reinstalling lost games

[bmpjwp]

It seems that I have lost spider solitaire, solitaire, and free cell. How
can I reinstall them?

 

[Paul Smith]

It seems that I have lost spider solitaire, solitaire, and free cell. How
can I reinstall them?

If you head over to Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs ->
Add/Remove Windows Components. You'll be able to check to see if the games
are currently installed, or not and reinstall them. From memory I think
they're listed under Accessories and Utilities.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

 

[spider solitaire solitaire,and free cell]

It seems that I have lost spider solitaire, solitaire, and free cell. How
can I reinstall them?

 

[surtass]

I, too, have had Free Cell, Spider Solitaire, and Minesweeper disappear from my
hard drive. I can't find them anywhere. They are not under Accessories and
not
in recycle bin. I would like to have them back but I don't where to go to
get them.

 

[Ash]

I had the same problem but found that I just lost the links to thew game.
Check the directory c:\windows\system32\... look for spider.exe

 

[Roy]

It is rather difficult to uninstall these "built-in" games, and
they are not located in the Program Files folder. They exist
simply as stand-alone .exe files in the WINDOWS \ system32
folder. And if the person only deleted the shortcuts then they
can find them down there and create new shortcuts. If the games
were uninstalled as Windows Components on the Accessories and
Utilities \ Games checkbox, then they should still be available
there by re-checking the selection box and installing. BTW, to
see the listing select and highlight Accessories and Utilities
without un-checking the item and then click the "Details" button
below.

 

[psh1950]

I went to Add/Remove Programs and Spider Solitaire is listed in windows
components yet I can't find it in my programs list. I have no way to click on
it. I don't have an icon anywhere either!

 

[RobertVA]

I went to Add/Remove Programs and Spider Solitaire is listed in windows
components yet I can't find it in my programs list. I have no way to click on
it. I don't have an icon anywhere either!

You might still have the games, but are missing the shortcuts.

Use the Windows XP search function to find a file named spider.exe (it's
usually in the WINDOWS\system32 folder on your boot drive). Bring up the
context menu by right clicking on the spider.exe icon. From the context
menu you can create a shortcut to run the game. You might want to drag
the new shortcut to your desktop, Quicklaunch menu or start menu.

For Freecell follow the same procedure searching for freecell.exe . It
will normally be in the same folder.

 

[MNTri]

Hi
I have only lost Freecell (all other games are there and working). I have
tried all the suggestions in these posts. I went to Utilities & Accessories
and free cell is checked under games. I searched for .exe file - it was found
in Windows/options/CABS/win98_66 (not Windows SYS32 - is that the problem?)
Not sure what else to do....

Thanks!!

 

[MNTri]

Hi
Follow up email re: loss of Free Cell...

Am getting error message when click on freecell.exe "One of the library
files needed to run 'freecell' can not load in the 16 bit Windows subsystem
because it is a Win32 DLL".

Thoughts?

 

[RobertVA]

Hi
I have only lost Freecell (all other games are there and working). I have
tried all the suggestions in these posts. I went to Utilities & Accessories
and free cell is checked under games. I searched for .exe file - it was found
in Windows/options/CABS/win98_66 (not Windows SYS32 - is that the problem?)
Not sure what else to do....

Thanks!!

That folder name combineed with that file name sounds like it's a
compressed source for a Windows 98 installation or repair. Does that
"win98_66" file or its contents have a .cab extension?

When clicking the .exe file doesn't successfully run the games some
aspect of the game installation is probably damaged.

As you might have a computer that was upgraded from Windows 98 to
Windows XP The Add/Remove Windows components function might go searching
for installation/repair files on the Windows XP update CD, despite their
presence in the Win98... cab file.

Please respond with the results from trying the Add/Remove windows
components function a couple more times. The game(s) should be unchecked
and Add/Remove windows components closed. Yes, you must REMOVE the
game(s) first. Then go through the "Add/Remove Windows components
process again to reinstall the desired game(s). That should also
reestablish the start menu shortcut(s).

 

[Matt Hart]

Your best bet is just to uninstall the software and then reinstall it.
Usually the shortcuts will restore themselves.

 

[ycronon]

Help!
How do I install spider solitaire, solitaire, and free cell.
Thanks for you time!

 

[RobertVA]

Help!
How do I install spider solitaire, solitaire, and free cell.
Thanks for you time!

First use the "Search" function to see if you aren't just missing the
shortcuts. Search for spider.exe, sol.exe and freecell.exe . See the
previous thread about creating new shortcuts.

Normally those applications are installed with the "Add/Remmove Windows
components" function available through the control panel and "Add/Remove
programs". If Windows was installed from an optical disk the computer
might need that disk as a source of the files.

