1.01: How do I install Neverwinter Nights? (Back to Top)

To install NEVERWINTER NIGHTS just insert the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS INSTALL DISK 1 into your CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen prompts to install the game.

If the AutoPlay screen does not automatically appear after inserting the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS CD Install Disk 1 into your CD-ROM drive, follow these steps:

1. Close all running programs.
2. Ensure that the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS CD Install Disk 1 is in your CD-ROM drive.
3. Double-click My Computer on your desktop.
4. Double-click the CD-ROM icon.
5. Double-click on the Setup.exe icon to launch the installer.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to launch the game.

Note: you do NOT need to install GameSpy Arcade to play Neverwinter Nights on the Internet.

After installing the game, you will be offered the choice to view the readme or play the game. The readme is a text file, which lists additions to the manual since printing.

The installer automatically detects the type of system you have and configures your option settings for optimal gameplay when you first install. You can adjust the option settings later but if you turn up your options this may cause slowdowns in gameplay if you are running on less than a recommended system (see System Requirements).

Defragging your hard drive makes saving the game much faster - we recommend you defrag your hard drive prior to installing and occasionally between play sessions.

If you are experiencing slowdowns or poor performance, we recommend that you try turning down Options settings such as:

(Video Options) Graphics quality
(Video Options) Creature shadow detail
(Video Options) Enable environment shadows
(Video Advanced Options) Grass
(Video Advanced Options) Creature wind
(Video Advanced Options) Number of dynamic lights
(Video Advanced Options) Shadow casting lights
(Video Advanced Options) Anti aliasing
(Video Advanced Options) Texture animations
(Video Advanced Options) Environment mapping
(Video Advanced Options) Visual effects high

Certain options such as shiny water, dynamic lighting, and anti aliasing may only be available on the recommended video cards and higher.

A recommended system will be able to play the game with most of the advanced options turned on while a minimum spec system may require some of these options to be turned off.

1.04: How do I manually uninstall Neverwinter Nights? (Back to Top)

If you need to manually uninstall Neverwinter Nights, follow these steps:

1. Delete the folder where the game was installed
2. Remove the entry from the start menu
3. Remove the following Windows Registry key using RegEdit:

MyComputer \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Uninstall \{7C503E58-B2BC-11D5-978A-0050BA84F5F7}

4. Remove the following Windows Registry key using RegEdit:

MyComputer \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \BioWare \NWN \Neverwinter

5. Remove the hidden folder:

C: \Program Files \InstallShield Installation Information \{7C503E58-B2BC-11D5-978A-0050BA84F5F7}

(where C: is the drive on your system with the Program Files folder)

At this point, there should be no traces of the game on the system.

1. Perform a 'Minimum Install' of the game.

2. Create an 'ambient' folder inside your Neverwinter Nights folder if one does not already exist. Copy the contents of the 'ambient' folder on the Play Disk to this folder.

3. Create a 'movies' folder inside your Neverwinter Nights folder if one does not already exist. Copy the contents of the 'movies' folder on the Play Disk to this folder.

4. Create a 'music' folder inside your Neverwinter Nights folder if one does not already exist. Copy the contents of the 'music' folder on the Play Disk to this folder.

5. Copy the contents of the 'data' folder on the Play Disk to the 'data' folder that is in your Neverwinter Nights folder.

6. Open the nwn.ini file that is in your Neverwinter Nights folder.

7. Find the following line: (where X represents some drive letter)

AMBIENT=X:\ambient
and replace it with
AMBIENT=.\ambient

8. Find the following line: (where X represents some drive letter)

MOVIES=X:\movies
and replace it with
MOVIES=.\movies

9. Find the following line: (where X represents some drive letter)

MUSIC=X:\music
and replace it with
MUSIC=.\music

10. Save this file.

11. Try running the game.

Initially we had hoped to transfer Baldur's Gate characters over to the Neverwinter Nights game but after working with the completely different rules, engine, graphics and character attributes, we could not see any purpose to stripping an old character of all items (as Neverwinter Nights starts the player at first level), all experience, all additional level bonuses and leaving them with just their name. We decided against the ability to transfer characters.