Links Corner Forum

I have found certain USB devices can stop Links 2003 and Links 2001 from launching. This problem will most likely occur on any operating system beyond Windows XP.
If you cannot get Links 2003 or 2001 to launch try physically removing USB devices from their USB ports until you find the problem device. Any software for these devices does not appear to cause any issues. It is simply CRITICAL to remove any USB connections or USB transmitters/receivers from the computer USB ports.
This particular problem completely prevents Links from launching to the main screen. If you can launch Links to the main screen and have game problems after this, USB devices are likely not the cause of your particular problem.

Prime suspect devices for causing this error:

Wireless headphones or other audio devices

Likely problem models:

Logitech G933
Turtle Beach
Corsair VOID 7.1

Secondary suspects:

Game controllers

Least likely to cause this issue but still worth removing for testing purposes:

All other USB devices

Likely problem devices:

Pickit 3 from Microchip

More info and Alienware PC's

In some cases removing the USB device will not work but the problem does still appear to be caused by the same USB issue. Alienware computers appear to be a prime example of this. If physically removing USB devices has not worked you will likely have to disable your USB from within Device Manager.

Explanation of my findings:

I am quite confident this USB issue will affect any operating system beyond Windows XP. I had this issue myself and you can read from the thread linked below there was now a second circumstance of this same problem. At the time I made my 3rd post down in the linked thread/page I was aware of the USB problem. I was very confident the thread was another case of the same problem. I also believe this problem has occurred many times in the past with other users and it went unresolved as nobody ever thought to pull the plug on their USB devices.

I found my USB problem device stopped 5! games from launching on my system. Incredibly, all games that would not launch were released between the years of 2000-2003. They must share some common software architecture of the time which leads to this problem. The problem does not affect every game from that period, just certain games.
The 2000-2003 time frame then lead me to believe the issue may be coming from some legacy aspect of Windows. I found a number of legacy components which showed up in the various problem game error logs. There is a good possibility the same Windows legacy components have been used and passed on unchanged through all the various Windows versions since Windows XP. This would mean no operating system is immune to the problem. My suspicions have now been mostly confirmed to be accurate with cases found on both Win 7 and Win 10.

I have trawled through problem game forums and found many circumstances where this USB problem could very likely have been the cause of many unresolved game launch problems.

As for Links, 2003 and 2001 certainly won't launch but Links 2000 is completely unaffected. Links 2000 was of course released in 1999.

Thanks to Max64 for posting this on the old forum.

My Problem Appears to fit under "Links Won't launch.
Background: Previously, In regularly updated Win10, Links 2003 worked O.K. However, PC needed to be repaired and consequently Repair Tech ended up installing latest version of Win 10. Apparently (so he said) this is different than the updated ("patched" version which contains the minimum changes to keep Win10 working).

Sequence of messages:

Clicked on Links Icon and got "Administrator Privileges are required to run this program - selected "Run as Administrator"

Next message = "Please Insert the Links 2003 CD #1 in to your CD ROM" -- done.

Next message = "Links cannot verify your disk. Please refer to Read Me for further information."

Could not find any info related to this message in the Read Me.

Does any one have any ideas.

Thanks, in advance C.N.

A. Right-click on the Links 2003 icon on your desktop and select "Properties".

B. In the Properties box, select the "Compatibility" tab.

C. In the Compatibility Mode area, where it says:
"Run this program in compatibility mode for:" select "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)"

D. Place a checkmark in the checkbox beside:
"Run this program as an Administrator"

E. Click the OK button.

>>>> NEXT <<<<

You need to replace your RUKSHUK.exe file. Do the following steps!
1. "RukShuk.exe" is in your /Links 2003/ folder.

2. Copy the RukShuk.exe file that is in there to another folder (like: /Links 2003/Assets/) to save it.

3. Download this RukShuk.exe file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tyajq2nge0ofz ... 2.zip?dl=0

4. Put the new RukShuk.exe into your /Links 2003/ folder, replacing the one in there. (It will stop the program from asking you to put disk #1 in)

I use this: "C:\Links 2003\LinksMMIII.exe" in the Target field of the Properties Box, and I haven't had any problems with it.

Pete

Has anyone found a wireless headset that WILL work with links 2003? I have currently tried Logitech 935 and razor Blackshark V2 and neither will work. As soon as you take the dongle out then links will work just fine.

FYI - I use a $15 wired headset that plugs into my monitor (but I could probably plug it into my computer, too).

The plug is not an USB plug - more like a smaller RCA plug that people plugged into their sound card in years past. What I call an audio plug.

Pete

Havent I heard about people plugging mice and headsets in after starting up Links, as a trick to make it work? Might not apply here, I dont know.

I have tried everything to get my wireless headset to work. If you plug the headset in after you launch links you don't get any of the game sounds.

LabLim wrote: ↑September 13th, 2021, 9:22 pm I have tried everything to get my wireless headset to work. If you plug the headset in after you launch links you don't get any of the game sounds.

I'll take a shot in the dark here at something that may or may not apply to you. I will tell you about MY personal experience and see if you have something similar.

