Steve's XP Games Corner
25th September, 2005 - I've given these pages a bit of an overhaul.
Decided to redo them in FAQ format, as the information was getting to
be a bit 'all over the shop'. See just below this introduction for the
FAQ list.
To quote Martin B., maintainer of a great skeptical resource
called the T-Files, "The Net is a huge library of bulls**t,
lies, stupidity and nonsense. And all the shelves have been
toppled and the books are scattered on the floor... Yes, the truth
is out there. It's just damn hard to find". It would seem
that nowhere else is this more applicable than when it comes to
trawling through Internet forums, looking for advice on how to get
a particular game working on your system :-(
So welcome to Steve's XP Games Corner then. I've done all the
trawling through the forums so you don't have to! You see, in my
'real' job I happen to be a professional programmer (in fact, I've
been programming computers since 1974. That's really scary, isn't
it?). I'm thereby willing to go that extra mile just to get a
game up and running. All the advice you will find in this column
has been verified to work by me personally. No "this might
work" or "so-and-so says this works" will you find
here. And yet this column would not be possible were it not for the
innate curiosity and perseverance of the many dedicated individuals
who post on the aforementioned forums, so I'll make every effort to
give due credit to their contributions.
Many of the games featured here are quite old, and have to be
dragged literally kicking and screaming onto your modern computer,
so be prepared for a little hacking in order to get them to work.
I'll be updating this column regularly as I get new games up and
running, so check back often. Your feedback is appreciated,
especially if it relates to crashing, timing, or control problems
that I haven't mentioned here. But if a particular game that
you're interested in doesn't appear here, then please don't e-mail
me asking about it. It's very likely that I don't even have a
copy of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q. What old games will/won't work in XP?
Q. How do I run a game in Windows 95/98
Compatibility Mode?
Q. How do I turn off auto-run?
Q. What is DOSBox and how can I use it to run old
DOS games?
Q. OK, I've got DOSBox working, but I've never
used DOS before. How do I get my DOS game running?
Q. What is VDMSound?
Q. My game intermittently locks up, or my
cursor leaves trails on the screen (hyperthreading). Is there any
way to fix this?
Q. I just recently installed XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Why won't my old games work anymore?
Q. How can I use Virtual PC 2004 to run games in
XP that will not work using any other method?
A. Windows XP will let you run programmes in Windows 95/98 'Compatibility
Mode'. Sometimes you even need to do this with the Setup.exe
on the CD that is used to install the game. If a Windows 95 game's
Setup.exe or the game itself refuses to work straight off in
XP, you can try getting it to work in Compatibility Mode by doing the
following:
- Right-click on the desired
.exe file, and choose
'Properties' from the menu.
- Select the 'Compatibility' tab on the resulting dialogue.
- In the 'Compatibility mode' section of the dialogue, tick the 'Run
this program in compatibility mode for:' box. Leave the operating system
selected as either 'Windows 95' or 'Windows 98 / Windows Me'.
- Click the 'OK' button, and then try running the programme again. If
you still have no joy after that, you can try ticking various combinations
of the boxes under the 'Display settings' section and then running the
programme again (but I find that this invariably never helps).
Though most people don't realise it, Compatibility Mode is most certainly
a feature of Windows 2000 as well (SP2 and upwards anyway), although it's
admittedly a bit obscured. To enable it in Windows 2000, just:
Start -> Run, and enter:
regsvr32 %systemroot%\apppatch\slayerui.dll
Now when you select any programme's shortcut and right-click on it, you will
see a Compatibility tab :-)
A. So you're playing Pandora Directive, and you need to swap CDs
every 2 minutes. Each time you put a new CD into the drive, XP
minimises your game and throws up an unwanted Explorer window. You
then have to get rid of this window, and double-click on your
minimised game to open it up again. Aaarrgh! What to do? The
solution is indeed quite simple. There are several approaches, but
this one is the most direct (thanks to
Windows Annoyances):
- Run the Registry Editor ('Start'
-> 'Run' ->
and type in: regedit.exe)
- Open the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom
- Double-click on 'Autorun', and replace the '1' with a '0'.
