I thought I would go around and compile a collection of bug fixes
so far found by the community, if I forget to cut and paste any
of the originators names I apologise in advance Also these fixes work for some but not for all. I will have another scout about later and see what other fixes I can add to this list.

EAUK_Adroit
Community Representative

Before installing Spore you will need to ensure that the Creature Creator has been uninstalled, you can manually uninstall the game by removing the files and registry keys associated with it. Be sure to follow these steps exactly as they appear to prevent accidental file/program deletion on your system.
Backing up the save files:
1. Click on the Start button (Windows button for Vista).
2. Choose the My Documents folder (Documents for Vista).
3. Right-Click the My Spore Creations folder, then choose Copy.
4. Right-click on the desktop, then choose Paste.
5. Go back to the My Documents folder and right-click the My Spore Creations, then choose delete.
Note: To restore your SPORE Creature Creator progress, simply move this folder back into the My Documents folder.
Delete the game folders (in the default location):
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Double-click the Local Disk (by default, it should be C
4. Double-click the Program Files folder.
5. Double-click the Electronic Arts folder.
6. Right-click on the SPORE folder and choose Delete.
The Spore Creature Creator settings also needs to be deleted in the Documents and Settings folder. Here are the steps:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Double-click the Local Disk (by default, it should be C
4. Double click the Documents and Settings folder.
5. Double click the folder with your Username.
6. Double click the Application Data folder.

If you do not see Application Data simply do the following:

1. Click on Tools from the menu at the top of the screen.
2. Choose Folder Options from the drop down menu.
3. Choose the View tab.
4. Click on the Show hidden files and folders radio button under Advanced settings.
5. Click on Apply and then OK.
6. The Application Data folder should now be visible.
7. Right click the SPORE Creature Creator folder and select Delete.
Next, delete the game registry keys:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type regedit in the text field.
4. Click File and then choose Export.
5. Name the file reg_backup and make sure the Export Range is set to All.
6. Click Save you will now be returned to the Registry Editor window.
7. Click the plus sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
8. Click the plus sign next to Software.
9. Click the plus sign next to Electronic Arts.
10. Right-click on the key named SPORE Creature Creator and choose Delete.
11. Right-click on the key named SPORE(TM) Creature Creator and choose Delete.
12. Click on the minus sign next to Electronic Arts, if there is one present.
13. Click the plus sign next to Microsoft.
14. Click the plus sign next to Windows.
15. Click the plus sign next to CurrentVersion.
16. Click the plus sign next to Uninstall.
17. Right-click on one of the following keys and choose Delete.

{ECEE0279-785F-4CB3-9F28-E69813234BF8} - SPORE Creature Creator Trial version

{8CC42289-E228-4A35-B8A9-015242283BB2} - SPORE Creature Creator Full version

18. Close the Windows Registry Editor.

Delete the uninstall files:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Double-click the Local Disk (by default, it should be C
4. Double-click the Program Files folder.
5. Click Tools on the Menu Bar and select Folder Options.
Note: For Windows Vista, if no Menu Bar is shown, click Organize; highlight Layout and click Menu Bar.
6. Click the View tab.
7. In the Advanced settings box, under the Files and Folders menu and under the Hidden files and folders menu, click the button next to Show hidden files and folders.
8. Double-click the Install Shield Installation Information folder.
9. Right-click on one of the following folders and select Delete.

{ECEE0279-785F-4CB3-9F28-E69813234BF8} - SPORE Creature Creator Trial version

{8CC42289-E228-4A35-B8A9-015242283BB2} - SPORE Creature Creator Full version
10. On your desktop, right-click the Recycle Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin.
SPORE Creature Creator will now be uninstalled from your computer. Now try installing Spore; if you are still getting an error I would suggest contacting Support.


EAUK_Omni
EAUK Staff
http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/....ine=1202745648
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: The Institute
Posts: 2,652
Blog Entries: 7
Cannot Login / Login errors / Server problems
We are aware that many of you are having login problems with Spore. This is being investigated so please bear with us.
** EA Store Customers Update **
Please note, if you purchased the game through EA Store, it’s important you login to the game using the account that you bought the game with. This was automatically registered for you when purchasing the game. So please try logging in with those details.
Thanks
Update!
For those still having login issues I would advise trying the following:
Delete this file: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\SPORE\Preferences\login.prop
You can then re-load Spore, enter your Email address, Password and then a Persona.

.......................Cant see internet connection..........................

EAUK_Omni
EAUK Staff
EAUK_Omni's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: The Institute
Posts: 2,633
Blog Entries: 7
Default
It would seem a firewall is the problem for many of you. A firewall can be either software installed on your PC or can be part of your hardware router. You will need to adjust the settings on these to ensure they are allowing Spore full access to the internet. You will need to refer to the instructions/manuals that came with them to find out how to change the correct settings.

To add to this I have seen a few posts of people saying that completely removing the anti virus and/or firewall has helped them get passed the cant see internet error

The following ty to US forumites...
kmhknight
For those folks who can access the game and single player content, but cannot log in within the game or access the online content of Sporepedia, here is a possible fix for you that worked for me (copied from another thread I made):

Okay guys, this is going to sound weird, but bear with me on this...

I had a problem where once I got into the game I would get the message: "Spore is unable to connect to the internet an the Spore Server. Please check your internet connection blah blah blah...". I could not interface with the Spore server and could only play offline.

I fixed this, and it was not my router or hardware, or drivers or anything else within my PC. It was the game.

