Windows 7 - Ultimate Collection - Y U No Install?

Your install folder will be under C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program files(86)\

In there you'll see either the Final Fantasy XI folder or Playonline (im at work so cant check). To me it looks like your install hasnt worked correctly so move the installer file to the root of your C:\ drive and try it again

I don't understand :S installer file? I'm not very good at all this, I thought it was going to be a simple install, update and play.

My folder is Program Files (x86) > Playonline > SquareEnix > Final Fantasy XI, PlayOnline and Tetramaster.

What am I looking for, where is it, and where does it need to go?

I'm sorry for those reading this and going "Ugh, stupid woman, what is there to not understand?".

Don't worry about it, we will get you there eventually! What you need ot do is find the file you downloaded from the playonline website (Playonline Viewer & Tetra master.msi).

From what I can tell you must have downloaded it and clicked Run and not save, am I right?

It's sitting in my download folder, and it's called Setup. I ran it from there and installed PoL etc.

When you run Setup a bunch of temporary files are created, one of them is called Playonline Viewer & Tetra master.msi when you try and launch the games its looking for that particular installer for some reason.

I have no idea if the following will work but it should be interesting to see what happens...

If you run setup and wait until it gets to this point:


Then hold down your windows key and press "R" and type %temp%

You will see a folder with a name similar to this: {ACBD1DA8-FACD-4FCC-A179-0D89829D92F1} inside there is the Playonline Viewer & Tetra master.msi copy that whole folder to your C:\ drive and then close the installer off.

Then run Playonline and when your prompted like the top image you uploaded:

click browse and point to the folder on yoru C drive

That doesn't seem to work. If I run the installer while PoL is installed it doesn't come up with that blue screen it just asks if I want to uninstall it, which I did and reinstalled it, then looked for the folder and couldn't find anything which looked like the folder it asks for in the message :S

That temp folder the game asks for doesn't exist....

I also looked in all the folders in my temp folder for the .msi file and it doesn't exist either.

The temp folder will only exist while the blue install screen is on screen, so when you see that screen stop and dont do anything until you've copied the folder.

Does that make sense?

It's gone from bad to worse now.

I went to uninstall PoL again in order to install it otherwise that blue screen you posted doesn't happen, and now it won't uninstall because it can't find a file...I don't understand :(

I found the file it apparently can't find, and now it comes up with the same message as before about needing the .msi file, which doesn't exist because I can't install PoL properly...

How do I get rid of PoL if it won't uninstall itself??

Start menu - Control Panel - Programs and Features, find it in the list and uninstall

Tried that, it just runs through the PoL installer program like normal, but then says it can't find the .msi file in C:\Windows\Installer\a5c61b.msi which when I searched for it, I found it.

It keeps changing which file it can't find. I've checked my recycle bin just in case I accidently deleted anything but I haven't. This is just getting worse lol.

lol dont worry too much its easy to roll back, im leaving the office to head home now (be an hour or a half though). If no one has any other suggestions ill PM you when I get back

http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx?cdsplit=C

download that and somebody can help you, don't post your id though, pick somebody and PM them.

I'm busy this week, near the end of semester so I don't really have the time or I'd help.

I've done a restore back to before I started all this faffing with PoL and have uninstalled it, and now re-installed it and found 2 folders with the .msi installer in them, going to see if they make any difference to how this all pans out!

*Edit* Oh I forgot PoL has to update every time it gets re-installed :( might end up going to bed before I solve this problem!

It sounds like you're having complications from installing non-region non-vista support, non-region vista support, and region vista support POL versions all on top of each other. I don't think you're going to come out of this without someone cleaning your registry of everything FFXI/POL related (as from what I understand you can no longer even uninstall using control panel > uninstall programs?)

While I can't help you with this, I can recommend that once you're finished with this arduous process that you download the game from Amazon instead of Krizz's links:
http://swvgdtt-gateway.amazon.com//gateway/stream/thin/win/52289956-00b7-4c2f-8b64-7e040a218100/Final_Fantasy_XI_Ultimate_Collection_Abyssea_Edition_Downloader/1

It's official, legal and contains everything you need for both vista/7 compatible POL and region compatible installers for all expansion packs, so at the very least that can be eliminated as a source of your problem.

I don't see the point in rebuying the game when he already has it.

aside from that, shoot me a pm and I'll help you later.

PoL still won't accept those temp folders I pulled out with the .msi installers in them :/ I'm rapidly running out of options now, especially as I don't know how to completely get rid of PoL off my laptop, seeing as when asking google people had great difficulty in uninstalling it 100%.

I guess I could be drastic and restore my laptop to factory settings and just start again?

Thanks for trying to help me though :) I appreciate it. Never had this sort of problem with FFXI before, but I guess it has got a bit upset at having 3 different versions of PoL installed and uninstalled repeatedly.

I shall have to resume this tomorrow evening I think, as it's late here and I have uni to get up for :(

install teamviewer and PM me with your id and password and I'll fix it.

edit: teamviewer password for clarification

got elm fixed up, had to try a few system restores, remove registry files etc, finally got pol from the EU playonline website to install, then got the old ff files to remove completely with running the installers from his discs, then reinstalling.

just glad he didn't have to do a full system wipe, but it was damn close to needing it.