Everyone please feel free to provide detailed descriptions of your problems and solutions as you discover them.

To get the patch you must have EADM installed and running (it will automatically launch when you open Spore). The actual patch process should begin inside of Spore--there will not be any information in the EADM interface.

If you are unable to run the new patch, if you get an error message after it appears to successfully download the patch close Spore and please go to this path:
C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\cache\
check the subdirectories--mine was in Anonymous
there is a file called:
spore_dd_patch_all_v1.exe

Disable firewalls, anti-virus, and passive file scanners.

Right click and run the patch as an Administrator (if in Vista) or try to run manually from this location. A regular install wizard should launch and walk you through the rest of the installation.

It may take several minutes or more for the wizard to complete, please allow it time to run.

EDIT: SporeMasterNumerator


Patch Install Failure
posted but keitar6
http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/3328.page

First you have to run the patch and let it fail with the error about the old file missing or not the same.

When this runs it will put the installer int a temp directory such as

Vista 64 bit
C:\Program Files (x86)\InstallShield Installation Information\{9DF0196F-B6B8-4C3A-8790-DE42AA530101}\1.01.0000


Go to this directory and open "setup.ini"

Down the very bottom of that page you will see

RequireExactLangMatch=0x0804,0x0404

DELETE THIS LINE

Also change the line CheckMD5=n

Save this file and then run the setup file in this same directory game will now install and runs perfectly for me.


Regenerating Package Files

After you have installed the patch and Spore is crashing when you start, this procedure may help.

Go to the Spore directory:

In Windows XP
\Documents and Settings\(Username)\Application Data\SPORE

In Vista
\Users\(Username)\AppData\Roaming\SPORE

The Application Data directory may be hidden. To display hidden files:

In the menu Tools->Folder Options->View
check "Show Hidden Files and Folders"


For backups, create a save directory called PackageBackup and move all the .package files into it EXCEPT EditorSaves.package.


Restart Spore.


"My Creations" should start to get repopulated.

It may help to enable the "Buddy Content Only" and hit yes in the popup window. Sometimes more content is added when you select this option.




You can disable the "Buddy Content Only" after "My Creations" stops getting populated.

Note: It may take a while to redownload your content from the server, but your saved games will not be affected.

If you have trouble, you can restore all your package files to their original location to undo this procedure.

can you give me a direct download. i have the start up crash bug so i cant actually log into the game to get it. not to sound like a total ass but why couldnt both ways have been put out?

Being a volunteer I am unaware of a direct download which is officially available from EA / Maxis / Spore.com . The www.spore.com/patch site refers to have EADM open and then launch Spore to patch. Please do know I have passed along everyone's desire for there to be a direct download.

What about Mac people? We can't run .exe files so we can't install the EADM.

Unless there's something I'm missing. But the EA website only has a .exe from what I can find.

As listed on the website the 9/18/08 patch for Spore (full game) is PC only at this time. A Mac patch is forthcoming.

When trying to apply the patch get an error message:

"Old file not found. However, a file of the same was found. No update done since contents differ."

Tried redownloading and run as admin and it still fails.

They stated that the Mac patch will be available later. Don't waste you time looking for it right now.

I have read on other websites that the patch was released at another time, so it is possible it may have partially downloaded files, causing errors with patching.

Sporemaster edit: The Creature Creator patch was released once and then pulled, then released again in a different format. This is the first and only Spore patch.

I have a few suggestions.


A) Go in game, see if the things from this new patch are in place or not. If so, then no need to do anything, except cancel out the annoying patch message till a new patch
B) If no one is willing to do a full reinstall, I will volunteer, give me a while to do file backups
C) If anyone has path/file tracking software, if they could find the file that is not patching correctly, it would be very helpful

The previously listed instructions do not work. I just did this in Vista, ran as administrator, and it gave the same 'old file not found, file of the same found' error and stopped. My version is store bought and not modded. I have even run the patch with the EA DM running in the background. I've re-downloaded this patch.

For those who are getting errors about Old Files--did you install to the default path on C: or into a different drive or file folder?

Default location, Kaliena.

Also default path. Even with the re-downloaded patch, it gets the same error.

Is there a particular file that errors out or multiple files? Anyone have a screen shot by chance?

sporemasterkaliena wrote:Is there a particular file that errors out or multiple files? Anyone have a screen shot by chance?

No. It unpacks the .cab file from what I can see, and immediately at the beginning before it does any patching it gives the error message.

Man, this is the first time ever something like this hasn't worked on my new rig that I've had for almost a year. I'm beside myself.

sporemasterkaliena wrote:Is there a particular file that errors out or multiple files? Anyone have a screen shot by chance?

It does not provide this information, it speeds through a few files and then gives the above error. I thought I remember seeing something called 'setup' something in there.