So this is the part where you have to bear with me . On the main Spore menu, you have your saved planets and down on the bottom left is the register button, considering you are offline. When you click on "register" it brings up a quick log-in menu and then hits you with the message I put above about no internet connection then shuts the menu down and puts you back at the main screen. Here is the part where you have to be quick and persistant... when the log in menu appears you can see a log in button in the top right of the screen (if I remember right) and then the error message pops up and blocks it (about a 1-2 second delay for the message). If you can catch that log in button before the message pops up, it will let you log in. At least it did for me. Took me about 8-10 tries, but I finally caught it, logged in, and connected to the Spore server.

Now my problem is fixed... and everytime I start the game, I am connected. I know a lot of folks, especially Killalz, had the same problem I did. I am not guaranteeing that this will work for you, but it did for me. I hope this helps you all out... good luck.

Back to Euro forumites...

sink1337
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4
Found a fix for vista users. Go to root directory /Sporebin and right click on SporeApp.exe and select 'run as administrator'

The following is not a fix but will allow you to play the game, albeit offline till they maybe fix your prob but still...

-DaCana-
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 7
Just press the red X in the upper right corner when it asks to logg in. but after a while, it will be alot more fun with the online part so the game is NOT unplayable, dont missunderstand

Orihuela
Rookie
WSOCK32.DLL missing error is caused by Xfire, try closing Xfire while playing Spore or follow this guide Mass Effect Community - Mass Effect and Xfire

NightOrchid
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 16
Default Problems with reading disk. Try This
Hi Folks
You can try this if your still having problems installing from
DVD, of course the easiest way is to try another internal USB DVD
drive
Create a folder called spore somewhere on your hard drive.
Open up My Computer, R/Click and Explore your DVD Drive.
Ctrl & A to Select all. R/Click.. Copy and Paste into your just
made SPORE folder.
Once all files copied, close MY COMPUTER and open up your now
full Spore folder.
D/Click the setup.exe and install it.
Once done, uncheck, Start Game and Finish installer
insert DVD and do the DVD 1st activation bit.
Delete your made SPORE folder.
There you go.
Hope that works
Cheers
Night


.....................Problems with random crashing?........................


cropper
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 11
Found a "fix" for sporeapp.exe hanging!
I seem to have stumbled across a fix for my sporeapp.exe hanging, and the game never loads. The problem seems to be that spore is having difficulties with my multiple core CPU computer.
When I force spore to only use 1 cpu to load the game, it launches everytime, without sporeapp.exe hanging.

Before I explain what I had to do to get spore running, I will tell you I am using Windows Vista, Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, and 2 NVIDIA 8800 GTS running in SLI mode.
First thing I had to do was turn off SLI mode on my 2 graphics cards. Apparently there is some kind of bug making Spore not function in SLI mode.
Secondly, I made a shortcut on the desktop to sporeapp.exe since Spore installer didn't do this for me. Another bug.

Thirdly, I went into the properties of the shortcut I had created, and in the field that says "Target:", IN FRONT of the directory listed I put the following information : "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C start /AFFINITY 1 ". This changes the shortcut to look like a command prompt, but don't worry, that's ok. Now just run the shortcut. It forces the game to run on 1 cpu only instead of all 4, and the game launches every time.

Again, for reference, my full line in the "target:" box now says : "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C start /AFFINITY 1 D:\Games\SPORE\Sporebin\SporeApp.exe"
D:\games\spore\sporebin is where I told the install to install my game. It's my personal preference, yours may look different.
Give it a shot and let me know if it works for anyone else. This may not work for XP users, I have not tried it.
Good luck All
Cropper

Originally Posted by whitewolf32 View Post
I FOUND A FIX. I think the issue is not with EA, it's with VISTA
built in security.
On a whim, I uninstalled the game completely, I reinstalled, but
specified my own location. I created a folder at the root of my
C:\ Drive called C:\Games (use whatever you want. I left the
installation path, but removed program files from the path and
specified C:\games\gamemaker\spore (whatever it had I replaced
program files with games is all.)
After the install, I created a shortcut to the
spore\bin\sporapp.exe folder and ran the sporapp.exe file. The
game ran and I've been playing with only one stupid bug that
caused me to start over because I hadn't saved... Other than
that, the game is playable for me.


..........................Problem saveing game...........................

LittleRecon
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 3
Default
Well, the problem seems to be resolved for me. As of my last
install, I made sure that I had NO other windows open, no virus
or process scanner running, and I killed any unessential
processes in the task manager. I'm fairly certain it had nothing
to do with the space available on the drive (though if you have
minimal space on your drive I wouldnt rule that out as a cause)
since I didnt make any more room prior to my last install.
If that's indeed what fixed it though, it would be the first time
I've ever had to do that to install a game in 20 years of gaming.
I don't know, maybe it was just a fluke-but I am now successfully
saving and even transferring save games between my desktop and
laptop without a problem. So try closing out everything you have
running in the background and try a reinstall. Oh, and it doesnt
seem to matter if they are running once the install is done.

Lobemonster
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2
Default Success!
I have fixed this issue for me, this may give a clue to anyone
else stuck with it. I have a laptop networked to my main pc, so i
installed spore on that and made a save, then copied the game0
save folder onto my machine in the correct location and tried to
load it. it worked, and after that successful load i've been able
to save and load as normal. I have no idea why it worked, but it
worked.

