"program error integer divide by 0" error

[starfiretbt]

I hope this is the place to ask for help with Sierra games as the other channel for help sounded like it wasn't for sierra games. I'm trying to play a couple sierra games ("Earthsiege 2" and "Birthright The Gorgon's Alliance"), they were both made around 1996 and I have a windows 98 operating system up and running in a program called "Retroarch," The discs load and so does the installer but when I try to install the game it gives me the error message "program error integer divide by 0."

What does this mean and how do I fix it?

[Tawmis]

Not familiar with Retroarch, however I did some digging...
Found this thread... https://discussions.virtualdr.com/showt ... de-by-zero

Which is for a different game, but points to: http://mastercook_cupboard.tripod.com/mc_4.htm#A02

Considering it's the same error, I wonder if the steps might work.

ERROR MESSAGES: Integer Divide by 0
You may encounter "integer divide by 0" or other errors when installing MC 4 on any new machine, including Win 2000 machines if you allow it to take the system test, because the installer does not recognize the newer computer chips.

To fix it:

1. Remove the MasterCook CD from the drive.
2. Find and delete the SIERRA.INI file inside the \Windows folder on your computer.
3. Proceed with installing by following the guidelines outlined here: Software Installation Guidelines for Windows Users: http://mastercook_cupboard.tripod.com/installation_guide.htm

Then, when the installer asks to test your system, tell it NO, ignore any warning message or test results, and choose to install it anyway.

[starfiretbt]

Thank you for your help, I was able to install the game.

[Tawmis]

Thank you for your help, I was able to install the game.

Glad to have helped!

[Tawmis]

Grabbing those guidelines since that seemed to have fixed it and posting it here (I had a PM to myself I just read again, to grab this info if it solved it, so here I am many months later, finally doing that) - in case the tripod site ever goes away the info is collected here.

Installation Guide
Home Installation Guide General FAQs MasterCook 2/3 FAQs MasterCook 4 FAQs Search Site MasterCook 5+ FAQs Links/Communities

Software Installation Guidelines for Windows Users
WINDOWS XP USERS PLEASE NOTE
INSTALLING MASTERCOOK VERSION 4 OR LESS?
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
TROUBLESHOOTING

1. WINDOWS XP USERS PLEASE NOTE
It is recommended that you have the latest WinXP Service Packs and the latest 32-bit drivers for ALL hardware devices on the WinXP system before installing any software. This can enhance overall performance as well as resolve any pending problems.
Software installations will frequently fail when the user is not logged on as Computer Administrator. AND, even after being installed by a Computer Administrator, some software applications may not perform correctly for users logged on with Limited User Accounts.

Verify that the User Account under which the program is being installed and used is a 'Computer Administrator' account:

bullet 1. Click START, then make a note of the USER ACCOUNT name in use
bullet 2. Select the CONTROL PANEL
bullet 3. Double-click on the USER ACCOUNTS icon
bullet 4. Verify that the words COMPUTER ADMINISTRATOR appear below the User Account name currently in use.
For information about creating User Accounts, consult your Windows documentation.

[ Top of Page ]

2. INSTALLING MASTERCOOK VERSION 4 OR LESS?
Before inserting your CD into the drive, you will want to find and delete the SIERRA.INI file in the \Windows folder before installing.

Do NOT perform the system test during the installation! The only purpose of the installation system tests is to verify that the system meets the minimum system requirements. When older Sierra software is installed on a Pentium or equivalent system, the system test will always report one or more system failures (even after you click on NO). The installer won't recognize many of the components in the new computer systems. If your system meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements, you can completely ignore any reports of a system test failure, because system test failure reports will not adversely affect the installation. Click on YES to continue the installation process.

Can't find the installation setup screen? On some occasions, the Install window will not be displayed properly. Instead, only a SIERRA ON-LINE icon will be visible in the taskbar. This problem is apparently caused by the Install window being positioned off the screen or at the very edge of the screen where it isn't easily seen. Many users have been able to complete the installation by selecting one or more of these options:

bullet 1. Find and delete the sierra.ini file before inserting the CD.
bullet 2. Right click on the TASKBAR, select PROPERTIES, click in the box next to AUTO-HIDE THE TASKBAR to select it, click on APPLY, then on OK. This will cause the taskbar to disappear when the mouse pointer is not in the vicinity of the taskbar. When the taskbar disappears, you might discover that the Sierra-Online item had been hiding behind it.
bullet 3. Right click on the Sierra On-Line icon in the taskbar, then click on either RESTORE or MOVE on the drop-down menu.
bullet 4. Press CTRL ALT DEL, click on the Sierra On-Line item in the WINDOWS TASK MANAGER window, then click on SWITCH TO.
[ Top of Page ]

3. INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
Following is the recommended procedure for installing any software application on Windows 98/98SE/ME/XP.

