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Adventures in CMP
By John D'Angelo
KAFLOOIE! Well, THAT did it! You can�t get into TRS2006�s CMP at all. It just locked up and you can�t download, upload, or fix anything. You are essentially spiraling down, out of control, with your hand grasping the ejection seat lever as the G forces build. What can you do?
Well, you do have a couple of advantages. You have time on your side and an altimeter is not unwinding before your eyes. Even though you may feel like all is lost, there are things you can try to fix the problem.
CMP stands for Content Manager Plus and it an integral part of Trainz TRS2006. It is a program that allows you to interface with the Auran Download Station so that you can download and upload custom items. It also allows you to possibly correct problems with gear that you have added to your roster. You access Content Manager Plus by choosing it from the main menu of Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006.
Entering into CMP.
If everything is going well, you will be able to scan through your rolling stock and scenery items smoothly, edit and commit items without problems, and have an enjoyable time.
CMP Display.
The above display shows CMP opening up and operating normally. The first hint that it is not operating normally is that when you try to scan downward through the items, the display freezes. From this point on, CMP is locked up and cannot be used.
The first thing I do at this point is hit the Ctrl/Alt/Delete key and see if I can bring up the Windows Task Manager and exit from the program by ending the process.
Ending the program.
This should allow you to exit from the program, but you need to see if the problem was a momentary glitch or a deeper problem. It�s like hitting yourself on the thumb a second time to see if it really hurts, but I normally will run CMP again and see if the hangup happens again. Run the program again and if the answer is� Yep, you have a hangup problem with CMP, you will need to take extra steps.
Exit from the program again, but before trying anything at this point, think about what you did just prior to getting the problem. Had you downloaded any new material? It�s possible the new material was not compatible with TRS2006 and was the source of the problem. It is also possible that the jam was because of a problem at Auran. CMP connects with Auran over the internet and if they or the internet are down for any reason it could give you problems.
Try visiting the Trainz Forum and see if others are reporting problems with CMP at the same time. This happened quite recently when the Download Station Server was down for the weekend and was not brought back up until Monday. If they�re down, you�ll just have to wait until they are back up. You can try reading a good book!
Uh oh, you find that the site is fine, but it is you who have the problem.
Sometimes this problem can be fixed by a simple process, but you will need to delete a file from the Auran directory. The file is called assets.tdx. I understand that sometimes there is also a file called assets.bku that might be found in the cache folder. In my situations I have never seen the assets.bku file. I have just deleted the assets.tdx file, and this has worked.
Use My Computer or Windows File Explorer to locate the file. It will be in the Auran\TRS2006 main section. Deleting this file will allow CMP to rebuild the data when it is started up again and I have been able to cure 90 percent of the jams, just by doing this. It does take longer for CMP to open because it is rebuilding the asset data, but it�s a good way to go.
After this, restart CMP and if it runs OK, you might want to check your latest downloads. Frankly, if I found any files that indicated a problem (Red exclamation point) I would just delete the file, then stop and restart CMP to be sure the problem is gone.
Sometimes even doing this process cannot get CMP running again and you have to go deeper. Bob Weber (Rweber95) wrote a checklist for CMP on the forum and I think it�s a great idea, so, with Bob�s permission, I am reproducing his list below:
CMP CHECKLIST-Some things to try.
- Run ..\Auran\TRS2006\bin\TrainsDiag.exe and verify EVERYTHING passes. CMP will not run if OpenGL doesn't pass.
- Verify that your firewall allows the following:
..\Auran\TRS2006\bin\ContentManager.exe
..\Auran\TRS2006\bin\Launcher.exe
..\Auran\TRS2006\bin\Trainz.exe
- Start CMP and click Files/Settings/Internet and verify your username and password are correct and in Files/Settings/Miscellaneous verify your User ID is correct.
- The Assets.tdx file is in the ..\Auran\TRS2006 folder. Assets.bku, a backup copy of Assets.tdx, if present will be in the .\Auran\TRS2006\cache folder. Assets.bku is not required but Assets.tdx is required for proper operation of CMP.
- If Launcher will not start Trainz kill the ..\Auran\TRS2006\Video\LogoIntro.avi movie by editing the ..\Auran\TRS2006\trainzoptions.txt file to add the line:
-intro=disable
Bob
Thank�s Bob! That checklist is a good help. Another source of information can be had at Rail-Sim. In their opening screen there is an item called �Guides for using CMP� Go there and they have valuable information regarding working with CMP.
Another item that could adversely affect the working of CMP is your video card. There are people who have reported jams in the program that turned out to be caused by the video card. Be sure that your video card is approved by Auran and that the drivers are up to date. Also check that your machine meets the minimum requirements for TRS2006. It may run the routes OK, but choke on the heavier demands of CMP.
The worse thing that can happen is that after all these efforts CMP is still jammed up and refuses to work. This happened to me once and the only thing I had left to do was to reinstall Trainz. There is a very precise procedure for doing this, as TRS2006 and SP1 need to be installed in the proper steps and in the proper way. Here are the basic steps to take:
If you want to save the custom content you have added to TRS2006, you need to backup that material. Create a directory on your hard drive called �TRS2006 Backup�. Find the folder �Local� and copy that folder to the backup folder. The folder is in the TRS2006 main directory. After the reinstallation you can move the folder back to the new TRS2006. One problem here�If the corrupted files that were causing the problem are in the Local folder, you will be putting them back into the program. I chose to not to do this on my reinstall and just started over. It�s your choice.
Do a full uninstall of TRS2006 and choose to delete the files
Use File Explorer or My Computer to delete the TRS2006 directory
Now that TRS2006 has been cleaned out of your hard drive, you may want to do some more cleanup. I run a program called Registry Mechanic at this point to be sure the registry is cleared of any errors. I also have used this time to see if I want to uninstall any other programs and perhaps defrag the hard drive. Again, that�s your choice. At this point you are ready to put everything together again.
Kill your anti-virus program. This can interfere with the installation so you need to have it shut down during the installation.
Install TRS2006, but DO NOT run it if you are also going to be installing SP1
Install SP1
Move the saved �Local� folder back into TRS2006 if you have saved it
Restart the program
After the program starts up, check that you are registered properly by checking your profile. Reactivate Paint Shed by creating a simple boxcar in CMP and saving it. Close CMP then reopen it and see if the boxcar is there. In the top menu of CMP go to the Download Station to be sure you can access it. If all goes well,
Congratulations! You are back in action.
John
Article and screen shots �2007 John D'Angelo. All rights reserved.
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