DaveArtur
SOLUTION: Lost Saved Games
Spore was taking too long to quit, so I held the power button down on my computer. The next time I ran Spore, it said my saved games were corrupt and that it would attempt to repair. (which it couldn't)
I tried the option of copying my Game0.old to Game0 but Windows Explorer said the directory was corrupt and couldn't be accessed. (I've _never_ seen a game hold such a lock on files that this happens)
Since Spore corrupted a portion of my hard drive, I ran a ScanDisk (being C: I had to reboot and let it scan on startup) and during the scan it found several lost file fragments, all in the "Documents and Settings\Application Data\Spore\Games" folder and fixed them.
When Windows started back up, and I ran Spore, my saved games were restored and working.


........................Black screen crash at startup........................


DetailsInside
Hi, I'm New!
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1
Possible "Blackscreen" fix
Hi,
I got spore (ea store download) a few days ago.
Got to play it the first day before it decided that it no longer wanted to load.
The screen would go black and the spore cursor would appear and then the spore cursor would appear. It would then crash back to the desktop with a "spore has stopped working" error.
After multiple correspondence with ea support i got nowhere.
Until I read that spore would run if you used a different windows account. Lo and behold it did. I then set about looking for differences in the 2 accounts as to why it would load on one and not the other, and by chance I came accross the Appdata folder. That was the answer to my prayers.

**THE (possible) FIX**
go to : "C:\Users\(your account name)\appdata\roaming"
here i found a "spore" folder and a "spore creature creator" folder.
i think that the "spore creature creator" folder was the problem, so i deleted it.
(i also deleted the spore folder as well so test out whether just deleting the "spore creature creator" folder works before you delete the spore one)
if this doesnt work, i'm sorry and make sure to restore the folders back just in case this wrecks it even more.
you also may not have a "spore creature creator" folder because you never had spore creature creator, in this case just delete the spore folder.
MAKE SURE YOU MAKE BACKUPS!!! (copy/cut the folders to somewhere else)
I hope this helps anyone. ask questions if you need to. i'll be happy to help if i can.

ChazZito
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 3
Default
hey guys, found a way to fix it, if you copy the main files from the disc in
D:\Spore\ (which includes the folders "Data" and "SporeBin")
to your hard drive instead of installing it then it works perfectly.
you can run it streight of the disc if you want but the game will run much faster if you copy it from the disc, i suppose you could even make an image from the Spore DVD to you computer and then run it from that but its just easier to copy it to a folder on your hard drive and play it that way
Hope it works for you too

Setaro2008
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 10
Default
Try finding your Spore savegame folder. I had this problem (on PC) and I found deleting the stars.db (back it up first) file in my Spore save folder fixed the blackscreen crash at startup. (the game merely creates a new working stars.db)
Black screen crash moveing to creature stage.

This one following one I posted myself cut n pasted from spores own help file and also noted by Albull
Ok, serious fix this time.
If you have your resolution set above 1600 on either axis reduce it. I've managed to avoid the crash so far.
I'll update if I get to tribal phase without it dying.

DelboyJay
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4
OK i've played for 4 hours now and no crashes!!! so that is the problem you MUST install to same drive as windows is installed to (in my case C: ) then all is well and no need to save every 5 mins!

LordZeon Rookie Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 7 Default I can confirm that for those of us who crash on startup no matter what you change on your machine, it appears that one fix is to uninstall Spore and copy directly off the DVD the Data, SporeBin, and Support folders into the Spore Directory it will work! You will need to go into the Support folder and run SPORE(TM)_Code.exe and input your CD-key there, but it will work!


Xanru
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 32
I just gauged the effects of this using the Task Manager's "Processes" and watching the Memory Usage, and Rushyo is quite right.
I resumed Spore about 30 minutes ago, and it started at 297,000 K (297 MB) RAM usage. Through simply travelling around, I noticed that go up dramatically. I'm already using 406,000 K (206 MB) RAM usage through just that.
This needs to be fixed immediately. 6 hours of light usage like this would equate to about 700-800 MB of RAM being wasted alone. Add in all the rest, and you're looking towards a wasted 1 GB of RAM after 6 hours. Many of the target fan-base can't afford this. People with 2 GB of RAM with VRAM enabled are looking towards about 10 hours of play before experiencing critical errors.
For the rest of you, until a patch is issued (which I strongly advise to put in high-priority at EA), save and restart Spore every 1-2 hours. This will keep performance optimum and reduce crash rates significantly.

Not so much a fix, but for those experiencing the black-flickering-screen-crash problem while on a creator screen, avoid it almost entirely by limiting your use of Control +Z/Y from your keyboard. You can still use the in-game undo/redo controls however.

DragonRR

THE POSSIBLE and probably temporary FIX:
After reading a few posts about people fixing some CTDs by removing the graphics cache in C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\SPORE I thought I'd fiddle with the in game graphics cache size. So tonight I dropped the cache from 4096mb which is the amount I originally set it to, to 1024mb, exited out of Spore and then ran it again. I should also point out that I chose the graphics default setting and the reset my screen res and put my other graphics settings back to where they were when I ran Spore again. This might be important.

For the first time since I started the Space Stage I managed 2hrs before I saw a crash. At the moment I'm more inclined to think that changing the graphics cache size REMOVED all the existing graphics cache (which might have been corrupt in some way)... which gave me the longer period. This is because when I loaded my game the planets were initially un textured. Of course it's possible that it's just the reduction that caused the longer play period.

