When you run VGE Editor for the first time, there's a good chance you will see the following message:

I have received a lot of emails from new users asking the same question: What is it and how can I bypass it?

In order for VGEE to work (or even to be able to edit games manually), you must have a legacy game that downloads its box art from the Internet.

A number of users have replied saying that they do have some games that have box art already, but VGEE doesn't see them. These are new games, with the Games for Windows label, and they get their box art from the DVD disc, not from the Internet.

So, if you have some very old games (i.e. released from around 1995 to 2002) try installing those and see if the box art is automatically downloaded.

If you don't have any old games, then don't worry. All you really need is the *.exe file of a legacy game. While you won't be able to play it, the Game Explorer will still add it under certain conditions. On the home page, on the left under the Support heading, you will see a link to a Dummy game, and also a video showing you how to add the dummy game.

Some didn't like the idea of me hosting the exe file from my personal copy of Need for Speed III, so I have linked to a website that provides a NoCD crack for the game, which still works just as well. The video is in *.exe format as it contains it's own player (preventing codec issues), so don't worry about it being a virus.

TIP: Once youdownload the nfs3.exe file, create a folder somewhere to store it permanently (e.g. C:\Program Folders\Electronic Arts\Need for Speed III\nfs3.exe). You need to keep this file in existance forever (otherwise VGEE won't work unless you have another legacy game), so it's not a good idea to have it sitting on the desktop where it will get in the way.

Once the nfs3.exe file has been moved, open your Game Explorer. Drag the file into the Game Explorer. Nothing will happen yet. Now, right click the nfs3.exe file, and select Send to - Desktop (Create Shortcut). Watch the Game Explorer now and wait for up to a minute (press F5 to refresh as often as necessary). You should see a new item appear that has the proper name of the game, which will then download the box art from the Internet (assuming you're connect and have the Game Explorer options set correctly).

If that doesn't work, try double-clicking the nfs3.exe file. It won't run successfully, but Windows will detect it and add it to the Game Explorer.

When the new item appears with the box art, right click the old nfs3 game icon in the Game Explorer and select Remove. You can now close your Game Explorer and run VGE Editor and choose NFS3 as a 'game to overwrite'.

If everything you try doesn't force the Game Explorer to download the box art, then you have what we call a 'bad profile'. There is no reason as to why it doesn't work - it occasionally happens to me when creating test Windows Accounts so that I don't wreck my Game Explorer when testing new experimental features. If you get stuck in this situation, then you have no option but to create a new Windows account, move your files and documents accross, and (optionally) delete the old account.

If you keep the account as a backup in case you accidentally delete files you need, but don't like choosing which account to use everytime Windows starts, click Start - Run and type in the following command:

control userpasswords2

Select the account you use, then untick the box that saus 'Users must enter a password to log on to the computer'. Click OK and enter the password for the account (or leave blank if there is none). The computer will now automatically log into the account you selected.

No, not really. The ratings information is not stored in the registry or in the area of the hard disk where Game Explorer data is stored, so VGEE can't edit it. The story is the same for the WEI scores, version, Content Descriptors, and so on.

Since E-Explorer uses the WMI (Windows Management Interface) to make edits, it will allow us to edit the above properties for games, when it's realeased (it requires a heck of a lot of code, especially all the content descriptors).

If it's that important to you to edit your ratings now, there is one thing you might be able to try. If you have a number of legacy games that each have different ratings, you can take in turns setting these as your 'game to overwite'. If you want to add a new game with the 'Teen' rating, then pick a 'game to overwrite' that also has the 'Teen' rating (ESRB). The new game should copy the rating from the legacy game.

From memory, I disabled this rating copying functionality in later versions of VGEE for 2 reasons.

1 - There are moral/ethical considerations associated with changing ratings applied by your local ratings board.

2 - If you add a new Universal game with VGEE when a Mature rated game is your 'game to overwrite', and you have Parental Restrictions in force, you might not be able to play that game.

I can't recall if the code actually works, but if you have issues, drop me a line and I'll remove that code so the ratings are copied accross again.

Some wonder if having a letter at the end of the version indicates that the new version might be more unstable?

If anything, the reverse is true. Adding a letter to the end of the version number means that the update only includes minor changes or small bug fixes. If I add a number of new features, I'll jump to a new number. I do my best to find all bugs associated with new features, and I get some friends to test the new version before I release the software to everyone. If you find a bug, just let me know via email or the Feedback page.

You should always use the latest version of VGEE, unless a bug prevents you from doing so, in which case you should contact me about it.

Copy the entire error message and send it to me, and I'll see what I can make of it. You can try clicking the Continue button to see if the program will still work or crash.

Yes it does, but there may be certain circumstances that cause VGEE to stop working. VGEE also doesn't work correctly if your are running a non-English version of Windows.