(If it's not there, create this key by selecting 'Edit'
-> 'New' -> 'DWORD Value', and typing
Autorun for its name)
- Exit the Registry Editor. You now have to restart your PC for
this change to take effect.
The only side effect of this change is that when you, for instance,
load up a DVD to watch a film, XP will not do anything automatically.
You have to start your DVD player software manually. The only other
practical method for killing Autorun is if you can remember to hold
down the shift key each time you insert a new CD. But you won't remember,
believe me! And besides, you almost need three hands to do this :-(
A. A series of frequently asked questions and answers regarding DOSBox can
be found in our very own
Quandary
DOSBox FAQ.
A. We've cooked up a simple
DOS
Tutorial to outline the basics of DOS navigation and programme execution.
A. Like DOSBox, VDMSound is a utility that lets you run DOS games in XP, and
is especially useful if your processor does not have enough 'oomph' to run
DOSBox. See the
Quandary
VDMSound FAQ for further details.
A. Hyperthreading is a technique used by XP to make your single processor appear as
two processors. The theory is that while one process is blocked waiting for
something to happen (like a block of data to be read from disk), another process
can be running away blissfully on the other virtual processor. Some Windows games
that were written before the advent of XP cannot handle this thread switching
scenario, and will randomly freeze up. Here are a few examples:
Grim Fandango
Thief: The Dark Project
Outcast
Tex Murphy: Overseer
To find out if your PC has hyperthreading enabled:
Start -> Control Panel -> System ->
Hardware -> Device Manager -> Computer
And if you don't see: ACPI Multiprocessor PC, then you DO NOT have hyperthreading
enabled.
If your PC does have hyperthreading enabled, there is a universal patch programme
that you can run to permanently bind a particular application to a single processor.
We have archived it for you here:
imagecfg.zip. Just download that file and
unzip it. Then copy the IMAGECFG.EXE file to the folder:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32
Now you can run this programme from anywhere. To fix up a particular game, install
the game first. Then open a Command Prompt via:
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->
Command Prompt
Figure out where your game's main executable file is (right-clicking on the game's
icon and examining the Properties is a pretty safe bet). Using Grim Fandango as an
example, you would enter something like this at the Command Prompt (note the quotation
marks around the path to Grim.exe. These are only necessary if the path
contains any spaces, but it does no harm to include them anyway):
imagecfg -a 0x1 "C:\Program Files\LucasArts\GRIM\Grim.exe"
And you should see the following output:
C:\Program Files\LucasArts\GRIM\Grim.exe contains no configuration infor
mation
C:\Program Files\LucasArts\GRIM\Grim.exe contains a Subsystem Version of
4.0
C:\Program Files\LucasArts\GRIM\Grim.exe updated with the following conf
iguration information:
Process Affinity Mask: 00000001
Done! Now you shouldn't even have to run the game in Windows 95/98 Compatibility Mode.
A. Service Pack 2 is yet another attempt by Microsoft to distance themselves
from the old Windows-on-DOS platform. Once you've installed Windows XP SP2,
you may get the following error message when you try to run an older
application, such as a game:
16 bit Windows Subsystem
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.
[Close] [Ignore]
There is a way you can restore the required files that SP2 deleted
by using the Windows XP installation disk, but the procedure is a bit
complicated for all but the most intrepid geeks. However, no fear as there
are simpler fixes floating around on the web. Several readers have reported
success with the following patch, which is credited to TRF Systems, Inc.
xp_fix.exe
I cannot personally verify this patch, because I've thus far avoided SP2
like the plague!
A. Just visit our
Quandary
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ!
A. Just below you will find the list of games that can be made to work in XP.
By no means is this a comprehensive list, just a list of games that I own and
have been able to get working. It is truly a work in progress.
You can see at a glance whether Windows Compatibility Mode, VDMSound, or
DOSBox is required to get the game running. Further on down the page is the
list of games that don't work (either at all or not
very well) in XP.
Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy
Anachronox
Beneath a Steel Sky
Day of the Tentacle
Discworld Noir
Fallout and Fallout 2
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
The Longest Journey
The Pandora Directive
Planescape: Torment
Realms of the Haunting
Riven
Sam & Max Hit the Road
Space Quest 5
System Shock
Tex Murphy: Overseer
Thief: The Dark Project
TimeLapse
Ultima VII Parts 1 & 2
Under a Killing Moon
| Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy |
Win Comp: yes |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| Runs fine using Windows 98/ME Compatibility Mode.
|
| Anachronox |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| All you need do to get it
working in XP is download and apply the
1.01 patch
before you run the game for the first time.
|
| Beneath a Steel Sky |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
Works just fine using
ScummVM
or DOSBox. Sample command line to run off CD using ScummVM (assuming
your CD-ROM drive is letter 'D'):
c:\scummvm\scummvm.exe -f -g hq2x --aspect-ratio -n -pD:\bass sky
|
| Day of the Tentacle |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
Works a treat using
ScummVM
or DOSBox. Sample command line to run off CD using ScummVM (assuming
your CD-ROM drive is letter 'D'):
c:\scummvm\scummvm.exe -f -g hq2x --aspect-ratio -n -pD:\dott tentacle
|
| Discworld Noir |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| A strange one, this. Works fine until you try to either resume your game
or access the options from the menu. But there's a very easy workaround: just use F1 to access the
save/restore screens and the options, and away you go :-)
|
| Fallout and Fallout 2 |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| No trouble at all getting
either of these classic RPGs to run. Make sure to download the patches for each game
before you start to play though. You can find links to them in the Tips section of
the corresponding Quandary walkthroughs for Fallout
and Fallout 2.
|
| Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
| There's a new kid on the block, and the name is
DOSBox! Previously, you had to jump through a few hoops to make this game
run in XP, but the process has now become a whole lot simpler thanks to this
great utility.
Full details here.
|
| Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
Another classic brought
to you via
ScummVM,
but also works with DOSBox. Sample command line to run off CD using
ScummVM (assuming your CD-ROM drive is letter 'D'):
c:\scummvm\scummvm.exe -f -g hq2x --aspect-ratio -n -pD:\atlantis atlantis
|
| The Longest Journey |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
Just don't use its Launcher.
Instead, open the folder where you installed it and double-click on
game.exe to run it!
|
| The Pandora Directive |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
| There are now two alternatives to running Pandora
Directive in XP. If you have at least a 2GHZ processor, you can try the
DOSBox
route. Otherwise, you can try using VDMSound, but the set-up is
more
complicated.
|
| Planescape: Torment |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| Be sure to apply the V1.1 patch before you start
to play. It primarily fixes a problem with memory leaks that causes the game
to slow down terribly and eventually crash. You can find a link to the patch
in the Tips section of the Quandary
Planescape: Torment walkthrough.
|
| Realms of the Haunting |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: yes |
DOSBox: yes |
| Use VDMSound with all
the defaults. One thing you should do immediately once you get the game
running: re-map the movement from the default cursor keys to the ASWD
keys. Otherwise, if you accidentally hit one of the cursor keys just to
the right of the Ctrl key, your character will begin spinning uncontrollably
and you will have to hit one of the cursor keys on the keypad to stop
spinning. Note: if you have at least a 2GHZ processor, this game runs
just fine in DOSBox :-)
|
| Riven |
Win Comp: yes |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
Another one that is well
behaved in XP. You will want to download and apply the Riven Updater
1.02 before playing though, as you can get absolutely stuck in a few
places without it. Since nearly every Riven page on the web points
you to the Broderbund site for this patch, and Broderbund is now
effectively defunct, you would have a very difficult time indeed
finding this patch. So... we have archived it
here on Quandary for
you :-)
Well... on my PC it was well behaved. Others are not so lucky. Firstly,
if the game won't run at all, you should try running riven.exe
in Compatibility Mode for Windows 98 / Windows Me. If you don't know how
to do that, there are instructions in the FAQ above. Then if the sound or
the movies still won't work, one of the following should fix the problem
(courtesy of Myst Community forum:)
- Go to the folder where you installed Riven and open the file 'mohawk.w32' with
a text editor (eg. MS Notepad). Find the line with "fEnableAudioProxy=true" and change
it to "fEnableAudioProxy=false". Save the changes and try to run Riven. If it works,
then you are done.
