Medal of Honor - Pacific Assault (Director's Edition) : CD key being unaccepted or rendered as invalid/Game crashes as one attempts to play/Query for OS compatibility (Win XP vs. Win 7)

GRV-81 -

Thank you for the verbose article.  I am trying to play MOH-PA on a Win8 64bit machine.

Do you have a different URL for Query-3:Step-2, as the EGOFiles.com link is now broken in 2014-May?

While I was able to install the game, after copying discs 2-4 to the HD and pointing disc 1's installer prompts for additional discs to the HD directories, I am being prompted for a disc at game launch ... despite the disc being in the drive.

Thanks, Paulie, for throwing some compliments to my article. While being one of the old and competitive WWII FPS games during the 2000s decade, the EA used different methods of encryption methodology for copyright protections which lies in one of the basic installation components files named "Medal of Honour Pacific Assaulttm_code.exe" which invokes and interferes during installation of the game while prompting you to enter the correct and valid serial key. If I remember good while searching for solutions to install this game on my system, I encountered one of the blogs/forums where the user was advising to modifying this particular file. Although, it didn't sound convincing to me and I continued to search more for some reliable alternatives, Anyways, the problem you're experiencing could be different with ones I had or anyone did have while pointing to the roots about EA copyright protection methodology (CPM). Conventionally, the games that come in more than one CD/DVD must be installed in cyclic manner. I mean let's take this game where we have 4 discs - you'll be prompted for 1-4 discs sequentially during installation and then to finish the installation, the installation wizard will ask you to insert the 1st disc again. However, in your case it seems you're not being approved by the CPM to pass further to running the game possibly because of the CD key you have being overused or the most known reason that your CD key has been duplicated randomly by one of the key generators and is being enjoyed by one of the persons on this earth in the multiplayer arena of this craving game. In any case, you're the genuine buyer and you have the valid CD key what you will surely boast upon and shout out loud to everyone. You're able to install the game as you've said so there's no issue CD key being disapproved for installation; however, I cannot assure you that you might be able to join multiplayer mode in this game as the symptomatology you've presented (unless you would be lucky enough to find some cracked servers on the Internet).

1. After install, I hope you've followed all the necessary steps as I have discussed above. 

2. Copy to the the installation folder no-CD/DVD exe image fix (after you've already upgraded the game to 1.2 version).

From the abovementioned hyperlink, you can retrieve this no-CD/DVD exe image fix what I've updated it in the discussion section. 

Hope this should work for you. Any problems yet? You're free to write/comment here. :)

GRV-81 -

Please share the file via some other means that doesn't require an email-based login account. For example, SkyDrive, YouSendIt, etc where you can place a link here for retrieval.  4Shared.com is simply a lame service.

Thanks for considering it.

Not sure about your term "no-CD/DVD image" though.  I suppose it could be called an image,

but just to differentiate between a replacement for the games  executable, and a 'backup CD' image, 

I prefer noCD fix .

Yeah! I started a bit harsh on Nige, but we did more conferring than debating, I reckon ;)  .

@ Paulie -

No CD fix for MOH-PA -

http://megagames.com/games/medal-honor-pacific-assault-0

The fix for version 1.2 is by Deviance, who usually does successful noCD's,  but I've been using the 1.1 version, by GameHacker  with no problems . This is the first 1.1 version on the list.

- The bottom 1.1 version is by Reloaded, who also generally makes a good working  noCD.

He and Deviance are perhaps the most prolific noCD creators.

I do similar to GRV  when installing the noCD's . I make a new folder (cleverly titled org ;D ) in the games install folder, and move the original files to that folder.                                                                                     I keep all my noCD zips files in a special folder on my HDD ( uniquely titled... wait for it - noCD's )                 and extract the files there. I then move the files to the games folder.

Note that some games get other files replaced that are not in the main install directory.

.

Try Mega Games -

http://megagames.com/games/medal-honor-pacific-assault-0

I don't know why I'm not using the 1.2 version by Deviance as he usually makes good working

noCD's,  but  GameHacker's  1.1 version works well, even with the game patched to 1.2.

This is the first 1.1 version. The bottom 1.1 is by Reloaded, who with Deviance are perhaps the

most prolific noCD creators.

I do similar to GRV  with backing up the original  executable when using  noCD fixes.

I download the zip file to a special folder called (wait for it...) noCD's and extract the file/s there.

- I then make a new folder in the directory where the games  .exe is ( cleverly titled  org  ;D  ), and

move the original  .exe ,  and in the case of MOH-PA,  DSL.exe to the  'org' folder.

- Note that most older games have the .exe in the main install folder, but newer games tend to have

the .exe in  the 'binaries' or other folders.

- Then move the noCD fix file/s to the folder the original .exe was in.

- Note that some games have other files that get replaced that are in other folders, so you occasionally

have to browse the games folders to find them.

@ GRV - Didn't notice that last time I read your MOH-PA PhD thesis, but -

The term  noCD/DVD 'image' may be accurate in some respect, but reckon  'image' is more

accurate in reference to making a 'backup CD/DVD.  noCD  fix for when using an executable replacement seems better to me.

