Star Trek Starfleet Command: Support

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Install the patch! It may fix the problem you're having! Download it here. Any problems that are fixed by the patch are not addressed in this page.

Information on this pages comes from the Help files that came with the game as well as Activision's technical support pages. If you cannot find help on this page, you may want to visit the FAQ, as it has answers to non-technical questions related to the game.

1. I am getting strange video/audio/input problems or getting an error about a missing DLL file.
2. The game is crashing when I attempt to run it.
3. I have a Cyrix proccesor and the game is still not working. Is there hope?
4. I am getting an error when the installer is attempting to copy files onto the hard drive.
5. In the game I can see the grid but the ships seem to be invisible.
6. I can only select Multiplayer in the games menu. What about single player?
7. When I try to enter my CD-Key, all I hear is beeping and nothing appears on the screen.

1. I am getting strange video/audio/input problems or getting an error about a missing DLL file.

The game requires that you have the current version of DirectX installed. You will want to install DirectX from the CD before attempting to play the game. You can do this as follows:

  • Double-click on My Computer.
  • Right-click on the SFC CD and select Open.
  • Double-click on the DirectX 6.1 folder.
  • Double-click on the DirectX folder.
  • Double-click on the DXSetup.exe file.
  • Click on the Reinstall DirectX button.

If the trouble persists you will want to download the newest end-user version of DirectX from the following address:

www.microsoft.com/directx
   

2. The game is crashing when I attempt to run it.
This could actually be caused by a couple of different reasons. You will want to check the following:

  1. The game requires that you have the current version of DirectX installed. You will want to reference the answer to the above question.
  2. Often older drivers may still show as certified even though they are not current. Please be sure that the current sound and video drivers have been downloaded from the website of the manufacturer of the device.
  3. Within the Stafleet Command Setup you will want to click on "Video Setup", select "Software" and click OK.
  4. This may also be caused by another program runnning in the background. You will want to do the following:
    • Press CTRL+ALT+DEL. This will bring up a "Close Program" box.
    • The only items listed should be Explorer and Systray
    • Highlight any other item listed
    • Click on End Task
    • Continue back with step 1 until Explorer and Systray are the only items listed.
  5. Try running the game again.
If the problem persists you may want to try changing the line that reads "wireframe=0" in the SFC.INI to "wireframe=1".
   
3. I have a Cyrix proccesor and the game is still not working. Is there hope?
This game was designed to support Pentium class CPU's or higher. Cyrix CPU's have always had the problem of being incorrectly detected as 486 chips in benchmark programs and Windows. Because of this, certain applications and games such as SFC that require a Pentium-class processor will not start due to the false detection. There is a utility called CPUID (recently seen on the downloads section of www.starfleetuniverse.com) that will make Windows register a Cyrix as a Pentium and may help to get the game working. This is not supported and should only be used by experienced computer users. The appropriate fix is to run the game on a supported Pentium class processor.
   
4. I am getting an error when the installer is attempting to copy files onto the hard drive.
This can be caused for a couple of different reasons. You will want to do the following:
  1. Make sure no DOS based cdrom driver is loading before Windows starts. If you are unsure you may want to consider contacting your system manufacturer to make sure.
  2. You will want to change the read-ahead on your cdrom drive to "no read-ahead". This may done as follows:
    • Right click on "My Computer"
    • Select "Properties"
    • Click on the "Performance" tab
    • Click on "File System"
    • Clcik on the "CD-ROM" tab
    • Under "Optimize access pattern for" select "No Read Ahead"
    • Click on "OK"
    • Click on "CLOSE"
    • The system will want to restart for these changes to take effect. Click "YES" to restart.
  3. Once restarted, you will want to close all background applications as follows:
    • Press CTRL+ALT+DEL. This will bring up a "Close Program" box.
    • The only items listed should be Explorer and Systray
    • Highlight any other item listed
    • Click on End Task
    • Continue back with step 1 until Explorer and Systray are the only items listed.
  4. Reinstall the game
   
5. In the game I can see the grid but the ships seem to be invisible.
This seems to occur if the display driver is not current. You will want to select "Video Setup" from the games launcher. Within the Video Setup you will want to change the driver to "Software" and then click OK. If the problem persists in the game you will want to obtain the current display driver from your video card manufacturer.
   
Q

6. I can only select Multiplayer in the games menu. What about single player?
The game will only let you select Multiplayer if the CD is not in the drive. If you want to play single player you will need to have the CD in the drive before you start.
   
Q

7. When I try to enter my CD-Key, all I hear is beeping and nothing appears on the screen.
This is a known issue between SFC2/OP and Windows 2000/XP. To fix the problem, simply start SFC2/OP, press ALT-TAB to switch out of the game, and press it once more to switch back in. You should now be able to use the keyboard. You can also switch out of the game by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard (between CTRL and ALT in the lower left).