Read before Posting! Or Else!

[Metallus]

You must download the patch if you are playing Grim Fandango on a computer faster than 400mhz. Get it here:

 

ftp://ftp.lucasarts.com/patches/pc/Gfupd101.exe

 

This will help solve the forklift problem for many people, as well as a few other areas that appear to be buggy.

[Tall Guy]

Can I just add that some people have experienced problems when trying to run the game on a Windows 2000 based system.

 

You must make sure you have the latest compatability patch installed, which you can find here:

 

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp3/default.asp

 

Game on!

[Tall Guy]

We have recieved word that Grim Fandango dosn't always run with the latest version of DirectX installed, and this alone can prevent it from running in some cases.

 

If this is the case for you, then uninstall your current version (at time of writing v9.0) and install DirectX 6.0

 

Edit by Thrik (July 30th, 2007): Note that this will prevent most games from working nowadays, so this isn't recommended unless you're using an old machine dedicated to playing older games. In addition, DirectX 9 and DirectX 10's backwards compatibility should be a little better than when this post was written.

[scabb]

If Grim Fandango won't load at all, or is jerky, jumpy, crashy, or trigger-happy, then you should try all the following (fun) options. If you're stuck on the conveyor belt / elevator, then you should also read on.

 

 

First of all

 

-> For the love of god, Get the patch. This should solve the forklift problem in year 2, and possibly the conveyor belt problem in year 4.

 

-> If the conveyor belt is still too fast, then your processor is too fast. The solution? Download the trial version of CPU Killer, and register if you like it. This little utility will slow down your processor so that Grim should run smoothly, although with the trial version you only get 20 minutes slow-run-time.

 

-> If you have Windows 2000, make sure you have the latest compatability patch, which you will find here. Use Windows Update if the link doesn't work.

 

-> Always set the colour depth to 16-bit. Grim doesn't like it any higher. Just Right-click your desktop, Click the 'Settings' tab, and select 16-bit from the pull-down menu. This may or may not help, it's just recommended.

 

-> There is a troubleshooting guide on the disc. Access this by inserting the disc, waiting until the box pops up, choosing "Readme & Troubleshooting" and then clicking "Troubleshooting Guide". You should also click "View Readme", as this may contain some important information as to why Grim isn't working properly.

 

 

Run it from the Hard Drive

 

-> Copy all the files on your CDs to the Grim Fandango directory on the hard drive.* If the operation times out or errors, then you'll have to use a program like Isobuster to rip the files. Simply right click the file you wish to rip, choose "extract raw data" and select the directory to place the newly ripped file in.

 

-> You now need to edit the registry so it can run without the CD. Click Start, Run, and type "regedit". Browse to:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC\Grim Fandango\v1.0". Right click, select "New -> String Value" and enter "good_times" as its name. Now double click this and enter "TRUE" as it's Value. Grim Fandango should now run without the CD, which can solve plenty of problems.

 

-> Alternatively, download and run the registry key by clicking here.

 

 

Run it Windowed

 

-> Running Grim Fandango in Windowed mode may solve your problem, if only temporarily. It may allow you access to the game, so you can in turn access the options menu and tinker around.

 

-> To run the game in windowed mode, download the shortcut here. This will only work if you have installed Grim Fandango to the default directory. If not, then click Start, click run, type "command" and hit Enter. Now type in your Grim Fandango directory, and then "GrimFandango -w" and hit enter. This should look something like this:

C:\blah\games\rox\grim\ GrimFandango -w

 

-> To stop Grim Fandango running in Windowed mode on startup, look in the options. Remember, you can push ALT + ENTER at any time to switch from Full-screen to windowed mode.

 

 

3D Hardware Acceleration

 

-> You can disable this at the in-game options screen. Just hit F1 while the game is loaded, and you can easily enable or disable it, or tinker around with the settings. You should try running Grim using the "DIBsection windowed display" and the "Primary display driver", using whatever Supported modes you can. You cannot use 3D Hardware Acceleration whilst in windowed mode, so when you switch it on Grim Fandango will switch to full screen mode.

 

-> You may wish to update your graphics card drivers - If you have an nVidia card visit the nVidia website etc.

 

 

 

Get rid of DirectX 8.1

 

The following is useless to you if you have Windows XP, as DirectX 8.1 comes as standard so it is impossible to "downgrade" it so to speak. It is not proven that removing DirectX 8.1 will affect Grim in any way, although a few have claimed it helps.

 

-> First of all, UPDATING DirectX may work. Now on with how to down-date it:

 

-> Browse to your Grim Fandango directory. There should be a file called "DXDiag.exe". Double click this. Click the "DirectX files" tab. If there are plenty of yellow warning signs all over the place, and you are told that several files are missing, then uninstalling DirectX might help. However, even with a lot of files missing, Grim Fandango can still run, and when DirectX is downgraded, there will still be files missing. Maybe you should try uninstalling DirectX.

 

-> Use this as a last resort. You can use this tool to remove DirectX 8.1. You can also backup your current DirectX settings, which is recommended.

 

-> Now reinstall DirectX using the version that is on the Grim Fandango disc. Either use the splash screen to install it (try to play Grim, or click "Readme & Troubleshooting" "Reinstall DirectX"), Or do it manually (recommended) by clicking "Start -> Run", typing "D:\DIRECTX" and running "DXSetup.exe"

 

-> If you receive a "DirectX Not Installed" type error when you try to run Grim Fandango, don't worry. This is normal, you just need to run Grim Fandango by using the file "GrimFandango.exe" in the main directory. You can download a desktop shortcut to this file here.

 

-> For more information regarding DirectX and Grim Fandango, read this thread here.

 

 

*The default Grim Fandango directory is C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Grim\

 

 

If any of this is wrong, or there are things to add, please comment.