[Agent_Koopa]

So, can we or can we not just copy and play? IIUC, the registry stores configs. It was stated earlier that retail relies on being entered in the registry; does that mean you can't play without the mediavps, or does it mean that it simply won't run without FSOpen installed?

I'm going to use this as a learning experience; can someone explain the registry to me? What does it consist of, where is it stored, what do programs use it for, what does FreeSpace use it for?

[jr2]

-Magnetic storage (i.e. tape drives) have a max life of 30-40 years, even more if they are kept in secure surroundings.

If only... is currently looking at options to get their backup tapes restored... the ones with the good ol' FS1 stuff on 'em. 

[jr2]

So, can we or can we not just copy and play? IIUC, the registry stores configs. It was stated earlier that retail relies on being entered in the registry; does that mean you can't play without the mediavps, or does it mean that it simply won't run without FSOpen installed?

SCP should work fine once 3.7.0 is out, I believe.  Retail would only work if you updated the registry settings on every computer you played on.  (But who'd want to play with the retail engine anyways?  You could just play the retail campaign using SCP.)

I'm going to use this as a learning experience; can someone explain the registry to me? What does it consist of, where is it stored, what do programs use it for, what does FreeSpace use it for?

In computing, the Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, and preferences of the PC and so on. Whenever a user makes changes to "Control Panel" settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry.

The Windows Registry was introduced to tidy up the profusion of per-program INI files that had previously been used to store configuration settings for Windows programs. These files tended to be scattered all over the system, which made them difficult to track.

It goes on about the structure, where it is stored, etc... you can read the article.

[Agent_Koopa]

So, can we or can we not just copy and play? IIUC, the registry stores configs. It was stated earlier that retail relies on being entered in the registry; does that mean you can't play without the mediavps, or does it mean that it simply won't run without FSOpen installed?

SCP should work fine once 3.7.0 is out, I believe.  Retail would only work if you updated the registry settings on every computer you played on.  (But who'd want to play with the retail engine anyways?  You could just play the retail campaign using SCP.)

I'm going to use this as a learning experience; can someone explain the registry to me? What does it consist of, where is it stored, what do programs use it for, what does FreeSpace use it for?

In computing, the Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, and preferences of the PC and so on. Whenever a user makes changes to "Control Panel" settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry.

The Windows Registry was introduced to tidy up the profusion of per-program INI files that had previously been used to store configuration settings for Windows programs. These files tended to be scattered all over the system, which made them difficult to track.

It goes on about the structure, where it is stored, etc... you can read the article.

Wikipedia is my homepage, my good man, and as such is the first place I look. However, and I'm sure you agree, Wikipedia can sometimes be a little confusing. In this case, I was willing to sacrifice a little accuracy for clarity.

[spartan_0214]

Query: How big is Freespace?

I only have a 1G jumpdrive so...

ps. I'm running mods so I can't tell exactly how big FS2 is...

[Turey]

Query: How big is Freespace?

I only have a 1G jumpdrive so...

ps. I'm running mods so I can't tell exactly how big FS2 is...

Won't fit. Retail by itself is ~2.2GB.

[Agent_Koopa]

Query: How big is Freespace?

I only have a 1G jumpdrive so...

ps. I'm running mods so I can't tell exactly how big FS2 is...

Won't fit. Retail by itself is ~2.2GB.

Oh. >.> I guess you could zip or rar it, or even separate it into parts.

[achtung]

Query: How big is Freespace?

I only have a 1G jumpdrive so...

ps. I'm running mods so I can't tell exactly how big FS2 is...

It's over a gig, I know that much.

[S-99]

