[Tanukitsune]

I just got the game and it wont work...
When I run the game the screen goes black and returns to windows...
Tech Support says they have the "same" PC as mine and it works...
The Setup program doesn't seems to work either it never saves the configuration and always has the default one...

[Kolorabi]

Have you gotten it to work yet? Or does anyone have any ideas of how to solve this? I am experiencing the same problem. After I've clicked the icon, the screen goes black for a few seconds and then I get returned to Windows. No error messages or anything. I use Windows 2000 and my system should be more than capable of running the game.

[Kolorabi]

Hmm... I downloaded a crack (no-cd fix) for the game, as I've had some similar problems with certain copy-protected games before. Now I can run the game. Seems it was the copy protection that caused problems (but I've seen some posts about people having problems with the cracked version, so maybe I shouldn't celebrate too early). It's probably against the forum rules to give links to no-cd cracks, but I'm sure you can find one if you want to try and see if it works for you too.

[MDMaster]

Same Starforce deal over again, eh?

[Kolorabi]

Originally Posted by MDMaster

Same Starforce deal over again, eh?

Apparently. But I haven't had any problems with other StarForce-games that I've played. Still.. I hate the fact that I have to get help from pirates to get my legally purchased game to start.

[MDMaster]

Originally Posted by Kolorabi

Still.. I hate the fact that I have to get help from pirates to get my legally purchased game to start.

Highly ironic, isn't it? The people who help you play your legally purchased game are the same reason your game won't start.

Hmm, I feel like getting all existential here.

[saucyminx]

Is this the same problem as I'm having? I've just started playing Black Mirror a couple of days ago. I've just gotten to chapter 2. But after the whole conversation with Det. Collier, my game crashes, kicking me back to Win XP. I've tried re-installing, but nothing works. Do I have to download a patch for this? If so from where?

[fov]

I think (but am not sure) that copy protection issues only prevent a game from starting. If you've made it to chapter 2, I'm not sure a no cd crack would help you. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Does it always crash in the same place? Have you checked the TAC website to see if they have a patch?

-emily

EDIT: I just checked and it appears that TAC does not offer a patch for this game. Sorry. Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion.

[RezaTHX]

I just finished the chapter one and in the begining of the second chapter the game come out to windows I searched a lot in Internet and I could only find a savegame in the middle of the second chapter . any one have a savegame in the begining of the second chapter ? my e-mail is : [email protected]

[Maria]

Originally Posted by Tanukitsune

I just got the game and it wont work...
When I run the game the screen goes black and returns to windows...
Tech Support says they have the "same" PC as mine and it works...
The Setup program doesn't seems to work either it never saves the configuration and always has the default one...

I finally installed it but now I've the same problem as above, help me

[JoeX111]

Originally Posted by Maria

I finally installed it but now I've the same problem as above, help me

I don't own the game, so I'm just stabbing in the dark here, but...

If you can find the .ini file that the configuration utility should be modifying, you should be able to go in and manually override the settings by typing in the values you want and saving the file. That might fix the black screen problem you are having.

[Mitch]

Just rename mejerk.chr to majerk.chr (overwriting the old file) in the Black Mirror directory... Enjoy!

[valliant]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Just rename mejerk.chr to majerk.chr (overwriting the old file) in the Black Mirror directory... Enjoy!

I found a no-cd crack in the internet which -apparently- is newer than the one that comes with the 'pirated' version of the game (in \crack). The .nfo in this latter crack explains how the 'cracker' made a mistake and what the proper procedure is. So, officially then, you must:
- copy majerk.chr to another folder (say \temp)
- rename mejerk.chr -> majerk.chr (in game folder)
- rename majerk.chr -> mejerk.chr (in \temp)
- copy the NEW mejerk.chr back to the game folder

I did this and everything was resolved properly.
Enjoy.
~valliant~

P.S. I've seen so many people troubled with this topic that maybe it should become *sticky*. What do you say fov?

[fov]

Thanks for your help. I'd rather not clutter up the top of the forum with too many stickies, but it's good to have this info because when someone does post again with the same problem, we can refer them to this thread. It's strange that this problem is suddenly cropping up for so many people, because the game is several years old.

