So my roommate just got a new computer and it’s all nice and slick… it makes me want to get naked and rub it all over my body. But then there would be this whole thing with cleanup and the keyboard would have to be sent… nevermind. Let us cut to the chase, shall we?
So here’s the thing, this brand new computer, with power windows (but no power locks?) seems unable to accept the installation of Chessmaster 5500 TM. :eek: This is very distressing, since I cannot just bend the machine over my knee and beat some sense into it. Hence I turn to you, teeming millions, all chock full of techie goodness, and I ask you the burning question which seethes in my loins. And it’s a two parter!
Part the first: What exactly do all those .dll files on this slick new laptop do? Are they some sort of twisted accounting for Bill Gates? Is this the insiduous plot that I’ve heard so much about while flipping as fast as possible through the block of cable news networks in my mad dash to get to Animal Planet? Are these files all corrupt to force me to go to Microsoft’s website, announce my existence, and be thrown peanuts by the hamsters in residence there? Or should I perhaps spend more time in the sun soaking up precious vitamin D…
Part the second: How do I fix this most pressing of problems, that the ODBC files do not match? Apparently the files odbcint.dll is not the one which matches ODBCCP32.dll. Why I ask, should this be on a brand new installation? The helpful (well, helpfulish) error message recommends reinstallation of the ODBC files. Is this really the best course? If so, how is it accomplished?
My undying love and devotion will be heaped upon he or she who has the wisdom and the giving nature to furnish me with an answer. I would suggest bringing a snorkel.
I’m sorry to disappoint you, Tenebras, but you’re going to have to keep digging to find out exactly how ol’ Billo is planning on taking over the world.
Part the first:
Dynamic link library (DLL) files are a collection of small programs, any of which can be called when needed by a larger program that is running in the computer. These small programs work kind of like a bridge between a larger program and a device such as a printer or another program.
The advantage of DLL files is that, because they don’t get loaded into random access memory (RAM) together with the main program, space is saved in RAM. When and if a DLL file is needed, then it is loaded and run. For example, as long as a user of Microsoft Word is editing a document, the printer DLL file does not need to be loaded into RAM. If the user decides to print the document, then the Word application causes the printer DLL file to be loaded and run.
Part the second:
If I understand your problem correctly, I suspect that the Chessmaster program needs to overwrite the standard versions of these two files with it’s own version. I would suggest making a copy of the two original files and allowing Chessmaster to overwrite them then. Before you do this however, be absolutely certain that the version of Chessmaster you are running is supported by the version of Windows you are running.
Disclaimer: As always with Microsoft products, I accept no liability for any crashes caused by routine installations.
Ha! Backups. I laugh at your backups. Actually, judging by the seriously gratuitous swearing and whining, I would suspect that he did not make any backups. So I guess I tell him that all is lost and he should just give the machine to me? Or that he should spend a lot of time online downloading .dll files. Fabulous…
Also, thanks for the info on those files. Perhaps he’s working us by mind rays from satellites, as I originally thought. This requires consideration, and probably drinking…
