Is it possible to use this with Steam client? I have modified the INI to point to where my ESO is actually installed, however I cannot login using my account once the game opens. It only works if I launch ESO the correct way so it automatically logs in. I am assuming that if I connect that way, the hook64 wont be working.

Sandboxie was designed primarily to prevent software downloaded from the Internet from self-installing on the user's computer system. That is, the "installation" is only within the sandbox file tree, not on the machine outside the sandbox. Sandboxing allows the user to examine where the software installs and what it does when it runs. To remove malware, just delete the sandbox.

So, to update the ESO game client, I must run Launcher (un-sandboxed) to update the files stored on the HDD partition D:\Program Files (x86)\The Elder Scrolls. (Ordinarily, I launch eso64.exe with a Windows desktop shortcut that loads and runs it in a sandbox. I use another shortcut to launch Launcher without sandboxing it.)

That said, I have used Sandboxie for almost 9 years, but began running ESO Graphics Extender about 2 weeks ago.

Sandboxie, no doubt, takes measures to prevent a program, running anywhere, from modifying another program's system memory image when the target program is sandboxed. For example, Sandboxie prevents malware from modifying its own system memory images while they are loaded and executing, and prevents modification of its own files installed on a disk drive.

Thank-you for your answers. I will investigate this further, and visit the Sandboxie tech support website forum.

First, please note that I must install Hook64 in the same folder as eso64.exe. Else, it will not find the game installation on the disk partition D:\Program Files (x86)\The Elder Scrolls\.

Also, I customarily run all applicatons which access the Internet in Sandboxie sandboxes, configured for each specific application ( https://www.sandboxie.com ). The ESO game client has loaded and ran in its Sandboxie sandbox during the past four years without any problems.

Of course, I am not requesting support for doing this with Hook64, but I will appreciate it if you respond with some information.

(1) In my observation, Hook64 does not modify the game client or any other files in the game installation when I run it. Rather, Hook64 is designed to modify the game client after eso64.exe is loaded in memory, then it notifies the OS to execute the client. Is that correct?

(2) Why does Loader.h64 access the Internet? On the face of it, its only purpose is to load exo64.exe into system memory. Is it loading anything else?

After I run Launcher, Hook64 will launch eso64.exe -- but if, and only if, eso64.exe is not executed in its sandbox. On the first attempt to also run Hook64.exe in the same sandbox, eso64.exe was loaded in system memory (at least), but no output from the game client was displayed. Since then, the Hook64 software runs in the ESO sandbox, but it does not launch the game client.

Currently, the question which remains is:

Must I run Launcher, then run Hook64.exe, each and every time before I launch TESO?

Or should I run them only after ESO Graphics Extender and/or Hook64 are updated?

Thank-you for your time and attention to this question.

First, for what it may be worth, whenever I install software that has a file such as Settings.ini, I always take a look at its content.
The reason for my original post on this subject was that when I ran Hook64.exe from its folder on the desktop, it could not find the TESO installation.

After I reviewed the comments at the start of Settings.ini, I started moving the Hook64 folder to locations on the drive D:\ partition where TESO is installed.

Hook64.exe could not find the ESO installation until the folder's files were stored in the same location as eso64exe. (The Hook64 folder itself doesn't exist, just its files.)

Probably your Hook64 installation works because ESO is installed in its default location on the C:\ partition. My guess is that the script for ESO in the ...\Hook64\Scripts folder directs Hook64.exe to look for eso64.exe, and the Reshade + Preset folder in that location.

Installing the Reshade + Preset folder in the same location as the game client is shown in the You Tube tutorial. It also shows installing the Hook64 folder on the desktop. (Of course, to run its executable, the player must either open the folder, or create a desktop shortcut for Hook64.exe.)
It may be old advice, but once you understand what the comment means (it is a bit vague), it is valid. In fact, locating the contents of the Hook64 folder to the location of the game client is currently necessary while the game client is not installed in its default location.
ZOS no longer installs a 32-bit version of the game client, and Launcher removes any that it finds present. As far as I know, all TESO files are now for a 64-bit executable.

Currently, there are two versions of the 64-bit client. One is run on systems that have a multi-core CPU which does not implement multi-threading. The other is run on systems for which the multi-core CPU does implement multi-threading. Launcher detects whether the CPU supports multi-threading, and installs the appropriate game client.
Yes, I have had Votan's Darker Nights installed, and set New Moon to 80 and Full Moon to 90, as recommended by Votan. The only thing that I don't like is that the interiors of buildings are too dark regardless of the light that candles, lanterns, etc. cast. They were not designed to glow with Darker Nights in mind, I'm sure. Votan likes to keep it simple, and I do not know whether it is even possible for an addon to determine whether a character is inside a building which has active lighting fixtures, in order to lighten the display up a bit.

I will use your numbers for Darker Nights to see whether it improves interior lighting. Again, thank-you for your interest and advice.

it made no difference if Hook64 was on my desktop or in the folder

as long as I do 1) launcher 2) Hook64



another test I removed Hook64 from the folder, ran it only from the desktop.

no issues at all - even get the systray icon

-d

Looks like between the two of us we can get it figured out, hopefully.