Fix (and image) sounds more appropriate for us honest owners of a disk than hack, or crack as well.

Yeah! I may have started at bit hard on Nige initially, and I tend to get a bit stroppy when people refer the flawed Compatibility Centre,  but I reckon we mostly conferred vs debated after that .

Hi, BossDweeBee.

It has been long time, I have not have been on this community blog with this anticipation that this discussion might have gone old since no one was coming up with any questions or whatsoever and I assumed everyone got "gratified" with my "in-depth" article. However, I'm pretty surprised that my article is still being scrutinized in so much detail for the purpose of criticizing it instead of harvesting the solution for the problems that have been prevailing on certain blogs and forums for years "until present" (as Paulie still seems to be succumbed to one of the hurdles which is elaborately resolved in my article) out of this article and get some benefit. 

Well, folks, my smooth intention is not to reflect the power of vocabulary or verbose language through the medium of this article but simply trying to aid the gaming community with the experience I have had and did "some research" in this direction (what anyone would surely do over Internet) to get past the aforementioned hurdles while installing/playing the PC game in question. 

BossDweebee, firstly, before clarifying the remarks you have stressed several times in your response to my article, I would like to thank you for recommending me the Great WWII FPS/TPS Game namely "Hidden and Dangerous 2". I admit I have liked this game so much that I played all the missions more than one including its expansion pack "Sabre Squadron". Thanks for this nice recommendation. 

BossDweebee, you seem to be quite irritated with the usage of the term "no-CD/DVD image" what I have often used in my article. But tell me honestly, weren't you able to make sense out of it while reading my article even for the first time? I think in the first place it only refers to a "Crack" (what is a quite known slang for this thing) or more technically it is termed as "no-CD/DVD executable image fix". If to the likes of you I had to use this term in my article in this expanded form, would this be able to ease some of your tingling on your nerves while going through my article. Simply, referring it to as an "image" could confuse anyone thinking whether one is talking about the ISO/FLT, whatsoever game image or a modification to the ".exe file image" in the game installation folder.

One more thing, I want to address from your explanation regarding the fixed exe image of version 1.1 vs. version 1.2. What you have explained ended to the same point what I have already discussed in my article except you sound to be more on the side of developer "DeVianCe" and seem to be offended when I pointed out the flaws in their defective product. I politely urge you to try to run the game with DeViaNce's fixed exe image of version 1.2 and let the community know your experience. It will definitely exhibit the unexpected results as I have mentioned in my article. But you tend to agree that previous version 1.1 (what you have downloaded the duplicate copy from another hosting server) works fine. This is what all I have explained elaborately in my article.  

Anyways, I might be going to come up with another article on a very popular PC game (of course WWII-based) and will address all the issues with installing and running the game in question. I will try to aggregate all the solutions from different blogs and forums in a precise manner to help the gaming community. I wouldn't mind if it would again sound as a PhD thesis to anyone but my anticipated perception would be to be crystal-clear and comprehensive for someone who even doesn't know how to insert a game CD in the PC system. 

I am not offended but rather pretty greeted by your response implying a silent criticism by the influence of my article. I am looking forward to make you move more and more and talk on my articles. 

All good regards,

GRV

Hello Paulie,

Upon your query, I attempted  to access the link to 4shared as a general user without logging in it and I was able to download it past 20 seconds of wait. In anyways, if you find it hard to download the said content, I have uploaded it on the server of your likes from where you may retrieve it, hopefully, with no further problems. 

The following is the link to the server:

https://www.sendspace.com/file/h5bijd

All good regards,

GRV-81

Thanks GRV-81. I will consider downloading / using it.

The prior download was, in my opinion, a Trojan or similar scam - as it was an InstallShield EXE and not a stand-alone runtime exe as I would have expected.  A good example of a BOGUS MOHPA.EXE file is from ausgamers.com.

Hi Paulie,

Lately, I have noticed such changes too where these freeservers have just become commercial since the time I had uploaded all the files there. 4shared never asked for logging in to any of the social media websites in order to download the file but now when you have brought this thing in to my notice I have also realized the same, Also, ausgamers.com asks for that "idiotic" verifying captcha where you have to rotate the figures in image to 90-degree angle and so on to clear it. However, it's not a big issue to download manual patches from other sites like gamershell.com, etc. Just google it and you'll find a lot of options to download these patches. Anyway, have a good time and enjoy playing!

With all good regards,

GRV-81

Thanks GRV-81 it worked for me on Win7x64. Funny thing though I had several retail DVDs and lost 'em so I obtained an .iso; using my old key code and it took it, but no matter which (have at least 5 of 'em)  'no cd .exe launchers' none of 'em really do launch it by itself, I always have to mount the .iso to play. I've done the patch 1.0>2.0 and for some reason the patch gives me  micro-stutter that I don't remember having so much of when I first played it around 2011. I do remember having a time of it (on a Win7 laptop) even buying several retail versions, after the first install it wouldn't take a re-install ( I think there must've been a registry conflict) bought a new PC and it worked fine. Same with MoHA doing the older PhysX/Legacy install.

I did all the settings you recommended and now at least it doesn't crash after a few minutes. Any idea on why the no cd .exe's have to have it mounted?