[Aikar]

Note: This is not just for Windows 7 users, several problems experienced in Vista and XP should be solved by this too.

Download beta 3.42 RC5 Hook.dll
http://aikar.us.to/Hook.dll - Hook is smaller because it is compressed now.

Place Hook.dll into your existing windower 3.4x folder.

BE SURE TO RUN LAUNCHER.EXE AS ADMINISTRATOR - AND I DID NOT USE __ANY__ COMPATABILITY SETTINGS.

Changes/Fixes
Fixed: Crash on play regarding IR Devices/Keyboard
Fixed: Windows 7 Issues
Fixed: Crash on Exit
Changed: Sleep/Wait now supports random values. ("wait 1 3" will be random between 1 and 3 seconds.)
Fixed: Replaced the threading code with all new threading system - Will no longer get "No more threads" under intense spamming or randomly.
Added: Ability to thread all commands with ! - Will document better in scripting forum when finalized.


A crash on play bug was fixed and is reported to make windower work for people where it previously did not.


Big thanks to Rafael from http://withinwindows.com for working with us the past few days trying to figure this out.

[J.Sax]

It's unfortunate that it's not working in build 7000... I just tried it myself and it was a no-go. I'm holding off on upgrading until the official RC build is out, as I'm using Win7 as my main OS and don't want to have to back up and then reinstall everything each time a build leaks. Is build 7000 compatibility possible at all? If not, I can wait another month--I've survived without Windower since January, as it is!

Congratulations on the work, however! I'll have something to look forward to after RC leaks.

[Aikar]

you can upgrade builds, dont have to reinstall, at least from what i've gathered, i fresh installed from 7057.
Just burn/pop in DVD and itll prompt you to upgrade w/o booting from DVD.

You can downgrade too from what i read, it just warns you its older.

[J.Sax]

Yeah, it's just that I've never been a fan of upgrading. I feel a fresh install goes a lot smoother, plus any snags you'd hit would be avoided. And upgrading between two builds of a beta OS seems like it could cause issues.

I did download 7057 a few days back. I suppose I could upgrade--if anything WOULD go wrong, I'll just throw my files onto my external and do a fresh install. It wouldn't kill me!

[Aikar]

hook.dll updated to not need the d3d8.dll workaround -- if you used the previous upload with the d3d8 in your FFXI folder, go delete it and use the hook.dll now which now works -- but still got bugs on 7.

can someone test if this new ver works on 7000 or not please.

[J.Sax]

Aikar, on Mar 19 2009, 03:01 AM, said:

can someone test if this new ver works on 7000 or not please.

Similar issue.

• No custom splash
  
• Mandragora icon/"Windower Enabled" still displayed in POL
  
• Mandragora icon displayed in FFXI window
  
• Console does not display

Only difference is that if I switch to a different windows and then try to switch back, FFXI closes and I get the "PlayOnline Viewer has stopped working" message.

With the one you uploaded earlier, if I tried to switch back to the FFXI window, it wouldn't come to the front. I'd have to minimize the window that I'd opened overtop of it to get back to it. From there, the music would still be playing from the game, but the entire window would be locked up. No movement in-game; minimize, maximize, close buttons wouldn't work; right click and close window wouldn't work. I had to Ctrl+Shift+Esc and end the process.

Either way, the console didn't show up, plugins didn't load and--one way or another--the game crashed.

[EclipseSin]

7048 64-Bit tested, working. Same issues as Aikar noted on my laptop, but still works none the less.


Build 7000 32-Bit (no proxy dll)
-Creates Windowed Environment
-Crashes on Alt-tab or clicking (back into game), right after character login when screen changes to display gui and chatlog, and resizing/moving of the window.
-No Console, No Plugins.
-Missing Splash (could have swore it showed before on 7000, maybe was 7022)
-Unplayable

Build 7000 32-Bit (proxy dll)
-Creates Windowed Environment
-Crashes on Alt-Tab or clicking (back into game), resizing/moving of the window.
-No console, No plugins.
-Missing Splash
-Playable without moving or resizing window after ffxi is loaded, alt-tabbing or clicking (back into game), plugins.

This post has been edited by EclipseSin: 19 March 2009 - 08:57 AM

[banggugyangu]

awesome, thanx for the hard work aikar missed having plugins on my laptop <3

[Megami]

This fixed my crash on play issue for vista! Thank you SO much!!

[Althena]

I say HURRAY! Hopefully I'll be playing again in under a month, but it's nice to know I won't have to go back to Vista.

