Troubleshooting

1)   Mouse cursor is invisible. There are 2 possible reasons for this problem.
-  You have old video drivers. Download and install the newest ones.
-  You deleted "Cursors" folder from the game for some reason. Reinstall the game.

2)   You have disconnect (or mismatch) during multiplayer game. There are 2 types of mismatch: shortly after match start and later in mid-game.

- The first type of mismatch is caused by mismatch between human players' game files and occurs shortly after match start. Make sure everyone in the game is using the same version of the mod and is not using any file modifications or cheats.
There is another possibility. Some special multiplayer maps make map-specific modifications. Players have to exit and restart Zero Hour in order to fix this mismatch.
- The mid-game mismatch can be caused by coding errors (which we fix with new releases) and the poorly programmed game engine which allows mismatches to occur randomly without any obvious reason and does not give any mismatch logs for us to analyze. We have to deal with it.

3)   It is impossible to use general's powers in multiplayer game. It happens when your ally exits the game and all his units become yours. This bug is connected with game engine and can not be fixed. Just don't exit the game when playing with allies. If it happened, you can fix it this way: destroy all Command Centers (or Command Trucks) of your former ally.

4)   You can not select anything and can not push buttons with mouse. It happens sometimes when you exit to Windows and return to game. It is fixed this way: press ESC to open main menu and click "Return to game".

5)   Missing general's powers shortcuts. It is not a bug. All special powers are stored inside a special icon, located on the right side of the screen where shortcut icons are as usual. If you are playing as GLA and you don't see your special powers inside, you have to build Command Truck from Factory (your first building as GLA).

6)   All units and buildings explode in 10-20 seconds of playing. It happens when you use pirate version or lost license key. The problem is solved with DatGen.
Put it into Zero Hour folder and run it once. It will not open any windows or display messages. It is ok. If it doesn't work, reinstall Zero Hour.

7) You can not build many units and buildings. It is not a bug. All versions of Contra since 003 use rank restrictions. You cannot build strategy centers, super weapons, heavy artillery units, some aircraft, and super units until after you have reached the correct rank. Most buildings and units are unlocked automatically when you hit Rank 3. The rest are unlocked at rank 5.

8) You can't uninstall Contra because you don't see it in Windows Control Panel. It is not a bug. Contra does not support this feature. To uninstall Contra, delete all files with ".ctr" extension from your Zero Hour directory.

9) AI does not do anything. There can be 2 possible reasons. First. You use unfinished multiplayer map without paths and markers for AI. Finish your multiplayer map or use another one. Second. Something happened with AI. You probably tried to install the mod manually. Make sure that you renamed /Data/Scripts/ folder (read the manual install instructions again).

10) Game crashes. Zero Hour can not be started - crashes instantly. - Make sure you have the latest Zero Hour patch - 1.04. - Make sure you don't have any other mods in your Zero Hour folder (some of them can corrupt your game). A clean reinstall will fix any corrupted Zero Hour folder.

11) Game crashes. Zero Hour starts normally, but crashes after 10-15 minutes of waiting in main menu. It happens someimes. The reason is unknown, but it is connected with Shellmap. You can turn off Shellmap to avoid this problem. In order to do so, check the "Quickstart" box in the Contra Launcher. If you have Contra installed manually, right click on Zero Hour shortcut and choose "Properties".
There will be a string similar to this:
"C:\Games\Generals Zero Hour\generals.exe"
Add "-noshellmap" parameter.
"C:\Games\Generals Zero Hour\generals.exe" -noshellmap
Click "Ok". This is all. Shellmap will be replaced with a splash screen and the game will load faster.

12) Game crashes. Zero Hour starts normally. You try to start a skirmish or multiplayer. You switch to unofficial maps - it crashes. It does not even show you the list of maps. Your "Maps" folder is clogged. You installed too many maps or some of them are corrupted. I recommend to leave the maps you want to play now and move the rest of them to different folder.

13) Game crashes. Zero Hour starts normally. You try to start a skirmish or multiplayer. You select a map successfuly and click "Play Game". Loading process starts and crashes. The map you selected is not adopted for Contra. Try another one.

14) Replays are recorded incorrectly.
Replays can be corrupted if you play a skirmish game, loss and click "Restart Game". If you want to record correct replay, do not use restart button.

15) Game crashes when you watch replays.
Open Options.ini, which is located in "My Documents / Command & Conquer Zero Hour Data /" and look at StaticGameLOD option. It must be set to "Low", "Medium" or "High". If it is set to "Custom" then change it to "High". It will solve the problem.

16) You can not set screen resolution you want.
Open Options.ini, which is located in "My Documents / Command & Conquer Zero Hour Data /" and look find "Resolution" string. Set screen resolution you need, save the file and start the game. Everything will work properly if your video card supports new resolution.

17) Do you often lose in-game sound when minimizing Generals?
We have a very simple fix for you. Press Esc, go to Options and just click Accept. You will now have your audio back.

18) Have you ever gotten the "Your serial is already in use" error, but it's actually your ghost/clone inside the game lobby?
There is a fix for that. While still in LAN lobby, click on Create Game, then go Back to the LAN lobby and your ghost will disappear from the game you were trying to join.

19) Experiencing a graphics glitch?
If you are getting triangular graphics glitch, that one is not caused by your video drivers. Try disabling Heat Effects in Custom settings and reducing Particle Cap.
If you are getting pink (missing) textures, make sure you can run Zero Hour first. Your installation might be corrupted and a clean reinstall is required.

20) The game can now be run under Windows 7.
1. Go to "C: / Users / [your name] / Documents /" folder
2. Create "Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour Data" folder if it is absent. Go into this folder.
3. Create a text file called Options.ini inside it.
4. Put the following content into Options.ini:

AntiAliasing = 2
CampaignDifficulty = 1
FPS = 61
FirewallBehavior = 0
GameSpyIPAddress = 192.168.1.2
Gamma = 42
IPAddress = 192.168.1.2
IdealStaticGameLOD = High
LanguageFilter = false
MusicVolume = 0
Resolution = 1600 1200
Retaliation = yes
SFX3DVolume = 61
SFXVolume = 54
ScrollFactor = 50
SendDelay = no
StaticGameLOD = High
UseAlternateMouse = no
UseDoubleClickAttackMove = no
VoiceVolume = 0

5. Right click on Zero Hour shortcut and set "Windows XP Service Pack 2" compatibility mode.
6. Profit.

If you did not find the answer then ask your question here.