I did the fsinstaller a couple of days ago with all the mvp's and derelict and fsport, and the ogg cutscenes for the port and fs2. Came to 3.2gb.
Why run off of a flash driver anyway? That's retarded, use like a ****ing ipod or something, has a miniature hd in there, and an ipod is even bootable, you could install an os on it if you wanted, after that ipods blow.
Back like 4 years ago flash drives were dependable in the area of like 1000 reads and writes before they tanked. Flash in the last couple of years did get upgraded with much better management so you can pretty much read and write data a lot more while the flash would stay away from corrupt sectors on the flash drive itself. So, the new flash drives are more dependable. The high capacity old flash drive **** from like 3 or 4 years ago would take a **** if you had an os installed on there.
Do things the easy way, burn fso to a dvd, remember to do the launcher tabs for that computers configuration, and it'll go.
Flash still isn't that great really, it's best to be wise and pretty much not run any applications on it at all, unless it's like  minimal applications say if you had like gaim installed to a flash drive, flash is pretty much only good for storage.
In the meantime i've had magnetic hard drives for years, not one of them has died on me they last a long ****ing time, but it's still intelligent to buy a new one, but pretty much on the grounds of if you need more storage. After that you're only buying a new hard drive if the previous one you had was defective (my old emachine came with an 80gb ibm deathstar that of course died after 3 months). Or if something bad happens to the drive like electrical surge or dropping it (my 12gb quantum bigfoot survived a 4 foot drop...onto carpet and wooden floor). You get the idea.
Also, who the **** here is praising ntfs? That **** blows dick, you're better off with fat32 (although 4g file size limitation), or if you really want something better, you best use ext3
Ext3 is faster than ntfs, does not require defragmenting because it never fragments, and works great with windows installations too if you an ext3 driver (that's ext2ifs(it's designed for ext3 also) if you're looking on google for an ext3 driver for windows).
Ext2ifs lets me designate whatever drive letter i want for my ext3 partitions, after that it's just like using any other hard drive in windows.
Ntfs blows, i lost gigs of data to that format on my 130gb partition, i went to ext3 on that thing, and now that partition is faster and more dependable, another thing that blows about ntfs is the fact that you can't write to it in linux.
Ntfs is only good for the windows install partition, nothing else.
I urge everybody not to use ntfs unless you have to (such as installing xp or vista).

[jr2]

Query: How big is Freespace?

I only have a 1G jumpdrive so...

ps. I'm running mods so I can't tell exactly how big FS2 is...

Just FS? you mean just the retail campaign?  Too big.  Barebones (just Retail FS2) runs about 1.2 Gigs.  You might be able to squelch a low-res FS2 in...  (eg, the HOTU version...)  You'd want to use the FS Open engine, I believe, unless you had a no-cd hack for the Retail engine.  Retail FS2 Launcher+engine (freespace2.exe & FS2.exe) = 3.38 MB, FSO 3.6.9 Launcher+engine (Launcher.exe, launcher6.ini, & fs2_open_3_6_9.exe) = 3.62 MB.  Really, I'd use the FSO engine & launcher, just shut off all of the fancy options.

Actually, right now, if you wanted to, you could just get an external hard disk on eBay.  For example,

eBay item # 220082746484 (Brand new Seagate 300GB SATA hard disk, seller rating 100% of 186 votes positive) costs $70 US incl. basic shipping.

eBay item # 130078698502 (New USB 2.0 SATA 3.5" hard disk enclosure) costs $20 US incl. basic shipping.

So, for $90 US, incl. shipping, you've got a USB 2.0 300 GB External Hard Disk.    (I bought mine a while ago, it cost me $120 - $140 after shipping for 300 GB.)

All you've got to do is browse through & buy an internal hard disk - whatever type, PATA (old, narrow cable) or SATA (newer kind), then get an external drive enclosure - just be sure that it's either USB 2.0 or FireWire, whichever you prefer, and that it's 3.5 inch, unless you bough a 2.5 inch drive (laptop drive, FYI) - then you'd get a 2.5 inch, of course - and, lastly, make sure it supports the same hard disk interface that your drive is (PATA or SATA).

The good thing about 2.5 " drives is:
They are small
They are lightweight
They can be powered off of the USB cable (make sure you check the description of the enclosure that it supports this!)
-(thus, they are almost as portable as a flash drive)
The bad thing is:
They are more expensive (or less storage for the same price).
They are slower (4200 - 5400 RPM vs 7200 RPM)

Currently, a 2.5 " USB 2.0 SATA enclosure is about $25 US incl. shipping.  (Item # 140084487967 )
A 2.5 inch, 100 GB PATA drive is around $80 incl. shipping.  (Item # 140085540332 )
So, around $105...

Although, item # 150090772766 you can get the above 2.5 inch, already assembled together for $95 incl. shipping.

And, item # 150092359220 you can get 320 GB 3.5 inch, assembled, for $120 incl. shipping.

If you can, I would get one of the options above... they make life so much easier!  (Yes, I still have my 1GB USB flash drive, it still works, but the thing gets full too easy - 'specially when you d'l from this place!  )

BTW, you can find in-between options, eg item # 120085024712 - New, 20 GB External USB 2.0 2.5 inch for $50 incl. shipping.
and item # 220081936402 - New, 40 GB External USB 2.0 3.5 inch for $42 incl. shipping.

[Agent_Koopa]

Also, who the **** here is praising ntfs? That **** blows dick, you're better off with fat32 (although 4g file size limitation), or if you really want something better, you best use ext3
Ext3 is faster than ntfs, does not require defragmenting because it never fragments, and works great with windows installations too if you an ext3 driver (that's ext2ifs(it's designed for ext3 also) if you're looking on google for an ext3 driver for windows).
Ext2ifs lets me designate whatever drive letter i want for my ext3 partitions, after that it's just like using any other hard drive in windows.
Ntfs blows, i lost gigs of data to that format on my 130gb partition, i went to ext3 on that thing, and now that partition is faster and more dependable, another thing that blows about ntfs is the fact that you can't write to it in linux.

