Getting Links 2003 and the APCD Course Designer to Work with Vista

[LCA]

I have been asked about this many times so here is a complete guide how to get it all working.

First I must make it clear what this isn't. It isn't a thread to argue about the merits of Vista vs XP. There are a million threads all over the net if anyone wants to thrash that topic to death even further.

DISCLAIMER:
These instructions worked fine on my system. Try them at your own risk.
The Windows Registry is very complex so don't go playing around with settings unless you're sure you know what they might do. You can make your computer unbootable if you delve into the wrong stuff. None of the changes contained in this article will stop Windows working.


THE LOCATION OF THE LINKS 2003 FILES IN VISTA
The ProgramData folder is a new location for Links 2003 files that isn't in Windows XP and contains MOP's etc.

NB: The actual Links game files etc will be inside the Program Files folder unless you directed the installer to copy them elsewhere on your hard drive.






THE LOCATION OF FILES WHEN LINKS 2003 IS NOT RUN AS AN ADMINISTRATOR

If Links 2003 isn't run as an administrator inside Links 2003 any files that are written such as screenshots etc are placed in a location outside the Program Files folder. This location is:

C:\users\your username\appdata\local\virtualstore\program files\microsoft games\links 2003\

On Vista x64 this is at:

C:\users\your username\appdata\local\virtualstore\program files (x86)\microsoft games\links 2003\


GETTING LINKS 2003 TO RUN:
Before starting the game install whatever version of the patch you want.
Also setup the admin rights for Links so that it can run ok in Vista. Vista has much tighter security settings than any previous consumer version of Windows so this is important especially when using APCD which I will explain later.

When running Links and APCD you will have to click Allow when the UAC prompt asks unless you have UAC disabled.

Right click the desktop shortcut for Links 2003 or navigate to the main install folder for the game which is usually in the Program Files folder. If using Vista x64 Links will be in the Program Files folder with x86 on the end of it.

Setup as follows:



Also when I first ran Links after install in Vista the shortcut on the desktop didn't work so I started the game by using LinksMMIII.exe from inside the main Links folder.

Now it's time to start Links 2003, the game engine may initially recognize your video card even if one of the latest models. At this stage it's luck whether or not Links crashes or not. It's quite likely it will crash.

If by chance it starts ok. Don't open the Links Graphics dialog box as it doesn't seem to work with the latest ATi and Nvidia drivers. This is because Links 2003 is looking for entries in the Windows Registry that aren't installed in Vista because of the changes to the Vista graphics subsystem. If you open the Graphics Dialog box in Links the game will go to the yucky 800 x 600 mode with no 3D and will tell you your expensive video card is good enough to run Links!!

HOW TO SETUP THE GRAPHICS:
First All the other dialog boxes in Links work fine with Vista so set them up as usual.

To setup the graphics to work correctly you need to get into the Registry settings for Links.

To open the Windows Registry Editor hold down the Windows key and press R, this will bring up the Run dialog box, now type 'regedit' (without the quotes) and hit enter, the UAC prompt will appear so simply click 'continue' and the Registry Editor will appear. Follow the instructions in the screenshot and Links should work fine.

To change any setting in the Registry simply double click it.

I will add the new widescreen modes later. I know that 12 = 1680 x 1050.



The other settings that need changing are first the picture quality setting which is here:



Navigate through the registry folders to the one listed in the status bar.

The other setting highligted is the sky setting. The only way you can change the sky settings without ruining your video card settings is to do it manually. The simplest way is to only have skies install you like and delete the ones you don't want and leave the setting at random as shown in the screenie.

If you want a particular sky then go to the skies folder inside main Links install folder:



You need to replace the Random Sky Selection shown two screenshots above and replace it with the full file name of the sky. For example 'Overcast.sky' (leave out the quotes).

SETTING UP THE MENU SCREENS:
When using Links in widescreen mode I've found that the menu screens can look all wrong and come up with an incorrect screensize etc. To fix setup as shown below. The path to the folder is shown in the status bar:



12 is the setting for my screen size.


APCD & VISTA
1. Install APCD
2. Right click the APCD desktop shortcut and click the 'Compatibly' tab and setup exactly as shown below.
NB: You MUST RUN APCD AS AN ADMINISTRATOR WHEN USING VISTA otherwise you course file will not be validated and saved correctly.



Once setup as shown Vista will disable the Aero GUI while running APCD thus avoiding graphics corruption.