I recall that there has always been a problem with Links searching for a hard drive letter as it starts up. I never knew why, but for some reason it searched for a drive, which back then generally turned out to be the "F" drive. I think there's a reference in the Links executable file and if that drive wasn't available it would not launch. I have no idea how to fix that, all I know is it would look for a drive letter for some reason.

Now here we are in the modern day world of computers and for some reason it still does that to some people. However, it stopped doing it to me, and I don't really know why. Below are my internal SSD hard drives and a CD-ROM that are assigned drive letters at boot up.

A - Floppy Disc (unused)
C - (main OS Drive)
D - (CD-ROM Drive)
E and F - (Partitioned 1TB SSD for storage use)
G - Reserved for USB port (unassigned until a USB device is inserted)
H - Reserved for USB port (unassigned until a USB device is inserted)
I - Brother Printer with USB port and Card Readers.

Here's the odd part. I installed the Brother printer a few years ago. It has a bank of card readers and a USB port on it. When I boot up my computer, the drive letter "I" is assigned to the printer. After a few minutes, the printer goes to sleep but continues keeping the "I" drive active and in use. At present, as I type this message, nothing but the hard drives, CDROM, and Printer drives are being used and showing up in my "MY COMPUTER", window, and the printer is in the SLEEP mode.

Now, when I launch Links2003, it wakes up the printer, and Links launches and plays normally. My question became: why did the printer wake up when Links was launched, and why did it trigger the printer?

I suspected that Links looked for whatever drive the EXE file is programmed to look for, and it wasn't the "F" drive that I thought it was years ago. So then I thought it may have been satisfied that it found drives "G and H" available, and launched normally.

So as an experiment, I filled up all of my drive letters by inserting USB sticks in 2 USB ports. The result was, all drive letters were now in use all the way up to the "I" drive. I assumed that the "I" drive was the highest letter in use now. Surely that would stop Links from launching.




Wrong. With all of the drive letters being used that's in the picture I attached, Links STILL launched and worked normally. So I have no idea why some people have the problem, and why I don't. I'm wondering if it's possible that Links needs to find an available drive of "F" or above.

I would like to make a suggestion for you to test. If possible, try filling up all of your drive letters with USB sticks inserted in the ports. Use up the drive letters above letter F if possible, and then try to launch Links and see what happens. During the test, don't use the wireless dongle yet. If Links launches successfully with all the drive letters used up, then swap one of the USB sicks with the wireless dongle and try to launch Links again. If it doesn't launch with the dongle inserted, then its possible the problem might be in the compatibility of the dongle with Links. Perhaps a driver conflict. Just guessing.

Anyway, this may be something you might explore if you have the time and patience.

Good luck,

Dan

Adelade wrote: ↑September 13th, 2021, 9:34 am Havent I heard about people plugging mice and headsets in after starting up Links, as a trick to make it work? Might not apply here, I dont know.

Hi Adelade...

In reference to the message I posted with the picture of the drive letters, I've had some new thoughts. I've always wondered what Links was searching for at launch. Back in the early days, many of us thought in was searching specifically for the "F" drive. I believe we thought that because of early model computers. Back then, the standard computer had a floppy drive, one hard drive and a CDROM drive, or the "A, C and D" drives. I recall partitioning my hard drive, which created another drive letter, so then I had "A, D, E. Many others Linksters were adding a second hard drive for storage of golf courses. During that time, I remember that Links would not launch if you inserted anything that used the "F" drive. As a result, many of us believed that Links needed the "F" drive, and it couldn't be used for any other purpose.

Somewhere over the years that stopped happening to me. For some still unknown reason, I stopped having that problem, so I never gave it much more thought. Until occasionally I hear someone post messages here that they are still having the problem. Knowing what I know now, I have changed my mind about Links needing the "F" drive at launch. However, I'm exploring another theory. I'm beginning to think that perhaps all Links needs to find is an available drive letter of "F or above. Maybe in the old days, there were no spare drive letters for Links to use, which resulted in a non-launch if all available drives were in use.

Today, many people are using laptops which are harder to add additional drives to. Generally they may have a C and D drive, and maybe 2 USB ports. One port may be using a dongle for a wireless mouse. (that would add the "E" drive), and then they insert another USB device in the "F: drive, leaving no other available letters of "F" or above, thus stopping the launch of Links.

What do you think about that theory? Does that make sense? I'm beginning to suspect that people with available hard drive letters of "F" or above most likely aren't experiencing that launch problem. It would be nice to determine what the actual problem is that causes some users to have the problem, and some not.

Dan

I have absolutely no clue or guess about any of that. Only C D (local discs) and E (DVD drive) show up for me at standard, my USB mouse doesnt take up one, nor my non-USB headphones, never had an issue. I would only know how to fill it up to H by removing the mouse and filling my 3 USB ports with a camera and two USB sticks, I could certainly try that, is that what you mean?

P.S. Dan, did you at any point start using the custom RUKSHUK.exe as detailed by pmgolf above? I believe I have it, but my memory is foggy about whether I used it or not when I did a sort of reinstall about half a year ago.