Disable Background Programs In MSCONFIG
bullet 1. Click the START button on the Windows® taskbar, then select RUN.
bullet 2. Type MSCONFIG in the Open field.
bullet 3. Click OK. The System Configuration Utility window will open.
bullet 4. Click the GENERAL tab.
bullet 5. Choose SELECTIVE STARTUP. If the button next to Load Startup Group Items is grayed-out, proceed to the next step. If this button is not grayed-out, skip to Step 7.
bullet 6. If the LOAD STARTUP GROUP ITEMS button is grayed-out, your Startup Group has been customized at some point. To allow you to return to this customized configuration, you will need to make a list of the startup items that are checked:
a. Click the STARTUP tab.
b. Make a list of the items that are checked. This list will be used in Step 6 under the "Restoring The Original System Configuration" section below.
c. Click the GENERAL tab.
bullet 7. Remove the check mark next to LOAD STARTUP GROUP ITEMS. This will temporarily prevent all startup applications from loading when you reboot your computer.
bullet 8. Click APPLY, then click OK.
bullet 9. Click YES when prompted to Restart your computer.
bullet 10. Install the software.
NOTE: Once the installation is complete, follow the steps below to restore your system to its original configuration.

Restore The Original System Configuration
bullet 1. On the Windows® taskbar, click the START button, then select RUN.
bullet 2. Type MSCONFIG in the Open field. The System Configuration Utility window will open.
bullet 3. Click OK.
bullet 4. Click NORMAL STARTUP.
bullet 5. If the LOAD STARTUP GROUP ITEMS button was originally grayed-out, proceed with the next step. If the LOAD STARTUP GROUP ITEMS button was not originally grayed-out, click APPLY and then click OK. You will be prompted to restart your computer. Click OK. Your system is now restored to its original configuration. You are finished. Continue by using the program.
bullet 6. Click the STARTUP tab. Refer to the list of items recorded in Step 6b ("Disabling Background Programs In MSCONFIG") above, and check the box next to each item on the list.
bullet 7. Click APPLY, then click OK.
bullet 8. Click YES when prompted to Restart your computer. Your system will revert to its original Startup configuration. You are finished. Continue by using the program.
[ Top of Page ]

4. TROUBLESHOOTING
Still having troubles? Make sure the CD is clean and free of scratches and seated in the drive properly. Or, try the following:

1. Try Reducing the Graphics Acceleration
As some graphics cards have been known to cause problems when installing software, it may be necessary to reduce the Graphics Acceleration before installing the software.

Reducing Graphics Acceleration in Win XP:
bullet 1. Right-click on your desktop.
bullet 2. Select PROPERTIES from the drop-down menu.
bullet 3. Click on the SETTINGS tab.
bullet 4. Click on the ADVANCED button.
bullet 5. Click on the TROUBLESHOOTING tab.
bullet 6. Move the slider to "Basic Accelerator Functions" (the second notch from "None").
bullet 7. Click on APPLY, then click on OK.
bullet 8. Proceed with the installation steps mentioned above.
Reducing Graphics Acceleration in Win 95/98/ME:
bullet 1. Right-click on MY COMPUTER, then select PROPERTIES from the drop-down menu.
bullet 2. Click on the PERFORMANCE tab, then click on the GRAPHICS button.
bullet 3. Move the slider to "Basic Accelerator Functions" (the second notch from "None").
bullet 4. Click on APPLY, then click on OK.
bullet 5. Proceed with the installation steps mentioned above.
2. Windows XP Compatibility Mode
If you encounter functionality problems while running an older program designed for Windows 95 or 98 under Windows XP, we recommend that you enable the program to utilize Windows XP's Compatibility Mode.

To Uninstall The Program And Reinstall It Using The Windows Compatibility Mode:
bullet Uninstall the program using ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS or using the program's UNINSTALL icon
bullet With the CD inserted in the drive, double click on MY COMPUTER.
bullet Right click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive and click OPEN.
bullet Right click on the file SETUP.EXE (If there is no setup.exe file, then right click on INSTALL.EXE)
bullet Select PROPERTIES from the drop-down menu
bullet Click on the COMPATIBILITY tab.
bullet Click on the check box for 'RUN THIS PROGRAM IN COMPATIBILITY MODE FOR:'
bullet Select WINDOWS 98 / WINDOWS ME in the pull down options and click OK
bullet Double click on SETUP.EXE to install the program.

NOTE: If the Compatibility Mode does not work, it is VERY important to remove the Compatibility Mode by going back to the SETUP.EXE file and unchecking 'RUN THIS PROGRAM IN COMPATIBILITY MODE FOR'. If Compatibility Mode is not removed, it will not be possible to install the program in the normal WinXP mode.

