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First, all of the files you list are related to Activity Generator except the Archive files. You can safely delete al the archive files but leaving the template files won't cause you any problems (MSTS doesn't read them, only AG does).
Thank you.
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That seems clear but it is so strange that I am not sure I am following you still. Are you saying you can download an activity, and change the rolling stock in it using Activity Master just fine, and then run the activity in MSTS just fine? But, if you load any other activity again in Activity Master, you get an error in Activity Master? Also please confirm that the error is in Activity Master not in MSTS, right?
Exactly, and the error is only in AM, correct.
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This may be a Windows 7 compatibility problem. No other users have reported this issue with Activity Master. Activity Master creates some files that it uses to track how you have used it in the past: the types you've assigned to locos, etc. I apologize that I don't know much about W7. I will install it one day and then will be able to troubleshoot these things better. One guess is that AM needs to read, and write, files in your \Train Simulator\ folder and also in the \Program Files\AcivityMaster folder (that's where it keeps the internal configuration files). Can you be sure AM has full rights to those folders? You mentioned giving "ownership" of all the files in the MSTS file structure. Can you do the same with \Program Files\ActivityMaster? That may fix the problem (it sounds like AM may be creating a file that it later can't read or modify, or it may be TRYING to create a file that never gets written out.)
I will try this, you may be right here. Windows7 is very adverse to making changes within the C:\program files(x86)\... file structure. (a real headache, MS's way of trying to tell you were and when you can make file changes).
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If not I will send you a refund for AM until I can test it and confirm it works (or fix it so it works) with Windows 7.
Thanks but I'm not giving up just yet.
Ok, I took ownership off and removed all "read-only" attributes on ALL files in both, the Activity Master Directory, and MSTS Directory tree. (I do this as often as I make changes or add routes or stock). No Joy!
- However, we may have stumbled into the MS "black hole". As I mentioned earlier, Windows7 has instigated a new policy in regards to files that can be changed. MS/Windows7 want to keep
all files in the
C:\program files\...ext as
read only by default. This means (I think), that even if you take ownership of all files in a directory under
C:\program files OR the new C:\program files(x86), you still have to contend with the fact that MS/Windows7 is going to allow a change
but then mark the file as "read only" the min your done. (I'm not 100% certain on this, because when you click on the properties of a directory in the "
protected zone" IE:under
C:\program files OR the new C:\program files(x86),...it's still shown as
read only, even though you have
removed all the
read only attributes for all files in that Dir. So, any user program trying to access the "
read/write-able" data inside that dir is shown that the dir is "
read-only". I've been out of the systems analysis/programing field for a few years now so I cant swear this is happening.
I'm going to try a fresh install and try to see if I may have somehow opened one of AM's csv files by mistake and created this or not.
Thanks for you patience in this Steve.
Dave
UPDATE- RESOLVEDUninstalled AM,
Re-installed AM into folder OTHER THAN C:\program files\...OR the new C:\program files(x86)..., I have had
NO problems since. I have created/edited act files and ran them with no errors whatever.
I created a new folder called "changeable"
outside of the "
protected files zone" and all seems well.
Thanks again Steve for all your help and a great product too.