Note: Current game version is v1.07. If you just received the game on CD you will need to apply the v1.07 patch available here:

Strategic Command v1.07 Patch (3 Mb)

INSTALLATION ISSUES

Problem: I have inserted the Strategic Command CD in my CDROM drive and nothing happens, how do I install the game?.

Cause/Solution: The Strategic Command CD is not set to 'auto-run', you will have to browse to the Strategic Command CD and double click on the file called 'Strategic Commmand Setup.exe'. This will initiate the installation process.

Problem: Setup halts part way through the install process. May indicate a problem reading a specific file or resource.

Cause/Solution: Could be a dirty or scratched CD. Advise to do the following: Use some rubbing alcohol and dilute it with water (about a capful total) Dip a cotton swab into the solution and then gently rub the soaked swab across the shiny surface of the CD. Be sure to work any area that show smudges or scratches. Let the CD air-dry. Reinsert the CD and try to reinstall. You can also use any aftermarket CD Cleaning kit or cleaning system to do the above.

DIRECTX ISSUES

Problem: I get a Windows error message reporting that SC is linked to a missing routine in the file OLE32.DLL.

Cause/Solution: SC uses the Microsoft COM component model architecture for implementing DirectX and your system does not have the latest version of DCOM installed (i.e. it is most probably an early version of Windows 95 or Windows 98). Please proceed to the Microsoft web site to download the current version of DCOM 1.3 for your version of Windows (95 or 98). Please note this download is only required for early versions of Windows 95 or 98, as all more recent version of Windows already include the latest DCOM module from Microsoft.

VIDEO ISSUES (Non-DirectX Users)

Problem: The game seems to run at a very low refresh rate causing my monitor to whine or flicker more than I am used to.

Cause/Solution: Initially SC was designed to run at the highest refresh rate possible at a resolution of 1024x768 on your system, but it was found that some computers were inaccurately reporting what refresh rates were properly supported at this resolution. This most often occurred with systems that did not have a proper monitor driver installed and were using the Windows default monitor driver. In this case, higher than supported refresh rates were reported supported by the video card that the monitor could not handle resulting in blacked out screens and most often in undesirable rebooting.

If you know that your are sure that your system has the proper drivers installed and can handle the highest refresh rates reported at 1024x768 then you will be able to run at this refresh rate by editing the ‘SC.ini’ file and changing the line high refresh = 0, to read high refresh = 1. In order to edit this file simply navigate to your SC installation folder and right click and select Open on the file named ‘SC.ini’.

Problem: When I quit the game, my desktop icons are no longer in their original locations.

Cause/Solution #1: SC is designed to run at a 1024x768 resolution and if your system is currently set at a higher or lower resolution it may cause your desktop icons to become partially rearranged. This is a problem with the Windows system not properly saving the current desktop setup when switching from one resolution to another and there are a number of third party utilities that work around this problem. One such utility is called 12Ghosts SaveLayout and is available at: http://www.12ghosts.com/ghosts/sl.htm.

Solution #2: For users of Windows XP you can try and select Windows 98 / ME compatibility mode for the game which some users have reported resolved the desktop icon issue. Procedure is as follows and is currently an "unofficial fix" for Windows XP only:

Right click on the Strategic Command Demo icon on your desktop. Select "Properties". A window will open with three tabs along the top. Select the tab called COMPATABILITY. Put a check mark in the box labeled "Run this program in compatibility mode for". In the drop down list, select Windows 98/ Windows ME.

Leave the three boxes at the bottom unchecked. Click OK to exit and save the changes. Launch the game using the desktop icon you just modified.

Problem: When I click on the War Map, the game either freezes or the War Map graphics appear corrupted.

Cause/Solution: This has been identified as a video driver bug that does not properly support the standard Windows Stretch_Blt() function. Try downloading the latest video driver or contacting your video card manufacturer.

SOUND ISSUES

Problem: The game loads properly and even plays the introduction music, but appears to freeze as soon as I click on any button in the Main Menu.

Cause/Solution: SC uses a standard Windows multimedia capability known as MCI. It was hoped that this would ensure seamless compatibility between all systems and guarantee no sound issues, unfortunately this has not been the case. What is happening here is that your sound card is not supporting asynchronous wav playback under MCI and is actually waiting for the introduction music to finish playing before it can play the button click wave file. To work around this issue please try either of the following:

#1 Try downloading the latest sound drivers for your card to see if this resolves the issue of asynchronous wav playback for MCI devices

#2 Edit the ‘SC.ini’ file located in your installation directory and change the line that reads sound interrupt = 0 to sound interrupt = 1. This will enforce sound interruption for the game and will resolve the issue. In order to edit this file simply navigate to your SC installation folder and then right click and select Open on the file named ‘SC.ini’.

TCP/IP ISSUES

Problem: I get a Winsock error message when attempting to play via TCP/IP.

Cause/Solution: Chances are you are running an early version of Windows 95 that does not have the latest Winsock 2 driver. Please proceed to the Microsoft web site to download the latest Winsock 2 driver for Windows 95. Please note this download is only required for early versions of Windows 95, as all more recent version of Windows already include the latest Winsock 2 from Microsoft

GENERAL ISSUES

Problem: I get a Windows error message reporting that my SC core files appear to have been corrupted.

Cause/Solution: This may occur when new patches are applied to your current version of SC or if you are using an invalid shortcut. If you have received this error message right after applying the latest patch you will have to reinstall SC from the installation CD followed by immediately reapplying the latest patch. If you suspect that it's due to an invalid icon shortcut, simply right click on your shortcut and ensure that the target directory matches your working directory.

Problem: The User Manual did not appear to come with my order, I cannot find it anywhere on the CD.

Cause/Solution: The User Manual is installed with Strategic Command and can be found in your installation directory or by using Start -> Programs -> Strategic Command -> User Manual.

Problem: Whenever I try and print the User Manual it prints out garbage text and I cannot read it.

Cause/Solution: The User Manual was created with Adobe Acrobat PDF version 5. It is more than likely that you have an older version of Adobe's free Acrobat reader and may require the latest version. Please proceed to the Adobe website and download their latest version of their free Acrobat PDF reader.