If problems persist after installing the program, enable application compatibility mode for the program itself.

To Enable Application Compatibility Mode:
bullet Right-click the program's desktop shortcut icon (if created). Or, right-click the program's shortcut icon on the START menu.
bullet Select PROPERTIES from the drop-down menu.
bullet Click on the COMPATIBILITY tab.
bullet Click on the check box for 'RUN THIS PROGRAM IN COMPATIBILITY MODE FOR:'
bullet Select WINDOWS 98 / WINDOWS ME in the pull down options and click OK

Note: If the Compatibility Mode does not work, it is VERY important to remove the Compatibility Mode by going back to the same shortcut icon and unchecking 'RUN THIS PROGRAM IN COMPATIBILITY MODE FOR'. If Compatibility Mode is not removed, the program may not function normally.

3. Support For 640x480 Resolution, 256 Colors
Some programs may require system settings which are not the default setup for Windows XP. Such adjustments enable some programs to print or use full screen resolution. To enable printing or proper game functionality in [program name], the program must have 256-color and/or 640x480 resolution support enabled.

To Enable 256-Color Or 640x480 Resolution Support:
bullet Right-click the program's desktop shortcut icon (if created). Or, right-click the program's icon in the START menu.
bullet Select PROPERTIES from the drop-down menu.
bullet Click on the COMPATIBILITY tab.
bullet In the DISPLAY SETTINGS options, click on the check box for 'RUN IN 256 COLORS'.
bullet In the DISPLAY SETTINGS options, click on the check box for 'RUN IN 640X480 RESOLUTION'.

4. Determine Whether any Programs Running in the Background are Interfering with the Program
bullet Press the CTRL, ALT, and DEL keys on the keyboard at the same time and then release them.
bullet Click on TASK MANAGER. If necessary, click on the APPLICATIONS tab.
(a) Click on an item in the list to highlight it.
(b) Click on END TASK.
bullet Repeat steps (a) and (b) until the list is empty.
bullet Select FILE from the menu bar.
bullet Select EXIT TASK MANAGER from the drop-down menu.
bullet Run the program.
5. Determine if Drivers in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS are Causing Conflicts with the Program
Most Windows NT/2000/XP systems do not need to load these two files and they can cause conflicts if they are loading drivers. Use the following procedure to disable these files:
bullet Click on the Start button, then click on Run.
bullet Then type COMMAND in the Open box and click on the OK button.
bullet From the DOS prompt, type REN C:AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.XXX and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet From the DOS prompt, type REN C:CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.XXX and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet Type EXIT and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet Click on the Start button, then click on ShutDown.
bullet Place the dot in Restart the computer. (Select to RESTART THE COMPUTER)
bullet Click on the Yes button.

Once Windows NT/2000/XP has restarted, try to run the program. If the program works, something in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS is causing a conflict.

You may or may not need the line that is causing the conflict. You should contact you computer manufacturer to help determine whether or not the line is needed in your system.

If you are still experiencing the same problem, use the following procedure to rename the AUTOEXEC.XXX and CONFIG.XXX back to AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS:
bullet Click on the Start button, then click on Run.
bullet Then type COMMAND in the Open box and click on the OK button.
bullet From the DOS prompt, type REN C:AUTOEXEC.XXX AUTOEXEC.BAT and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet From the DOS prompt, type REN C:CONFIG.XXX CONFIG.SYS and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet Type EXIT and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
bullet Click on the Start button, then click on Shut Down.
bullet Place the dot in Restart the computer. (Select to RESTART THE COMPUTER)
bullet Click on the Yes button.

[Collector]

This is an old, but known error from the old Sierra Windows installers. In emulators it is often the CD drive speed test or the processor test that causes it to clash. on old NT kernel operating systems it could lockup and crash the old NTVDM DOS emulator. The only thing that you have to do is to skip the test and proceed to the install, ignoring the warning about skipping the test.

I also strongly advise anyone trying to follow the above instructions to NOT delete the SIERRA.INI file. That file can contain configuration and path info for all of your Sierra Windows games of that era. requiring you reinstall all of those games again. There are only a couple of things that might interfere with additional attempts at installation; the results of the last test and any information of that game's installation. The last one only affects installing from the CD's autorun, which can be bypassed by execution the installer (usually named something like 'Setup. exe') directly from the CD.

There is also the option of manually installing the games by copying the files to the hard drive, expanding and or concatenating any larger files requiring such, installing any required codecs and or runtimes, and creating/editing any configuration files, but that may be beyond the abilities of some users. These are the kind of the things I had to workout to write my installer scripts.