Zorbho
Space zoom out crash fix ! Space crash fix-solution!!!
The bug is quite simple,cant beleive EA havent fixed in the patch .... Each colonie have decorative thing that you have put before or that been created automaticly by the game , but the problem is that there is under each city hall like 100 of them , if you multiple by 7 , its a lot and your computer canot manage all that, to remove them it's simple, all you have to do is sell the one around the city hall , then do alt+enter to go in windows mode, and it will take some of the item under the city hall and fill out the spot you just sold.Sell them again and do alt+enter to go in full window mode and it will do the same thing, it will take if some remain , the decorative object under the city hall and put them in the available spot so you can sell them until not a single one remain under the city hall, do that for the 7 colony and your good to go !!! you can zoom and dance and do all you want cause your computer has like 100 less decorativ thing to manage ! i found the solution somewhere else bulalalah i just want to help so i reformulated it ! :-) IT REALLY WORK!

...............Registerd with a different email address ?.....................

Vicissitude
So, final update, problem fixed:
After many (some not very happy) messages to EA tech support, I did end up "talking" to a human being. After being asked for my account info and license key, I was told the problem was that my game was registered to another email address.
Indeed, when I first installed the game, I tried to register a Spore account using one address, but the registration was denied, as the username was already taken.
Thus I made a new address to register another name (I'm obsessive like that... I like to have a matching address to go with whatever I use it for).
Turns out, despite the initial registration being denied, it still registered my game to that address.
Tech support was helpful, once I actually did get in touch with a human being. Though I did notice that after I sent my "not so happy" message (basically complaining about all the problems plaguing the spore launch, the uselessness of SecuROM, and how EA is turning once-loyal customers into pirates), the replies I was receiving changed from being from "Customer Support" to "Player Relations".

Might be nothing, but I did notice it. Maybe sometimes it pays to speak your mind and not just lie down and accept your fate...?

To anybody else who has the "The registration key used to install this game cannot be validated" problem, I would urge you to look into whatever other email addresses that might be somehow linked to your game, even if you don't think it is.
Something related to Creature Creator, perhaps, or Spore itself. Even if you don't think an email is linked to it, if there's a -possibility-, check it out.
I'd dropped my first address, since the name it was created for was already in use. And I just noticed now (hadn't logged into it since) that I got a Spore registration confirmation a day after creating the account.
Bit late... but if I had bothered to check that account again, I could have saved myself a big headache.
If your email isn't the issue... keep at it with tech support. They -will- help you/reply, but it takes a while. My first few messages took two days before getting a reply, and my last one took a whole -five days-. Just keep in mind they must be getting a -lot- of messages. And it's EA's fault for messing up/not hiring enough personnel. Don't take it out on the tech people.
But don't give up hope, hang in there. And good luck.

EAUK_Adroit
Community Representative

You may be getting this error message if you already registered your Spore serial code with another account. If you have already registered Spore to one email address you will not be able to add the same serial number to a second email address.

If you are unsure what account you used to register Spore please use the*Contact Us* link in the Support Centre and submit an incident to our support team, they will be able to check the account that was used.

When submitting your incident, please include the following information to verify the account (the more information you include the easier it will be to verify the account):

· The error message you are getting
· Your email address
· Your serial key you used to install the game with
· Your Spore persona
· Your Date of Birth you used to create the account



................................Cannot start Spore.............................

Pierpaf

Hi, I have installed spore 2 times now and everytime succesfull at the install. Now i try too run the games from program files -- electronics art -- sporebin -- sporeapp because the install doesnt create anything on my start menu and autorun doesnt work either. Then i get this message:
-----------------------------------------------
Could not find the default preferences.
The data directory is missing or corrupt. [1004]
-----------------------------------------------
I click ok then i get :
-----------------------------------------------
Could not find a needed package.
The data directory is missing or corrupt. [1004]
-----------------------------------------------
Everytime a install the game this happen please im i the only one with this problem? Im running this with window vista on a hp dv6000 laptop, dual core, geforce dedicated 8400m 2 gig ram
please someone help

I have created a shortcut to "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\SPORE\Sporebin\SporeApp.exe". And now the game is working. Thats weird but work.

[Eroneouse]

XP Specific...

Some fixes in Vista post also good for XP. I put em in one coz folks did not say a lot of times their OS.

...........For XP to play the game so it only uses a single core........

Eroneouse
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 245

load the game up, then ctrl-alt-delete, go to your task manager, find the "spore.exe" in the processes section, right-click it, and choose "set affinity".
You'll see your CPU 0-1-2-3 however many processors you have with all the boxes ticked.
Untick all of them except one to force spore to run on a single processor (don't set it to CPU 0 though because that's the one that Windows uses).
You have to do this each time you run spore though as it will reset each time.

...........................Random Crashing........................

Problem:
The game was playing fine till one day it crashed and then it keeps crashing everytime I try to play.
Solution (Windows XP):
Go to the following path on your computer:
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Username\Application Data
Important: Make a copy of the folder "SPORE" just in case...
Delete all the files named “GraphicsCache.package” (Includes GraphicsCache.001.package, 002, 003, etc...)
Information:
I had a hunch and got it right the first time, graphic caches piling up to 4 gigabytes can indeed be unstable..
I suggest that EA makes a “Start spore in Safe Mode” shortcut that automatically cleans-up the game’s cached files, or something like “The game has crashed the last time. Would you like to start spore in Safe Mode?”.
Conclusion:
I hope this was useful. You may use/reference anything in this post as you like, no strings attached (Nice if it would go as part of a helpful sticky). Also I probably won’t be maintaining this post, so don’t count on any feedback.
And please pardon my bad Englilalalalary. Last edited by Xenosteel; Today at 04:20 PM.