[Sakura]

I have windows XP put in the new hook.dll in my windower folder

But now whenever I alt+tab, the FFXI window will be spammed with the enter key. When I get back to the FFXI window its like enter has been pushed many many times. For example I was in Whitegate and kept hitting enter so it targeted the closes guy and try to send him a tell which just ended in a screen full of command errors. The next time I alt+tab I was in my moghouse then I found the game automatically moved a bunch of my items from my mog safe to my inventory, since it was spamming enter when my FFXI window wasn't in focus.

The previous version didn't do this.

[Kailie]

OMG YAY!!~ Cant thank you enough <333 you so much. =] Works for me!!

[Kariana]

OMG *happy dance* fixed my problems too! I was just talking to about how I was looking forward to the next version of windower and how I hoped it would work on my lolvista pc. Thanks so much for your hardwork!

[Kailie]

A problem i have noticed is sometimes it will lock my menu target, like if im engaged it will lock my arrow cursor on "magi" or "switch target". When i will try and move the arrow so i can select another menu choice all I hear is the sound (Key click) telling me it is changing my choice but it stays locked on that one menu choice (My mouse cursor stays locked on "magic" so to speak and I cant switch out of it).

I hope that explains my issue lol I am not very good at that kinda stuff. Just letting you know a bug

[BlueHalo]

I have 7057 x86, and the windower works as long as it does't lose focus.

When I switch to another program and switch back it crashes. Not sure why.

[Edit]
Disabling all the plugins doesn't help.

This post has been edited by BlueHalo: 20 March 2009 - 01:43 AM

[Soupbowl]

7057 x86, using Nvidia 9600 GT.

I found if you upgrade your nvidia driver from the one that comes with windows 7, it causes windower to crash when it looses focus.
When it does work none of the plugins or windower settings work, though it will load up windowed with the resolution set in the ini.

I rolled back my driver and it fixed all the issue.

[Kariana]

only bug ive found so far (and its not so much a bug as just something i thought you might want to be aware of) is that i get a pol viewer crash message on exiting, but apparently so do many others and honestly since Im exiting the game its kinda nonissue. Its always a plugin error - but the actual plugin varies. This one was tpparty - before it was distance. Here's a screen in case you are interested. but like i said really is a nonissue imo.

Thanks again

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[EclipseSin]

BlueHalo, on Mar 20 2009, 02:31 AM, said:

I have 7057 x86, and the windower works as long as it does't lose focus.

When I switch to another program and switch back it crashes. Not sure why.

[Edit]
Disabling all the plugins doesn't help.

Try different video drivers or something? Im on 7057 x86, it does not crash when losing focus and gaining focus back. I've been using it since release without problems besides those outlined.

Soupbowl, on Mar 20 2009, 02:45 AM, said:

7057 x86, using Nvidia 9600 GT.

I found if you upgrade your nvidia driver from the one that comes with windows 7, it causes windower to crash when it looses focus.
When it does work none of the plugins or windower settings work, though it will load up windowed with the resolution set in the ini.

I rolled back my driver and it fixed all the issue.

My short Specs:

Nforce 4 Ultra AMD MOBO - 15.23 Chipset Driver (vista/xp package)
XFX NVIDIA 8600 GT - 182.08 GFX Driver (Vista)

No, changing drivers is probably not the problem, it's more than likely something else.... It's possible something is causing a conflict when you update drivers such as a dll not being replaced correctly or something. Try using Driver Cleaner after uninstalling Windows 7 Drivers, then installing NVIDIA drivers.

Don't get why ya's having so many problems .-.

Edit:

I noticed something this morning when applying custom gui stuff to my install. (To be exact, i was replacing the text with Brandson/Emiko's, but did not want the other icons replaced like party flag, auto-group ect.)

I was speedy in trying to log into the game, and wouldn't you know, it froze on me! lol. If you're running into this problem, wait until the console is completely finished loading plugins and settings, then continue. It seems that it doesn't happen all of the time, but sometimes it is nit-picky.

This post has been edited by EclipseSin: 20 March 2009 - 08:36 AM

[faseone]

I use FFXi Switch monitor to switch between windows when I dual box, using a controller. Switching works fine with the new beta but my controller will be unresponsive on one character. It's very buggy, I can get it to work after numerous switching back and forth, pressing esc. etc. But its not ideal at this time if I am doing something involving both characters. It's not that big of a deal I just reverted back to 3.41 but I just thought I would mention it.

[Adohleas]

Windows 7 7057 64bit
Nvidia drivers 181.71 (Windows 7 beta drivers)
GTX 260

1. FFXI windower crashes ingame when changing focus.
2. No plugins load
3. Console doesnt load

Windows 7 7057 64bit
Nvidia drivers 182.08 (Windows vista 64bit drivers)
GTX 260

1. FFXI doesnt crash ingame when changing focus
2. Plugins load
3. Console loads.


It does however crash if I let windows 7 notify me if its ok to open the exe which would prevent dual boxing if you dont disable the notification.