http://www.brave.net.nz/shock2_xp_2000_fix.zip

That patch fixes the bug where you crash after starting a New Game.

-------
! - Update August 28th 2006 - !
If there are any important new problems/methods to be added, please email with specific and anecdotal information on them at cthulhu@rocketreplay.com.au and I'll add them to this OP with credit to whoever emails me the info. Just keeping things updated for once in a million years.

System Shock 2 And Windows XP

about:
=======================================
This FAQ was created because I've personally
encountered alot of different variations
of System Shock 2's incompatibilities with
Windows XP or 2000. System Shock 2, right
out of the box, will not run under Windows
XP. If a bug occurs, the installer will not
detect that you are running XP, and will
successfully install. But under perfect
circumstances, the game will NOT run.
This guide is sorted by the name of the
problem you are encountering, or certain
characteristics of the system running
the game. If you see a topic that is
related to your system
(EG: Duel CPU Systems/Hyperthreading Systems)
then read the text for this topic and
it should help a little, or alot.
The topic "All XP Systems" are things
that all users attempting to run
Systetm Shock 2 should perform first to
attempt to fix the problem.

All XP Systems
=======================================

Symptoms:
Graphical glitches ingame, no sound or
corrupt/echoing sounds, crashing at
random points.

Reason:
System Shock 2 just wasn't designed for
your operating system.

Solution:
Right Click on "shock2.exe" in your
System Shock 2 folder and select
"Compatibility", select a Windows version
to test, Apply the settings, then run
the game. If your problem is fixed, good,
if not, try another windows version or
look to other sections of this document.

EXE Fix/Patch:
To my knowlegde there is no Fix to force
the EXE to always run in a certain
compatibility mode.

Incompatible Windows Version
=======================================

Symptoms:
When attempting to install, you are presented
with a dialogue box stating that your version
of Windows is incompatible with System Shock 2.

Reason:
System Shock 2 has no real support for NT
kernel operating systems, so to avoid
people complaining of all the bugs that
appear under NT, the game refuses to install,
giving a legitimate reason.

Solution:
Run SETUP.EXE from the CD-ROM with the
parametre "-lgntforce".
To do so, select "Run" from your start menu,
enter "x:\setup.exe -lgntforce", however you
will need to replace the "x" with the letter
that your CD-ROM uses.

EXE Fix/Patch:
No updated installer has been released, as
it would just be inconvinient and useless
as the SETUP.EXE is on a non-rewritable
CD.

Movies Fail To Play
========================================

Symptoms:
All FMV Cutscenes in the game are skipped
instantly, failing to play

Reason:
The old codecs used to encode the movies
is very unsupported under Windows XP.

Solution:
Run the file iv5play.exe located on the
System Shock 2 CD-ROM, this will install
the drivers and codecs needed to view the
movies. You may need to do this after each
reboot of your system. You can also register
the video drivers by running from the start
menu's Run command:
regsvr32 "x:\ss2\LGVID.AX"
You will need to change x:\ss2\ to the
directory where you installed System Shock 2
into.

Duel CPU Systems/Hyperthreading Systems
========================================

Symptoms:
Movies may or may not work, this problem
has no effect on movies.
The game will install fully, and the EXE
will load in compatibility modes.
The first level will load, controls will
work, sounds will work.
The game will halt after a few seconds of
movement, or of sitting still.

Reason:
System Shock 2 under Windows XP will not
run under a duel processor envornment,

Solution:
First of all, run the System Shock 2
Multiplayer patch, it fixes many small
bugs.
This problem is fixed easily by
assigning only one CPU to the System
Shock 2 process.
To do this, launch the game, and before
starting a the game (while in the menu)
hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and select "Task Manager".
In "Applications" select System Shock 2,
right click on it and select
"Goto Process", right click on the process
and select "Set Affinity". Here you are
able to set whatever CPUs you want to the
System Shock 2 Process. Select only a
single CPU to run the process, and apply
the new settings. Return to System Shock 2
and play the game, the symptoms of running
Duel CPUs should dissapear.

EXE Fix/Patch:
Download an unwrapped/no-cd version of the
System Shock 2 EXE file for the multiplayer
patch version (Do not ask where any
file of this type can be located, for obvious
reasons...).
Download the System Shock 2 Multithread/XP Fix
(http://www.lanime.com/ntx/ss2fix/SS2MTFIX.EXE)
Run ss2mtfix.exe, specify the location of an
unwrapped System Shock 2 EXE, the program
will patch the file to only run using a
single CPU (CPU 0).

Illegal Operation at Runtime
========================================

Symptoms:
You are presented with an Error Reporting
dialogue at runtime, and the program fails
to load, or you recieve a blue screen at
runtime.

Reason:
The copy protection "SafeDisc" is very
unreliable under Windows XP, and often causes
this type of error.

Solution:
Locate a safedisc unwrapper, and run it on the
shock2.icd file to generate an unwrapped EXE,
this should solve the problem.

EXE Fix/Patch:
Because unwrapping the ICD file compramises
copy protection, I refrain from providing
direct links to this type of file. Various
crack websites are where you should look for
this type of file.

Intel or ATI Rage Video Cards
========================================

Symptoms:
Graphical glitches may occur with these video
cards, or the game may not load at all.

Reason:
Unknown, possibly just due to outdated drivers.

Solution:
Create a file called user.cfg in your System
Shock 2 folder, or if the file is already
present, open it for editing.
Anywhere in the file enter the text:
safe_texture_manager
on a line of it's own. Save the file and run
System Shock 2, your problem should be solved.

EXE Fix/Patch:
None known.

Other Graphical Glitches
========================================

Symptoms:
Uusual screen flashing, corrupt or odly coloured
textures, certain textures not appearing, etc.

Reason:
Lack of testing for unpopular graphics cards, or
use of outdated and incompatible drivers.

Solution:
Locate the newest most upto date drivers for your
video card, and install them. If this fails, try
locating slightly older than newest drivers, or
old than your current drivers.

EXE Fix/Patch:
None known.


Cannot Use Ingame Menu
========================================

Symptoms:
When pressing Esc ingame, the mouse arrow is
restricted to a small area and cannot reach any
of the options in the menu.

Reason:
Most likley resolution/visual themes confusing
the way System Shock 2 uses the ingame menus.

Solution:
Right click on your shock2.exe, and in the
Compatibility tab, check "Disable Visual Themes"

EXE Fix/Patch:
None Known