Of course, I'm taking it on faith that everyone is using this solution on LEGAL versions of Black Mirror. Remember we don't support piracy here - but I know sometimes a no CD crack is the only way to get a legal version of a game working (which is pretty screwy).

[usman]

Hi,

Well after renaming if the problem still persist try to uncheck the read only tick on the file properties of "Data.adb".

I assure you it will solve all problems

Happy Gaming BLACK MIRROR IS GREAT I LOVE IT

[valliant]

Originally Posted by fov

Thanks for your help. I'd rather not clutter up the top of the forum with too many stickies, but it's good to have this info because when someone does post again with the same problem, we can refer them to this thread. It's strange that this problem is suddenly cropping up for so many people, because the game is several years old.

Of course, I'm taking it on faith that everyone is using this solution on LEGAL versions of Black Mirror. Remember we don't support piracy here - but I know sometimes a no CD crack is the only way to get a legal version of a game working (which is pretty screwy).

You have a point there, fov (actually, you've got two of them ). It's meaningless to have an entire first page of the forum with stickies: would be like a desktop filled with shortcuts to ALL the programs in the start menu! (those of you who HAVE such a desktop, start pondering of how and where along the way it became an exercise in futility... )

This game is old, indeed, but adventure games are like the wine, you know... Myself, I am a collector: I collect every single game that 'promises' to be good, even if only in one aspect (technical/music/script/puzzles, etc.). When -and if- I get the time to play them is an entirely different matter. I've had Black Mirror in my possession for over a year now, but just got into the mood to play it last month. Anyway, what I mean to say is that Adventure games are possibly the only kind of game that does not loose its 'shine' in the c(o)urse of time...

Regarding the 'non-pirated versions' you mention, I believe too that sometimes even a legally purchased game needs the no-cd crack to run properly, if at all. I'll give you another example: I bought Half-Life 2 as soon as it hit the stores (collector's edition and all). After going through the leeeeeengthy installation process and the even leeeeeeeeeeeeeengthier activation process (with Steam and all, downloaded some 30MB of 'legal code') I got to play the game -eventually. Now, the game itself is a masterpiece, no doubt, an all-time-classic, and simply worth of all the praise it's been (and being) awarded. After I completed it, I decided (God forbid) to let Steam check if there were any game updates. After another looooooong wait in the server's queue, I got a message; a rather peculiar one, too: "There are 850MB of updates. Press Next to download". Yes, the number is right! Almost 1GB of patches, for no good or apparent reason. Naturally, I mean who would, I opted NOT to download the updates (cut me some slack, I'm on an ISDN connection). The result was that the game, ALL of the Steam-based games!, stopped playing!!! I couldn't even launch them!
Tell me now fov, what other solution was there for me? Should I uninstall, re-install, re-activate (after first registering again...) and get it to play, or should I download 850MB of un-necessary updates?
Or should I crack it?
Who can blame me, or whoever opted for this resolution?

~valliant~

[fov]

I don't blame you at all. I would have done the same thing. I know of at least a few other games where the copy protection interferes with the ability to play a (legal) game, and the company is no help at all (Shadow of Destiny is one example). So the people they're trying to protect their games from are the very people who allow paying customers to play the games in the first place. Ironic.

I just wanted to clarify, though, because sometimes people *do* come here trying to get help to run pirated games, and that we can't help with.

-emily

[Maria]

On my brothers pc it works fine but here on mine aarrgghh....

Thanks all but I give up




Oh and I've bought the legal version

[widget]

I have resigned myself to never playing the game, I bought Black Mirror, installed it and cannot play it because all I get is a error message 'agds illegal operation' I am Win98se, have asked everywhere, no reply, and reading all your problems think I will put it in the bin!!!
Ann

[fov]

Ann - as a last ditch attempt, have you tried emailing TAC tech support?

Maria, have you tried everything that was suggested in this thread? If yes, what exactly is the problem you're having - still a crash in chapter 2? Have you tried using a saved game? There's one in this thread or if that save is in the wrong place, you might contact Valliant and see if he has another.

I'm sorry you're both having such issues with this game. It's pretty new and shouldn't be so hard to get running.