..........................To skip one of the stages .....................
ColibriMONOPOL
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 15
Hi, yes you are not alone this has been posted alot even by me. The only thing I can say is you use the skip level cheat and go back to tribal when the patch comes out.
Go to the galaxy screen where you select your planet.
Click on a planet
Press Ctrl+Shift+C
type levels -unlock
exit console
Go back
Select planet again
All levels should be unlocked

The only other help I can give is, You do not need th game DVD in your drive to play, I found removing it did help with game play,
If your using Wi-Fi turn it off and play ofline.
Or I also found pluging in my PC over LAN to my router helped.
All this helped and was not a fix only EA can do that!


..................Spore won't load, no error messages...................

Fozzibab
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2
People are reporting two possible fixes for this problem.
Possible Fix the First:
Go to your Spore root directory /Sporebin and delete the file called DMCmdPortalClient.dll
Download the replacement for that file and save it in the /Sporebin folder.:
http://www.spore.com/static/war/imag...rtalClient.dll
Please note that this fix did not work for me, but has worked for others.

ElDoRado1239
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 16
Solved !I got a tip from someone who has solved this problem - by creating a new Windows account, loggin on as the new user and ... Spore works now ! Great, weird, but great.


...............................Fix for SLI issue 10012...........................

t8z5h3
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2
fix for sli issue 10012
(back up the configs.)
the issue is a config file issue it looks like to me that the programe run's a script to look at video setting and stuff but what ea was thinking the next bata driver was going to be relased but it was set back so the coding is looing for a driver of 176.00 well the driver is 175.19 so to fix this you must go into c:\program files\Electronic arts\SPORE\DATA\Config
then open configmaker.txt in note pad and then go to edit and find search for "1176.00" it will hight light then replace it with 117519
save and play.


......................Problem with zooming in/out from planets................

Mroovek Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 5
I may have a temporal solution to this problem. At first I got CTD sometimes after defending homeplanet. Later I had CTD everytime I tried to leave my planet, no matter attacked or not. And now for the solution:
Delete "GraphicsCache.package" file. It's located in "Application Data\SPORE" folder in Documents and Settings. In my case this file reached the maximum limit set in game options(I'm not sure if it didn't even exceed it). So problem may lie in this cache file. Take in mind that after you run the game after deleting this file you may see some graphics elements missing, but it's only temporal. It'll be ok after game downloads needed content again.
It helped for me. So far no CTD when leaving homeplanet. However the problem may be back after cache file gets bigger.
P.S.
I suggest making copy before deleting since I can't guarantee that everything will work ok :P
EDIT:
Well it worked for only 3 times I had to land on my homeworld and again it doesn't so it's a very temporal solution or simply it was a coinsidence.

.................................Corrupt Saves.................................

Problem:
One of my planets (Savegames) crashes everytime I evolve and enter Creature Phase / Tribal Phase / Civilization Phase. All my other Saves work except this one....
Solution:
Play on a NEW planet, and make sure you select the same creature that had the problem. Then select the phase you were stuck at.

The game saves your creature's evolution "Paths" in the Sporepedia, so when you load it for a new game no evolution progress is lost (Notice the little blue circles right below the Creature’s thumbnail, that’s the saved progress). Lucky for you.
Information:
I never knew that the game saves your evolution paths in the Sporepedia! I discovered that by pure accident just when I was about to give up on that savegame and start a new one. Whew.
I had the game crash everytime I entered the Civilization Stage, and I tried a LOT LOT of things to solve it but no avail. Hell I even copied the entire save to ANOTHER computer and the game crashed in exactly the same spot!! So it was not a hardware/software problem and its not exactly a "Corrupt" save, more like a corrupt planet (or content) which causes the game to crash everytime it translates it into civilization mode. An exceptional thing I suppose.
Definately not the fault of a custom creation either because I tried deleting the editorcache.package and no luck. It’s definitely a bug. (Maybe I could send the save to EA so they could sniff the funny code out)

[Eroneouse]

ATI / MAC Specific...

Mac Users Cannot Connect to license server

Not sure about this one it apparently works but I would recommend you back any files up before you alter them so you can put it as it was if it does not work for you or EA/Maxis release a fix for this exact problem...

WilliamK
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by octublogedy
Open up terminal
type "cd /etc" press enter
type "sudo nano hosts" press enter
type in your password and press enter
it will bring up a new looking page. near the bottom there is that "127.0.0.1 proxy.novafusion.ea.com"
move down with the arrow keys and delete that line. I dont think you can highlight and select it, so just delete it by going to the end of the phrase and holding the delete key.
then hit control + X, then hit Y, then hit enter. And it should work.
hopefully this helps you!

ATI visual fix.

Since first trying Spore, and noticing that AA didn't work. I updated my Catalyst drivers from 7.7 to 7.8. And my VIA AGP drivers to their latest, too. I'm guessing your card is PCIe, so don't worry about that, though.
I would definitely suggest updating your Cats to 8.8. It's a must, really. Also make sure you have the latest Mobo and PCI/chipset drivers. Google your Mobo manufacturer's name, followed by 'drivers'. Once you're all up to date, tinker with CCC settings one by one to see if you get any change.
AA works for me everywhere in Spore now. Game, editor and paint modes are all drawn very smooth.

ATi HD 4870 this card is not supported apparently however some players have found fixes by...

