Loading Game Issue

I've searched the forums, done disk defrags, and everything, but I'm still no closer to solving my problem.

My problem is this.

I have a saved game on FM2008. It was started on an edited 8.0.0 or 8.0.1 (I'm fairly sure it's 8.0.1, though) database, but I have since upgraded the game to 8.0.2. It's worked fine for roughly 6 months. Last Friday was the last time I saved it - I'm not aware of anything that would have caused it to corrupt whilst saving, I don't recall FM2008 being closed halfway through saving or anything like that.

Since then, I've copied it (and every other file on my laptop) to an external USB Hard Drive, before restoring my laptop to the factory settings. I've reinstalled FM2008 as well as both patches, but the game no longer works - it comes up with an error about halfway during the loading screen saying "The save game could not be loaded.".

Any ideas as to what I can do to fix this problem or what the problem is?

Thanks in advance.

Are you sure you have the updated version of 8.0.2 installed?

It could be that you were running the updated version before and only upgraded this time to the first version of 8.0.2.

Other than that, I'm afraid your save is probably done for.

Fair dos. I just tried loading up the edited data in the Data Editor (think it was 8.0.0 data), and it says "The database failed to load". Could that be where the problem is? And if it is, is there anyway of finding the data files (I haven't touched them since about 2007!) buried on the HDD using a restore program of sorts?

Fair dos. I just tried loading up the edited data in the Data Editor (think it was 8.0.0 data), and it says "The database failed to load". Could that be where the problem is? And if it is, is there anyway of finding the data files (I haven't touched them since about 2007!) buried on the HDD using a restore program of sorts?

In that case, a re-install should sort it out. Try (a pain, I know) to do a full uninstall (do a search for the instructions) and then install it again. Then see if the db will load up again. If so, then try to re load your save.

I will try to find the uninstall info for you now.

Windows XP

1: Open “My Computer”

2: Navigate to “C:\Program Files\Sports Interactive

Windows Vista

1: Click “Start”

2: Click “Computer”

3: Navigate to “C:\Program Files\Sports Interactive

If you have more than one version of the game installed (For example, you have FM2007 and FM2008 installed) and only wish to remove one then go into the Sports Interactive Folder and delete the folder of the game you wish to remove.

Next you need to remove save games and other content:

Windows XP:

1: Open “My Computer”

2: Navigate to “C:\Documents and Settings\<Name>\My Documents”

Vista:

1: Click on “Start”

2: Click on “Computer”

3: Navagate to “C:\Users\<Name>\Documents”

Look for the Sports Interactive Folder and follow the same steps for the game files.

Next remove your Cache files (Follow the steps above)

Finally you will need to edit your registry to remove information Sports Interactive stores there.

To do this follow these steps:

Windows Xp

1: Click on “Start”

2: Click on “Run”

3: In the text prompt box type “regedit”

4: Navigate to:

Windows Vista

1: Click on “Start”

2: In the Search box type “regedit”

3: Navigate to: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\

4: Delete the “Sports Interactive Ltd” Folder.

Note: Please do not tamper with anything else in this folder, your registry is very sensitive and changing something could cause your computer to malfunction.

Once all the steps above are complete your computer will be completely uninstalled.

Thanks to rinso. Note - make sure you back up your saves and any custom data you want to use again.

Have uninstalled fully, and have reinstalled.

My edited database won't load in either the data editor 8.0.0 or 8.0.1. It keeps stopping during the "loading people" thing and saying the database can't be loaded.

I'm assuming that the database not being able to load is linked to my save game problem, or is that an incorrect assumption? Do you know of any way of going into the database files to find [and then fix] the problem?

I'm not sure, I don't see how your save has anything to do with your db. As far as I know, they don't rely on each other.

I just wondered about that because I've read elsewhere on the forum that people were having problems with their databases not being compatible with their saved games.

Hmm... I'm not particularly annoyed that it has stopped working, just disappointed. I had the feeling it was to do with my Windows reinstall, but given I have all the files and folders from my previous FM2008 installation, that wouldn't appear to be it. Although, I did notice a difference in the number of files (and file size) in the FM2008 folder after the reinstall compared to the installation folder I copied onto my USB Hard Drive for backup. Make anything of that, or am I just looking for something when there's nothing to be found?