Relax. I've never lost anything like that. Wikipedia tells me that the lack of a defragmenter for ext3 is actually a disadvantage. Why do people make their own defragmenters if the disk never fragments? Is it even possible for a disk not to fragment? I assure you that I'm not fed up enough with Windows to switch file systems or OSes, particularly if I need more stuff to make it work. The more you get to make it work, the more ways it can go wrong, right?

[S-99]

I'm not talking about switching os's. Just an advantage if you do so.
The lack of a defragmenter for ext3 is not what suggests that it doesn't fragment. I've had a drive before so fragmented that i could move or copy data anywhere else on it until i defragmented...defragmenting eventually does become something that is necessary for older file system types like fat32 in general. Ntfs was actually created not to fragment, but microsoft didn't do a good job of that at all.
My ext3 partition has been going good and strong for a year now. But ext3 was designed not to fragment data, and then it just doesn't fragment data. Ext3 does fragment though, but it's got really good measures that keeps fragmentation at a minimum.

fragmentation information on various filesystems
http://www.itworld.com/Comp/3380/nls_unixfrag040929/index.html

[Tyrian]

My FS2 weighs in at 3.5GB.   

[asyikarea51]

(B)uy an external USB hard disk enclosure for 20 - 30 bucks.

They still sell these? I really need one in time to come for some internal HDD's and an optical drive or two, but no idea where to find one in my country...

As for the topic, I'd rather do a copypaste job rather than run the game off a USB drive, whether a HDD or a flash/thumb drive. Power shortages only serve to lengthen the already long load time, creates CRC failures, blah blah blah... and even connecting the drive to a computer with a stable power output doesn't help...

[jr2]

(B)uy an external USB hard disk enclosure for 20 - 30 bucks.

They still sell these? I really need one in time to come for some internal HDD's and an optical drive or two, but no idea where to find one in my country...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVnZd1TAK_k

As for the topic, I'd rather do a copypaste job rather than run the game off a USB drive, whether a HDD or a flash/thumb drive. Power shortages only serve to lengthen the already long load time, creates CRC failures, blah blah blah... and even connecting the drive to a computer with a stable power output doesn't help...

If you get the USB powered 2.5 inch version, the power will be as stable as your computer's is... make sure your electric your computer is hooked to is grounded correctly, and hooked up to a surge suppressor (protector).
Also, if you use NTFS ( to S-99 ), any "transaction" of data that was in progress during a power outage is rolled back, so as not to corrupt the file system; unlike FAT32.
The only thing going for FAT32 is that pretty much all OSes support it.  Although, I don't see what the problem is, you can usually load NTFS off of linux.
(BTW, just to be fair, I do believe ext3 has rollback as well.)

EDIT: BTW, S-99, if my linux install didn't support NTFS, I could just partition a 32-gig FAT32 and use the rest NTFS... or, I could split it three-way between NTFS, FAT32, and ext3... heck, I could even put a one or two gig FAT16 on there at the beginning of the drive...  300 Gigs is     .

[S-99]

You're negating the fact that you can't write to ntfs in linux. Sure you can use linux to format a drive to ntfs and any other format out there almost, but all you can do with ntfs in linux is read data only. This is because microsoft likes to keep inside info on ntfs classified so that linux devs have to reverse engineer it to enable future writing on the file system within linux.
After that there's only like one version of linux that can actually write to ntfs within linux. This is a slackware distro called vectorlinux. Of course perhaps other slackware distributions can do this too. Slackware unfortunately for me doesn't do it for me like debian does. And the fact that vectorlinux can do this and other distros of other types can't could be a slackware only thing that can't be carried over easily or carried over at all.

Fat32 is awesome how well supported it is by like...everything, but 4gig file size limitations and whatnot, not to mention it's and clunky these days for what people want to get away with. Fat32 is just an easy quick solution for many, and it works good for that, but not if you want to do other stuff like faster transfer speeds, bigger file size storage, and better fragmentation methods.

And yes you can format a drive and partition it with different sizes and as many file systems as you want. I really don't know what the point of mentioning that was for. I mean ****, i use ext3, fat32, and ntfs, on various partitions on 2 hard drives as an elaborate way to take advantage of what each file system has to offer and various places to put data to run and store.

[neoterran]

ext2 is not a journaling file system and as such is out of date for use with modern operating systems.

[CaptJosh]

ext3 FTW!

[S-99]

Good thing people upgraded to ext3 as that has journaling.

[jr2]

...What about Reiser FS?  I've seen that as an option in my Linux installs, but since I didn't know how far along it was, I didn't use it.