ZargonIII
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5
okay i have it, after looking at ATI forums the freezing problem is not limited to SPORE. Basically turn off AI in the ATI catalyst control centre. This plays havic witbh many games. I found after playing a few other games i have not touched in a while the same thing problem arose that i had with SPORE. With AI off all is fine . I have been playing SPOre for 45 mins on top notch settigns and it is stable. SO it looks like this problem at least was not caused by SPORE.

Helpful advice for same card as above...

TimeBombTom
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 6
All,
Very important article attached to get SPORE running on ATI HD4870 I have just tried it and have been running without issue for 2hrs.
Page 5 or there abouts outlines a workaround for powerplay issues in the current (and previous) catalyst drivers. Hopefully this will be fixed in the next rev but in the meantime.

AMD Game Forums - Game Crashing the PC with HD 4870


ATI AA fix...

Assuming you're using an ATI card, make sure you've got the latest Catalyst drivers, then do this:
Set AA and AF to application preference in CCC.
Start Spore and run a creator (just to engage the 3D engine)
Exit Spore and mirror these settings:
AA and AF back to your preference.
Temporal AA - ON
High Quality AF - ON
Catalyst AI - ON
Mipmap Detail Level - Performance
Wait for vertical refresh - On (unless...)
Adaptive AA - OFF
With those exact settings, I've been able to get Spore running with 6xFSAA and it looks amazing.





For Linux...


LingNoi
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4
If you download the latest version of wine via git (the source control tool) spore will install and run perfectly in Linux.

[Eroneouse]

......................................Post Patch fixes.....................................


sporemasterkaliena
To get the patch you must have EADM installed and running (it will automatically launch when you open Spore). The actual patch process should begin inside of Spore--there will not be any information in the EADM interface.
If you are unable to run the new patch, if you get an error message after it appears to successfully download the patch close Spore and please go to this path:
C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\cache\
check the subdirectories--mine was in Anonymous
there is a file called:
spore_dd_patch_all_v1.exe

Disable firewalls, anti-virus, and passive file scanners.

Right click and run the patch as an Administrator (if in Vista) or try to run manually from this location. A regular install wizard should launch and walk you through the rest of the installation.
It may take several minutes or more for the wizard to complete, please allow it time to run.
EDIT: SporeMasterNumerator
Patch Install Failure
posted but keitar6
FIX FOR INSTALLING NEW PATCH PLZ STICKY
First you have to run the patch and let it fail with the error about the old file missing or not the same.
When this runs it will put the installer int a temp directory such as
Vista 64 bit
C:\Program Files (x86)\InstallShield Installation Information\{9DF0196F-B6B8-4C3A-8790-DE42AA530101}\1.01.0000
Go to this directory and open "setup.ini"
Down the very bottom of that page you will see
RequireExactLangMatch=0x0804,0x0404
DELETE THIS LINE
Also change the line CheckMD5=n
Save this file and then run the setup file in this same directory game will now install and runs perfectly for me.

Regenerating Package Files
After you have installed the patch and Spore is crashing when you start, this procedure may help.
Go to the Spore directory:

In Windows XP
\Documents and Settings\(Username)\Application Data\SPORE

In Vista
\Users\(Username)\AppData\Roaming\SPORE
The Application Data directory may be hidden. To display hidden files:
In the menu Tools->Folder Options->View
check "Show Hidden Files and Folders"
For backups, create a save directory called PackageBackup and move all the .package files into it EXCEPT EditorSaves.package.


Restart Spore.
"My Creations" should start to get repopulated.
It may help to enable the "Buddy Content Only" and hit yes in the popup window. Sometimes more content is added when you select this option.
You can disable the "Buddy Content Only" after "My Creations" stops getting populated.
Note: It may take a while to redownload your content from the server, but your saved games will not be affected.
If you have trouble, you can restore all your package files to their original location to undo this procedure.


................................Patch cant see file.............................

madjack

Alright. After a little testing, I found the problem, on my side at least, with the "Old file not found... etc".
It seems the patcher doesn't like those that modified one or all of these three files:
ConfigManager.txt
Properties.txt
VideoCards.txt
If you don't have a backup here's how to fix it if you have downloaded Spore with the EADM.
Open two instances of Windows Explorer. Open the first one where Spore's config files are installed. ie: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\SPORE\Data\Config" (If you're on Win XP, it should be "Program Files" without the x86.) You can either delete the three files mentioned above or rename them. Don't close that explorer yet.
Open the second Explorer and go where the EADM is installed. ie: "C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\" (that's for VISTA users. I don't know where it is on XP, sorry.) Next, click on CACHE, then on "{ 2263259817 }", etlalalalail you end up in \spore_dd\Spore\Data\Config The three files you deleted in the first explorer are there and untainted. Copy those into the first explorer window and launch the Patch installer. It should work.
Hopefully I'm clear enough. It might not work for everyone though, but if you have that error message, it's worth a try.


krogoth

I may have a remedy for you.
PROBLEM: I installed the patch today like everyone else. Had major problems so I uninstalled and reinstalled my game without the patch. Game now crashed to desktop.
MY SOLUTION: After many reinstall attempts and no success in running the game, I had to try something new. The uninstaller removed a 4GB game in 7 seconds. So my thoughts are not all files with patch content were removed and somehow I need to FORCE a fresh install. The only files left behind after an uninstall were the user content. I didn't want to lose this info so I decided to separate it out for now. I backed up those files and removed the directories they were in. I will post the locations below. Then I went to the main spore directory and deleted any remnants of the Spore folder, and subfolders. No spore related folders remaining I then reinstalled Spore into a different directory than before (for good measure). The game ran. Now I began troubleshooting. One of the user files was causing the crash. So one by one I replaced folders (backing up everything) with my old content, running the game each time to see which file made it crash.