Here is APCD running in Vista:



HTH

[Mailman]

Heck of an article.

If I do go to Vista then at least I know what to do

[Sisyphus]

Maybe this should be made a Sticky. I suspect that those of us who haven't moved to Vista will have it , or something like it, forced on us in the future and it would be helpful to have this to refer to.

[LCA]

I got a PM from one of the forum members here at LC about why sometimes Links screenshots do not show up in the Links 203 install folder on Vista systems. Assuming the instructions in the top post in this thread about the security setup are followed the only issue that could possibly stop the screenies appearing is the user settings for the Links 2003 exe. The settings should be as in this screenshot:



The User of Links must have the ability to be able to undertake the actions listed in 'Permissions for System' section called 'Allow'.

The same setup applies for Windows 7 users as the security setup is very similar.

[Scotty]

Made this a sticky.

[LCA]

Just an addendum to my top post in this thread.

If Links 2003 isn't run as an administrator inside Links 2003 any files that are written such as screenshots etc are placed in a location outside the Program Files folder. This location is:

C:\users\your username\appdata\local\virtualstore\program files\microsoft games\links 2003\

On Vista x64 this is at:

C:\users\your username\appdata\local\virtualstore\program files (x86)\microsoft games\links 2003\


HTH

[Jimbo]

...and Vista is better than XP why???

[LCA]

[Jimbo]

[LCA]

[Big Three]

As Lindsay pointed out in his first post, this topic was not started to debate XP vs. Vista, he's had enough of that I'm sure. He was kind enough to provide this very helpful information.

Thanks for the update and all your contributions Lindsay.

EDIT: Lindsay - I incorporated your latest instructions into the main post, using your post at Mick's as a guide for where to place it.

Big Three

[Nate Dogg]

Lindsay, YOU DA MAN! I edited and cloned a sound script and couldn't figure out for the life of me where they went! However, after reading your addendum post, I was able to navigate directly to the files I was looking for! Thank you much for your knowledge and wisdom!

[AnvilHoyt]

Can someone tell me what changing picture quality does , and why the number should be 5 ? Just got a Vista powered laptop and the other instructions were great. Picture quality kept changing back to 1 . Maybe another number would work ? Thanks - Ed

[Armand]

Ed,

The "Picture Quality" value ranges from 0 to 5. This registry key is the equivalent to the graphics slider in the Options menu from within the game. Zero (0) represents Low Quality (Faster Redraws) and five (5) represents High Quality (Slower Redraws). If your graphics card is properly identified by your OS and by Links 2003, you should not have to manually change the registry. Same for the graphics mode. You only need to adjust these if your hardware (video card) can support modes that do not show up in Links 2003 (especially in 1.07).

The number for picture quality does not need to be 5, but that would make the graphics the best. If your computer redraws courses too slowly at the highest graphics value, you may wish to reduce the value to 4 or 3 or even lower. The trade-off for the increased speed of redraws will be quality. In some instances, certain video card drivers can leave "artifacts" or other graphic anomalies on the display. You may be able to reduce these by lowering the graphic quality, but typically, its more to do with speed of rendering the next shot on some courses. Only you can decide what is best for your computer and for individual courses. I leave mine at the highest for all courses.

I would suggest making the change from the "Graphic Options" section of the "Options" menu within the game rather than changing that option in the game; it's much easier.

Finally (and perhaps obviously), be sure that Links is not running when you make any changes to the registry! If you change while Links is running, it will default back to the value set when you started Links.

[AnvilHoyt]

Thanks Armand ! Everything runs fine. I was just curious what that does.Thanks for the explanation.

[erwildcat]

Great article! I am starting all over with Links on my new HP 64-bit Vista machine with an ATI Radeon HD 4350 video card. Would someone be so kind as to tell me what I need to install, and in what order, so that I can enjoy the latest resolutions (1680 × 1050=native) and features of all the mods and add-ons? Thank you all very much.

[Rackme32]

I'm another who just got a Vista machine... My problem, even after following the above instructions, is that Vista tells me it can't find the language.dll file, which is required...

Any ideas?

Edit: I worked around the problem! Since I had paid for the game originally, and had paid again for the download version I couldn't get to work... I decided to consider my paying for the download as a donation... Then, I found a torrent of the full version :) THAT version worked like a charm :) Now I'm gonna start putting in the hundreds of courses I have on DVD...