Theme hospital Troubleshooting/FAQ

Theme hospital Troubleshooting/FAQ

Where can I get a patch/update for the game?

The patch is available from the Dowloads section of this website.

How do I select the difficulty level in the game?

You will need the update/patch in order to do this, see the queries above and below.

How do I get mulitplayer games?

You will need the update/patch in order to do this, see the queries above and below.

What the patch/update do?

This file adds difficulty levels to the game and also adds Multiplayer support for Serial connection (2 players), Modem connection (2 players) and IPX Network connections (4 Players) The file also corrects a number of graphical glitches and common gameplay problems, including crashes in the middle of a game.

I have the patch but the game is still failing to work correctly.

See the DirectX question if you are running the game from Windows 95. If you are running the game from DOS then make sure you are running the game with a boot disk and see below if there are still problems.

I have the Demo of the game and I am trying to run it but I get a message about Heap Error or Reason code2.

This is due to unzipping the demo file without keeping the directory structure intact. If you are using PKUNZIP then add a space and a '-d' (minus d) to the end of the PKUNZIP command. If you are using WINZIP then click the 'Use Folder Names' box before extracting the files.

I have the Demo of the game and I am trying to run it in Windows 95, I keep getting errors about DirectX, DirectDraw/Video or DirectSound/Audio.

To run the game in Windows 95 you need to use DirectX 3a drivers. The full version of the game has these on the CD but due to their size they can not be included in the Demo version. Any other game that uses DirectX 3a will have installed these drivers already but if you do not have them you will need to try the DOS version of the Demo.

When I install the game I am told I do not have enough hard drive space when I have enough!

This occurs on some PC configurations when trying to install to another hard drive then C: To solve this problem you will need to install to C: drive or request the new Install program batch file. Send an Email to UK-CS@EA.COM asking for the new install program for Theme Hospital and this will be sent to you within one working day.

When I run the game from DOS I am being told I need to insert the games CD, it is already in the CDROM drive!

This is due to the CDROM drivers not being loaded in DOS. If they are not loaded the game can not access the CDROM drive at all. For help on loading these drivers see the Dos Mode Icon Email in AUTOHELP or make a boot disk as described in the games manual.

When I install the game in Windows 95 and then try to run it the game it crashes straight away sometimes with an error about DirectDraw or DirectSound.

This is due to the drivers you are running on your PC not being compatible with DirectX. See the DIRECTX Email in AUTOHELP for a full description of DirectX and how to overcome this problem.

When playing the game through Windows 95 it crashes at the end of a level.

Try the patch first, see the section above on finding and installing this. If the game still crashes then see the DIRECTX help from AUTOHELP as this will help you track down the drivers on your PC that are causing this problem. You can also try running the DOS version of the game as this does not use the DirectX drivers that may be causing this crash.

When I quit the game in Windows 95 I get a KERNEL error or I get told that an Illegal Operation has occurred.

This error is just the game being unable to quit correctly and restore your Windows 95 desktop perfectly. It does not do any permanent damage to the game or Windows 95 and once your machine has been restarted your desktop will be fully restored.

When playing the game a machine has blown up and I can't use the room it was in anymore.

This is because the explosion of the machine has wrecked the whole room. Try the level again and make sure the machines in your hospital are maintained by the HandyMen that you employ and that they are fixed and updated very often.

I can't reload a saved game I made when I last ran the game.

This is because you are using a different Nickname when you re-loaded the game. Always use the same Nickname and you will be able to reload your saved games correctly.