It turned out for me, that the Pollination.package file was the one making the crash. So I replaced all the old user content with the exception of that file. The game now runs. I had to let it redownload all my content for whatever reason (so anything you don't have shared may not be recovered). My saved games now load as well, and I am currently testing for any errors. Also, after doing this I got spammed all the achievements I had already earned.
Note: I am running Windows XP. Other operating systems may vary.
The directories for the user data are as follows:
WINDOWS XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\(Username)\Application Data\SPORE


VISTA USERS:
C:\Users\(Username)\AppData\Roaming\SPORE
-Within this folder you will find the Pollination.package. If it's the same problem I have you should be able to delete that file and reinstall successfully. If that doesn't work, backup these files and troubleshoot as I did.
NOTE: The Application Data folder is "hidden". To view this file open windows explorer and do the following..
1. Click Tools > Folder Options
2. Select the "View" tab.
3. Find the option to "View hidden files and folders" and enable it.
The other location of content is:
C:\Documents and Settings\(Username)\My Documents\My Spore Creations
This is where all you creations are saved. You shouldn't have to remove any of this.
In short... lol...
1. Uninstall the game.
2. Delete the file: C:\Documents and Settings\(Username)\Application Data\SPORE\Pollination.package
3. Reinstall the game in a new directory.
4. Enjoy a game that runs again.

..........................Out of range.......................................

flatfroggerx

Quote:
Originally Posted by Unifier http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/images/ea_images_spore/buttons/viewpost.gif


Hi,

I have been playing Spore fine and having a laugh! I have just had to swap out my 22" widescreen TFT for my 21" Mitsubish monitor. I can see any config program to run but when I start the game I get a message from the monitor stating it is out of range and the monitor displays nothing at all.

Anyone help with this or tell me how I can reconfigure the graphics ?

Thanks in advance.

JC

You need to reset your resolution, basically your 22" was using a higher resolution which it cant do hence out of its range of displayable resolution.

You need to reset the resolution for spore, run a search for the file Preferences.prop and try renaming it to preferences.prop to preferences.bak and start spore and see if that works, if it doesnt you might need to reinstall spore.


...........................Crash on startup.....................................

PieceOfGlass


After downloading patch 1.01 I reinstalled the game to return to the blissful state of 1.00 until they decide to fix the myriad of bugs associated with the patch.
However, when I reinstalled, the game would crash whenever I tried to open it. I tinkered with the Application Data files for a bit, and localized the error.

It's associated with a file in your Application Data folder (C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\SPORE\) called "Pollination.package".
Simply find the file, delete it (the game will automatically create a new one when you start the game) and your game should work again.
So all you have to do, is delete THIS file:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\SPORE\Pollination.package

Have fun in your Spore galaxy!
- PieceOfGlass

[Eroneouse]

Tracked down the missing fixes and put them back in again.
Bumpity bump.

[Harkole]

Good Work Eroneouse!

As an extra, the SLI fix you posted above can be used to fix the Space stage crash (as far as I can tell anyway). Do as it says in the SLI fix but then disable the SLI feature in Nvidia control pannel.

I had a game that I was stuck on and now I've got it going with that fix and last night got the 400 system unlock badge. Hope this helps people.

Cheers
Harcole

EDIT: Sorry you already said that, will leave this post as confirm that it worked for me though!

[hellan1980]

so is there a fix for the internet server problem? I haven't got antivirus software on my computer and my firewall is switched off. I really don't know what else I can do now.

[Eroneouse]

Hellan the only fixes ive seen for the cannot login probs have been to completely disable/remove all security software includeing windows built in firewall and to make sure all net access is given if useing a router.

[Eroneouse]

Added a few more.
Bumbity bump.

[sir2u]

I'm still having the restart problem at the transition between Cell and Creature stage - EA Tech Support has yet to offer me a working fix (after 5 attempts now). Can anyone help? I've updated drivers, updated DirectX, changed monitor settings to those recommended by EA Support, and the latest fix had me uninstall and delete everything including registry keys (in case the game installation was corrupt, apparently).

I'm aware of the fix already posted about installing drivers from Omega instead of official ATI ones, but when I tried to do that my PC wouldn't recognise them as drivers for my card and I tried to install them manually and probably botched it (not very tech savvy here). So if anyone can talk me through installing those drivers then I'd give that a try again. Cheers.

[Eroneouse]

Sir2u in windows XP first of all you will have to make sure you removed the drivers properly as improperly installed or botch installs of drivers can and will cause problems all on its own. So firstly click Start > control panel > system > hardware > device manager, in the device manager list locate your gfx card under display adapters and right click the device name for your gfx card, a drop down menu will offer you some options one of which is uninstall, select uninstall to remove the driver files. IF the uninstall borks try from that same menu to update driver instead and if that works, then uninstall it.

Make sure you have DL the new driver you want to try and also ensure you have the original driver installer too in case you need to undo it all anyway, for ease of use have em both on desktop as each driver should be a single self executable file, separate folders if you wish but not needed.

Reboot machine, while it is rebooting it will see there is no gfx driver and will tell you so it will also auto detect the driver it thinks you will want on when it asks you about installing the newly found device tell it no and let boot up continue. Once machine is booted up simply double click the driver you want to install and the driver will then start to install offering you the usual accept the eula and continue installing options. Once installation is completed reboot machine for new drivers to settle in. Once booted up reset desktop to your preference and off you go.