 

[billesther]

I'm sorry Paul Smith, for some reason my microsoft game folder is "empty" so
they have been wiped from my computer. Isn't there a way to install or
download them from the Microsoft website? I really miss them. My XP soft
ware is less than three years old. billesther

 

[RobertVA]

I'm sorry Paul Smith, for some reason my microsoft game folder is "empty" so
they have been wiped from my computer. Isn't there a way to install or
download them from the Microsoft website? I really miss them. My XP soft
ware is less than three years old. billesther

What "microsoft game" folder are you talking about? The icons on your
"start" button menu? The items on the "start" button menu aren't usually
the applications themselves, merely shortcuts to executable files
elsewhere on your hard drive. Those games should be in the
\Windows\System32 folder on your boot partition (usually C. File names
are freecell.exe, sol.exe and spider.exe. Try searching for those file
names with the "Search" function in the second column of your "start"
button menu.

Perhaps the actual games aren't what's missing. IF the exe files are in
your \windows\system32 folder you may be able to use the "Create
Shortcut" function on the *.exe file's context menu (right click an icon
for its context menu). Once you create a new shortcut you can drag the
shortcut to your choice of the "start" button menu, your desktop or your
Quick Launch menu.

Paul's procedure should result in installing the game executables AND
the shortcuts from a hidden hard disk partition (in most brand name
computers) or your Windows XP installation CD (if you upgraded from an
earlier Windows or are using a generic "gray box" computer). You may
need to uncheck the games, use the "OK" buttons to close the "Windows
Components Wizard", Accessories and Utilities" and "Games" dialogs and
reopen the dialogs to recheck the games.

 

[RobertVA]

Some clarification:

The "Internet" and "Email" items in the first column of the "start"
button menu are the results of registry entries that are best managed
through the Windows XP default application setting procedure. The other
applications in that column are usually the "pinned" or Most Recently
Used (MRU) applications. The second column items are usually generated
by Windows XP.

The "All Programs" fly out menu typically contains Windows shortcuts and
levels of folders that permit the user to organize the shortcuts. The
user can drag the shortcuts to change their sequence and which folder
they are in. In most cases deleting a shortcut doesn't remove the
application from the computer. Lacking a shortcut the user can usually
run the application by finding an exe file (usually somewhere within the
"Program Files" folder) and double clicking it. System applications
(including the game that come with Windows) may be located in the
\Windows\System\ or \Windows\System32 folders.

 

[Anne Smith]

I, too, have had Free Cell, Spider Solitaire, and Minesweeper disappear from my
hard drive. I can't find them anywhere. They are not under Accessories and
not
in recycle bin. I would like to have them back but I don't where to go to
get them.

 

[RobertVA]

:

I, too, have had Free Cell, Spider Solitaire, and Minesweeper disappear from my
hard drive. I can't find them anywhere. They are not under Accessories and
not
in recycle bin. I would like to have them back but I don't where to go to
get them.

Are the games missing from "Accessories" under "All Programs" on the
"start" button menu? Those are just shortcuts and could be missing while
the games themselves are safely in the \Windows\system32 folder (default
location) of your hard drive. Use the search function on your "start"
button menu to search for freecell.exe, sol.exe, spider.exe and
winmine.exe . PLEASE report back if these files are in or missing from
that folder. If you find those files you should be able to double click
their icons to run the games. You can right click the .exe file icons to
create new shortcuts that you can copy or move to other locations like
the "start" button menu, desktop or "Quick Launch" menu.


If you don't find the .exe files in your \Windows\system32 folder PLEASE
respond with a report of the results of following the procedure below.
IF you have a generic "gray box" PC or upgraded from an earlier version
of Windows you may need your Windows XP installation or upgrade CD:

Click the "start" button on your task bar.

Click "Control Panel" in the second column of the menu. Depending on
your settings this might produce a window OR a fly out menu.

Click "Add or Remove Programs".

Click "Add/Remove Windows Components" in the left pane of the "Add or
Remove Programs" window.

Wait for the "Windows Components Wizard" window.

Click "Accessories and Utilities" if necessary to highlight that line.

Click the "Details..." button.

Repeat with the "Details..." button with "Games" highlighted on the
resulting "Accessories and Utilities" window.

UNCHECK the missing games in the "Games" window. The games might NOT
REinstall unless you use this procedure to UNinstall them first.

Use the "OK" buttons to close the "Games", "Accessories and Utilities",
"Windows Components Wizard" and and "Add or Remove Programs" windows in
that order.

Open the "Add or Remove Programs", "Windows Component Wizard",
"Accessories and Utilities" and "Games" windows again.

This time CHECK the desired games.

Use the "OK" buttons again to close the windows in the order specified
above. For some of these clicks the wizard will need to access the
hidden Windows XP installation/repair partition on your hard drive (for
many brand name PCs) or you Windows XP installation/upgrade CD.

Look for the game shortcuts on the "start" button menu.

 

[RobertVA]

Please post an additional response here with the results of the
following additional tests. If the games don't run include the full text
contents of any error pop-ups:

Click the "start" button on your Windows XP task bar.

Click "Run..." in the second column of the menu

Type "freecell" (without the quotation marks) in the drop down box
marked "Open:" in the "Run" window.

Press your "Enter" key or click the "OK" button.

Repeat, substituting "sol", "spider" and "winmine" in place of "freecell