The error "Error: data file corrupt. Please reinstall application" appeared for everyone on November 20, 2021. What exactly could have triggered this error for everyone is unknown, however, some say that this could have happened due to a Steam license update that happened around that time. However, the DVD and retail version of the game work fine.

Since GIANTS Software does not want to fix the problem, the players had to do it. I looked at all the methods for fixing this problem in the discussion, and out of all the methods, only two turned out to be working.

The whole problem is caused by the file AHD_91149.dat in the game saves folder, which is present in the CD/DVD version (hereinafter referred to as the original game), but for unknown reasons is absent from the Steam version of the game.


Depending on your preferences, to fix it you can either download the original game in German (thanks MadVaay for the link provided in that discussion), or just download the file itself.

Link to the CD version of the game in German:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16HkObk8O7UFOC1NzbWlywLErSTPXZG6A/view

Link to file AHD_91149.dat:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lV9evspNNMNnKJs1Uf_0VXYx37-ogG0r/view?usp=sharing

If you decide to download the game, you need to do the following:

1. Open the archive and run the installer, following its instructions. Unzipping the files is optional.
   
2. Run the game in its root folder or via a shortcut on the desktop.
   
3. The game may require an activation key before launching - in this case, right-click on the game in your Steam library, click Manage - Activation Key. You can enter the key manually or simply copy and paste it by clicking on it.
   
4. After launching, it is better to play for a few minutes. Once finished, exit the game.
   
5. Now open Explorer, go to the Documents - My Games - SkiRegionSimulator2012 directory and look for the AHD_91149.dat file. If it is there, then simply download or launch the Steam version of the game and see the result.

If you decide to download the file, then simply move it to the saves folder (the directory is indicated above).

The demo version is useless for this solution, as it creates a separate save folder without AHD_91149.dat.

I would like to point out separately that it is better not to delete the original game, but to save it for the future on some external media, since when installing the game on another or clean OS, the problem will still remain, again due to the absence of the AHD_91149.dat file in the saves folder.

Alternatively, you can simply copy the original game files and transfer them to the Steam version. We are talking about the unins000.dat and unins000.msg files, which are also missing from the Steam version, but are present in the original game.

Or, to simplify things, you can transfer not these two files, but the entire folder of the original game to the Steam version, confirming the replacement. For this, in addition to the original game, you can also use the demo version, which can be downloaded here: https://www.skiregion-simulator.com/demo.php