If you decide to go back to old drivers start at step 1 rinse / repeat.


As a temp measure to get passed the stage your sticking at there is a cheatmode where you can get a lvl skip thingy thats built into the game.

[sir2u]

Thanks - what is the cheatmode?

[Eroneouse]

Originally Posted by sir2u

Thanks - what is the cheatmode?

To skip one of the stages if your crashing at one particular stage and want to skip it till a fix arrives...

ColibriMONOPOL
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 15
Hi, yes you are not alone this has been posted alot even by me. The only thing I can say is you use the skip level cheat and go back to tribal when the patch comes out.
Go to the galaxy screen where you select your planet.
Click on a planet
Press Ctrl+Shift+C
type levels -unlock
exit console
Go back
Select planet again
All levels should be unlocked

[Harkole]

still waiting for a Mod to sticky this helpful thread...

[Eroneouse]

I doubt it will be stickied as its only usefull till they fix the bugs then it will be a redundant sticky proclaiming to the world the bugs that were

I suppose they could sticky it temporarily till its no longer useful then just delete it but if it was a sticky could I still edit it to add, update or remove bug fixes proved or disproved ?

[Maldayne]

I posted this earlier in a new thread but haven got any replies pls see if you can help

well its like the title says. i just want to play spore offline and so i click the executable... then a popup uh well pops up and says that my time is possible incorrect would you like to check this against a (server or something). if i say yes i must connect to the internet first then only does my game log in. if not and i press cancell then my game just doesnt run. My time is correct for my time zone (Im in Namibia its GREENWICH MERIDIAN TIME EXACT FOR PETES SAKE no offense to the petes out there). Does anyone know how to fix this because i must log into the internet using my phone and its a hassle each time? i just want to enter my spore game without logging onto the internet (iv already downloaded tons of contect)

THANKS FOR ANY REPLIES although helpful ones are prefferd more

[Eroneouse]

This was in the list of fixes in the posts above...

The following is not a fix but will allow you to play the game, albeit offline till they maybe fix your prob but still...

-DaCana-
Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 7
well yes, the game is totaly playable without online part. just press the red X in the upper right corner when it asks to logg in

[Kritter]

@Maldayne

I've never had that in the full version of Spore but it used to happen in the Creature Creator every time I ran it. Usually I just updated via the server, but I seem to recall one time I set my system clock back an hour to counter the difference between GMT and British Summer Time and it accepted that. Perhaps try that?

[Eroneouse]

That was one of the things I was going to suggest after finding out which time zone game he bought maybe it was looking for US time settings or maybe not.

[Sniparx]

I've had a huge pr0blem the gamel0ad sfine etc, but it freeze's when i put a m0use 0ver a butt0n 0r s0mething, If i ctrl-alt-Del 0ut 0f it and then click it back 0n it is fine until i put m0use 0ver a butt0n it freeze's again!.

Im runing a S0ny Vai0,
Intel C0re 2 Du0, pr0cces0r T5500, 1.66ghz , 2gb ram 120gb harddrive,
Nvidia Gef0rce G0 7400 Cpu, Runing Vista h0me!

Please if there's a fix let me kn0w!!!

[Eroneouse]

Originally Posted by Sniparx

I've had a huge pr0blem the gamel0ad sfine etc, but it freeze's when i put a m0use 0ver a butt0n 0r s0mething, If i ctrl-alt-Del 0ut 0f it and then click it back 0n it is fine until i put m0use 0ver a butt0n it freeze's again!.

Im runing a S0ny Vai0,
Intel C0re 2 Du0, pr0cces0r T5500, 1.66ghz , 2gb ram 120gb harddrive,
Nvidia Gef0rce G0 7400 Cpu, Runing Vista h0me!

Please if there's a fix let me kn0w!!!

I have not seen a fix for this bug sadly other than minimiseing the game, maybe if you toggle to window mode and make it full screen its almost as large a view screen as normal full size but may be easier to minimise and blow up again. It may even fix the bug keeping in windowed mode though youd have to test it to see.

[Harkole]

I've seen someone else saying theres a problem but if they run it windowed it works, now there is a program out there that will let you resize any program to the exact same size as the screen whilst still running windowed.

I'm looking for it but can't remember its name, I'll keep searching...

And yes if its sticked you can still edit/add/delete your own posts so this wouldn't be an issue, but this is really needing done!

[0101110]

ATI AA fix...

Assuming you're using an ATI card, make sure you've got the latest Catalyst drivers, then do this:
Set AA and AF to application preference in CCC.
Start Spore and run a creator (just to engage the 3D engine)
Exit Spore and mirror these settings:

AA and AF back to your preference.
Temporal AA - ON
High Quality AF - ON
Catalyst AI - ON
Mipmap Detail Level - Performance
Wait for vertical refresh - On (unless...)
Adaptive AA - OFF
With those exact settings, I've been able to get Spore running with 6xFSAA and it looks amazing.

High Quality AF: i can not find this option in the control center

Catalyst AI: ON ok.. standard or advanced?

[Eroneouse]

Originally Posted by 0101110

High Quality AF: i can not find this option in the control center

Catalyst AI: ON ok.. standard or advanced?

Best to PM the guy whos name is credited with originally posting the fix as I have nvidia not ATI and know very little about this ATI control center you speak of.

[Harkole]

daily bump, this thread now contains all known fixes that I can help with and a few others!