One diff between what you do and what I do (and I'm doing both to test it to see if there is an issue).

I am running the entire Hook64 from my desktop - scripts and all - zero issue. I DO not have it in the same folder with the shaders.

Why? I'll be honest, I was very stoned and the reasoning eludes me now, lol.

Will let you know how the testing goes.

100% agree - as an addon author I kinda knew what he meant - but jeez, I still have to think for a minute (though that could have been the weed also!)

I missed have missed that - I have 3 SSD's but EVERYTHING runs off my C: - zero issues - where did you read that - I would like to check it out.


My educated guess and my 15 years as a network admin and app manager is that info is old.

Why do I say that? Mine works - plus when running Hook64 from my desktop it finds ESO and launches it. When one program launches another, depending on how it's written, it could be running in the same process instant (child process). Again, guessing - need testing.

I'll wait for the author to touch that one!

One assumption I made was when you start with the launcher - you don't need to worry about the 64 or 32 version. The launcher takes care of that, or so it seems.

Moving Hook64 folder into C:\ESO\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client\ to see if that changes anything.

My 2 copper - when you add in the Voltan darker nights with it - I think it looks really good.

my numbers on Darker Nights are:

141
140
100
301

in case you want to see my setup.

Thanks for all your testing - I think you should stick with it until you are sure 1) it's working correctly 2)then decide if it's an improvement.

take care
-d

Thank-you for your advice!!

The most vague aspect of installing ESO Graphics Extender is where to install its folders with their files. First of all, no mention is made that none of them are installed in the ...\My Documents\The Edler Scrolls Online\live\Addons folder (in which all other ESO Add-ons are installed).

As the tutorial indicates, the Reshade + Preset folder and files must be installed in the ...\Program Files (x86)\The Elder Scrolls\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client folder on the disk drive partition in which TESO is installed. (On my computer, TESO is installed on a SSD partition D:\ and not on the same SSD where the Windows operating system is installed in partition C:\.)
Yes, I had to install them, since the existing files were for a previous version of .NET and Visual C++, respectively.
As noted in the comments at the start of the Hook64 Settings.ini file:

Hook64.exe, Loader.h64, x64.h64, x86.h86, and the Settings.ini file had to be installed in the same folder as eso64.exe -- with the Hook64 Docs and Scripts folders also in the same folder as eso64.exe. Then I created a desktop shortcut for Hook64.exe so that I could run it while Launcher was already running (but not the game).

Note: when I used the shortcut to run Hook64.exe, it showed ESO as installed in its initial dialog. After I selected it, the utility program made changes to the ESO installation (I suppose), but it did not launch the game. For that, I used a desktop shortcut to run eso64.exe.

The question which remains is: must I run Launcher, then Hook64.exe, each and every time before I launch TESO? Or should I run them only when ESO Graphics Extender and/or Hook64 are updated? (For what it is worth, the Scripts folder has disappeared from the folder in which eso64.exe is installed.)

After all of the time and effort, frankly, I don't recognize that the "extender" has changed the visual display of the game world very much. Yet, it does look a bit more "3 dimensional", and it seems that the edges of objects are sharper, too. So far I have not encountered any problems attributable to using it. By the way, I run the game "Full Screen (Windowed)".

I had a lot of these questions and the instructions were VERY lacking.

I have some background in this stuff so I figured out a way it works great for me - maybe it will for you too.



OK these steps are KEY - do in ORDER (did I stress IN ORDER?)

I assume you copied all the Hook64 and shaders etc to the folders.

Pre-Game:

1 - Get the most recent Hook64
2 - Also on that page is this statement:

3 - If you don't already have them - INSTALL THEM

Game-Time

1 - CLOSE ESO
2- Launch the Launcher (not the game directly)
3 - Run Hook64 which will ask you to select ESO (select it) and then it will start the game!


To the author - this is great work - I just had trouble with it and figured out what I could do to play using it all day. Nothing I said here is to detract from your work. I was just offering advice and hopefully helping more people use your work.

-d

The You Tube tutorial is a bit too fast, and sometimes unclear -- aside from the fact that you apparently use a customized desktop that looks nothing like the Windows 7 desktop on my computer .

"Extract Hook64" (from what, another compressed file?) and create a shortcut for it on the Windows desktop, correct?

Does that mean the player must run the Hook64 executable before using either (a) Launcher to start the game, or (b) using a desktop shortcut to run eso64.exe?? If so, then you need to explain that (more clearly) during the tutorial.

By the way, before launching TESO, I run the the Tamriel Trade Centre client, which uploads data collected by the addon while I play the game to a TTC server. The player uses their browser to connect to the TTC website, in order to search its database. (If I used Nirn Auction House, then I would have to load its client before starting the game, too.)

:-)

The text you have for Voltan's Darker Night is correct.

The ACTUAL hypertext link goes nowhere.

I went here np - https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info...kerNights.html

yours goes to: https://www.esoui.com/downloads/true

just being helpful and trying to avoid you getting lots of confused PM's

-d

edit: same issues on your main page

the link goes to https://www.esoui.com/downloads/true

again, just helping - not picking on you -- excited to try your stuff now