Column: Getting Older Games to Run on Windows XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

New Column: Gaming writer Joel Durham describes how to use the Program
Compatibility Wizard, search for user-created fixes, find product updates and
patches, and introduces a couple of tools that can help improve your gaming
experience.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx

Ask questions or post comments about the article here.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
In Kathie Werner <[email protected]> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
New Column: Gaming writer Joel Durham describes how to use the Program
Compatibility Wizard, search for user-created fixes, find product
updates and patches, and introduces a couple of tools that can help
improve your gaming experience.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx

Ask questions or post comments about the article here.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
Click to expand...

It's well written. Bookmarked and scanned but not completely "read" if you
know what I mean. Thanks for the link.

Galen
 
I have sucessfully been able to run every ms-dos program I have ever owned -
lots of games -including transmitter/satellite receiver programs to work on
XP-Which is critical as broadcast transmitters will be around for 20-30 years
of life.

I have had one problem I can't fix..... In Duke Nukem 2, I can have it say
"he's back" during the intro by telling it that it is sound blaster and
restarting, or I can hear the guns shoot if set to PC speaker and
restart---Is there anyway to fool it into doing both? The pc sounds are not
handled by soundblaster when sound blaster is selected.
 
In Al Simpson <Al (e-mail address removed)> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
I have sucessfully been able to run every ms-dos program I have ever
owned - lots of games -including transmitter/satellite receiver
programs to work on XP-Which is critical as broadcast transmitters
will be around for 20-30 years of life.

I have had one problem I can't fix..... In Duke Nukem 2, I can have
it say "he's back" during the intro by telling it that it is sound
blaster and restarting, or I can hear the guns shoot if set to PC
speaker and restart---Is there anyway to fool it into doing both? The
pc sounds are not handled by soundblaster when sound blaster is
selected.
Click to expand...

If the advice on the page didn't help with that one particular game you can
always take a peek here:

DOSBox, a x86 emulator with DOS:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/

Galen
 
Thanks for you article - however I'm still having problems getting older
programs to run. Actually they were running just fine on XP SP2 until about 3
weeks ago. The only thing I've changed is installing MS Antispyware (an
amazing product!!)

The error mesage I get is this: C:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt. The system
file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications.
Choose 'Close' to terminate the application. Dialog box title is '16 bit
Windows Subsystem'

And the application won't run at all. The one I really want to run is an
older version of Paradox - the first Windows version - designed for 3.1. I
have one other game designed for 3.1 which also won't run, Riverboat
Solitaire.

I have gone thru all your steps and they do not have any effect. Do you have
any suggestions? I don't think it's the Antispyware as I have that on another
computer running XP SP1 and they run fine. Thanks!
 
Bettylou,
Your problem is the same as my problem but I haven't figured it out! What
do I do?
 
Kathie Werner said:
New Column: Gaming writer Joel Durham describes how to use the Program
Compatibility Wizard, search for user-created fixes, find product updates and
patches, and introduces a couple of tools that can help improve your gaming
experience.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx

Ask questions or post comments about the article here.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Click to expand...


hi, i have tried everything you suggested and big thank you to
 
Hi Ash,

If you could start your own thread describing your problem,
it will make it a lot easier for folks to be able to help you. :-)

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

|
|
| "Kathie Werner" wrote:
|
| > New Column: Gaming writer Joel Durham describes how to use the Program
| > Compatibility Wizard, search for user-created fixes, find product updates and
| > patches, and introduces a couple of tools that can help improve your gaming
| > experience.
| >
| > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/durham_og.mspx
| >
| > Ask questions or post comments about the article here.
| > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
| > --
| > Kathie Werner
| > Tech editor, vendor [MS]
|
|
| hi, i have tried everything you suggested and big thank you to
| > Bettylou, for helping me with reinstalling the lost files. anyway, everytime i try to start up the game (destruction derby 2) i
keep getting a message saying Destruction Derby 2 disc required.....HELP?!?!!
|
 
I've been trying to get my old "Readysoft" Space Ace to run under WinXP Pro.
I used Joel Durham's artcle to create a shortcut with the expanded memory
that it said to needed, but when I launch that shortcut an initial screen
comes up (yellow text on black background prompting me to set 1. Sound ON
or OFF 2. Frame Rate AUTO, 12 or 6 3. Fine tune to system YES or
NO 4. INPUT Keyboard or Joystick I chose ON, AUTO, YES, and Keyboard
It then displayed a "Fine Tuning" screen with a status bar to indicate
progress, which quickly jumped to approx.1/10th done and started to play
sound bites (good quality) of approx. 2 secs then 10 to 15 secs of silence
then 2 secs. of sound bite (different dialog), etc. the status bar never
moved again and I let that go for approx 20 mins. Thinking it was in a loop,
I hit Esc Everything cleared and I was back on my win XP desk top.
 
I am trying to get my old CD of Activision's MechWarrior 2 to run on WIndows
XP SP2. I tried messing with the compatability modes, and that just gets me
a black screen. I tried CPUKiller3 and that only did the same thing, but
slower. Does anyone know how to get this program to run on XP?
 
Has anyone had any luck getting "Tetris Worlds" to work? I purchased the
game from Circuity City for my wife as a stocking stuffer. The website for
CC says that it is XP compatible, but when I received the game, it did not
list XP as a compatible OS. I installed and ran it and I get the THQ logo
and the sound cuts out and the game freezes on the logo. I can get my mouse
pointer back, but ctrl-alt-del does not work. I have to reboot.

I emailed THQ and they basically told me the same stuff this article
mentions. I tried the compatiblilty wizard with various combos of each OS
and I get the same result.

THQ's website has a support link for Tetris Worlds, but it is broken. So
are all the support links for the other versions "XBox, Gamecube, etc."

This game came out in 2001 or 2002. It seems like we should be able to get
it working?

I am running XP SP2 on a AMD Athlon 64 with 1 gig of RAM. I have a eVGA
6600gt 128 meg video card and RealTek 97 on board 7 channel audio.

Thanks for any help in advance!

Greg
 
Most of the "older" games will run perfectly well on Windows XP. Some need
to use Compatibility Mode (details are in Help and Support), and this
TechNet article will help you:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/lgcyapps.mspx

Basically, what Compatibility Mode does is allow the older program to
"think" it is being installed on the operating system for which it was
designed. You also need to pay attention to the game's requirements, and
some need to be installed using Compatibility starting with the installation
itself by going to Start/Run/Browse and locating the install.exe or
setup.exe file on the root of the CD. You can right-click that file, follow
the pattern to use Compatibility Mode and have it install.

After the install, make sure to update the program from the web site of the
creator, then right-click the icon you'll use to launch the game and make
sure the proper Compatibility settings are ready. You also need to make
sure the proper display and color settings are selected.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -
 
Thanks for the response. The only thing you mentioned that I have not tried
is running the setup executible it's self in compatibility mode. I will try
that and see what happens.

As far as THQ is concerned, they have absolutely nothing as far as support
goes on their website for this game. The email I got back from their support
team suggests the stuff we are trying here with the compatibility wizard, etc.

Thanks Again!

Greg
 
any idea how i can get super streetfighter 2 turbo to run on windows xp? your
help would be appreciated.
 
Thanks for thr reply Kathie, but I was aware of Joel's article and had aready
tried his suggestions and as I described, this is as far as I could go. I
guess it's just not going to work. Thanks anyway.

John
 
Back
Top