### Common Issue 0005

Author:    Artex (aka: IceDragon)
Timestamp: 04.Oct.2005 @ 2005
Modified:  15.Oct.2005 @ 1955 [v1.1]

Relation:  Bugge Hunters
Section:   Furcadia
Title:     Default patch is missing

Description:
    The most common case of such a problem is a simple help call stating the following: "My default
    patch isn't loading and I may need a bugge!". Otherwise, the user will tell you that they can't
    enter any main map (they might not mention it, but they /can/ enter Naia!) and all they see when
    they try is the "Loading" screen along with an error message in the chatbox suggesting them to
    initiate a help call with the phrase mentioned above.

Problem:
    The problem here is pretty clear - the client has tried to load and initialize the default patch,
    but for some reason it didn't find one or more default FSH files in the default patch folder. The
    most common reason for this to happen is user renaming or moving the Furcadia folder to a different
    location. Due to the fact that the default patch folder is stored in the registry and the client
    will always try to load the default patch from that particular folder, it fails to do so since
    the path to this folder no longer exists! So the user has moved the folder, but didn't realize
    they needed to update the registry for the default patch to load.

    Other (more rare) cases to this problem involve the user messing around with the permission
    settings to deny access to the default patch folder. In this case, the program would obviously
    fail to get to the folder or load files from there and will return an error. Another case involves
    the user erasing one or more files from the default patch unknowingly. They either tried to patch
    it for their dream or considered some files in there useless - both ideas are bad.

Solution:
    Unlike what's said in the error message ("...and I may need a bugge"), this call can be handled
    by just about anyone, it's not hard at all. Knowing what you suggest is always a preference, but
    most of the solution here is simply following instructions.

    For a start, you can ask the user if they renamed or moved the Furcadia folder recently. If you
    get this question confirmed, it's pretty clear what has happened. If they didn't move the folder,
    you could ask them questions like "Did you change anything in the default patch folder?" to get a
    more clear view of what /did/ they do to cause the problem. Chances are they corrupted the default
    patch and will need to install Furc again and there's no point trying to correct the error.

    The solution to this problem has two primary ways - one is quick enough, the other involves more
    in-depth work. It's up to the helper to decide which way would they prefer (or would be suitable)
    for that particular call - both work, but each of them might express you differently to the user.

    If you don't feel like spending too much time on the case, don't have the time to explain, feel
    unsure in yourself to do the other way or the user seems troublesome to instruct (yeah, or the
    user actually broke the default patch and didn't just move the folder) you'd probably pick the
    quick solution - reinstalling Furcadia. Just running the installer again (without uninstalling
    Furcadia first) will reset the system files back to what they were and will update the needed
    paths in the registry - the problem is solved, no backups required, no data lost!

    (ADDED - 15.10.2005@1955): Note that if the user says that they moved Furcadia to a network drive
    or another computer that seems to provide storage space to theirs, telling them to reinstall
    might be a bit of an inconvenience for them, for installing to a network drive might sesm a bit
    confusing to them, especially if the entire migration process was done for them by someone else.
    You should try the second way - it was proved that paths like
    "\\Zephyr\c$\Program Files\Furcadia\patches\default\" can be handled by Furcadia in a proper way!

    The second way does not require one to reinstall Furcadia, but just to update the default patch
    path in the registry. Choosing this way will show you as someone who knows the system more in
    depth than an average user and will make an impression that you're going forward to help the
    person fix their problem with the least changes to their files and the system.

    Open the Furcadia Configuration Utility either by going to tab C in the client and clicking on
    the "edit my settings" button or by clicking START->Programs->Furcadia->Configuration and
    Troubleshooting. In the window that pops up press the "Troubleshooting..." button and start the
    diagnostic. During the diagnostics you may be asked to clear the portrait cache - choose "No"
    since it's unrelated to our case. After this, you will stop on a section where you can specify
    your default patch path and update it - the user is to correct the path to the up-to-date one
    and click the "Update" button. The warning during the update can be safely ignored. Once the
    update is done the user can now verify that the problem is solved by going to one of the main
    maps - restarting Furcadia is not necessary! If the problem is not solved yet and the path is
    100% up to date, you will have to resort to the first way - suggest the user to reinstall - this
    should correct the problem for sure.