- If Step 1 didn't work, then uninstall QuickTime, and install the version of
QuickTime that came with Riven. There will be a setup programme for it somewhere on
the CDs or DVD.
|
| Sam & Max Hit the Road |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
Another game that works using
ScummVM
or DOSBox. Sample command line to run off CD using ScummVM (assuming
your CD-ROM drive is letter 'D'):
c:\scummvm\scummvm.exe -f -g hq2x --aspect-ratio -n -pD:\samnmax samnmax
|
| Space Quest 5 |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
| Use DOSBox, with
IRQ 5 as the SoundBlaster interrupt request. You will also
need to download and install this
updated SoundBlaster driver.
|
| System Shock |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: yes |
DOSBox: yes |
| One of the most
difficult games of all to get running, but well worth the
effort. See
here for full details.
By the way, if you have at least a 2GHZ processor, System Shock works
just fine in DOSBox :-)
|
| Tex Murphy: Overseer |
Win Comp: yes |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
I previously thought that you needed
hardware MPEG2 decoding in order to run the DVD version of Overseer,
but the 1.04 patch made a wider selection of DVD players available,
including those that play back using software :-) So here's how to get
Overseer working in all its original glory, using the Mediamatics
DVDExpress player:
- Install Overseer from the DVD. You will need to run the
Setup.exe
programme on the DVD in Windows 95 Compatibility Mode. While setting
up the RSX 3D audio, I recommend going to Advance Settings - Buffer Times and
changing the 120 milliseconds value to 400. But you can always do this later on if
you wish. Just follow the instructions in the Overseer README.TXT file.
- Download and apply the Overseer 1.04 patch.
- Download the DVDExpress player,
unzip and install it (many, many thanks to Jeff Rollo at Lightning PC and Designs for
archiving this file on his site!)
- Now run
OVERSEER.EXE. First try it without Windows 95 Compatibility
Mode, then with if the game will not run. In the Config/VIDEO panel, the game should have
auto-detected the presence of your Mediamatics DVDExpress player. If not, select it
from the list of MPEG II Devices. And now we are done!
If the control panels in-game fragment/break up when you slide them in, then quit
the game and navigate to the folder you installed Overseer to. Edit the Tex.ini
file and set: LockVideo=1.
You get a meaningless error message after each FMV sequence (XP returns a code to
the game that it couldn't anticipate 5 years ago), but the game is still eminently
playable :-) Note: you can also run the CD version of Overseer in XP. Just ignore all
the stuff regarding the DVDExpress player in this case.
Pixel-Artist has just reminded me that if the game crashes on you in Gideon's gallery,
there is a work-around you can use to get past this spot: go into the game options and mute
the MIDI section. Then, once youve crossed over to the center, you can switch the MIDI
sounds back on.
A final note: Overseer is one of the programmes that seems not to like hyperthreading.
See section above on: Turning off hyperthreading.
|
| Thief: The Dark Project |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
I had been trying to get Thief working for a long time
in XP. I could get it running, but it would lock up intermittently. Very frustrating.
I tried all variations of video/sound acceleration settings, still to no avail. Then
up on the Through
the Looking Glass Forums, I finally discovered the solution. Dark Engine games
don't work in multi-processor/hyperthreading environments! And hyperthreading (making
your single processor appear to be two processors) is turned on by default in XP.
In the end, you only need to do two things to get Thief working in XP:
- Start -> Run, and execute:
d:\setup.exe -lgntforce to install Thief
(that's a lower case 'L', by the way. Thief thinks you're trying to install the game in
NT, which has insufficient DirectX support, so you have to force it to install)
- You need to turn off hyperthreading for Thief. See section above on:
Turning off hyperthreading.
|
| TimeLapse |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: no |
| Amazingly, this beautiful
adventure game works right out of the box, almost as if it was
waiting for XP to come along. Just goes to show that when developers
adhere properly to the conventions of the Windows API, even
forwards compatibility is possible. One thing though: you'll
want to have Autorun turned off for sure, or it's pretty vexing
whenever you need to change CDs! Instructions on how to accomplish
this can be found earlier in this article.
|
| Ultima VII Parts 1 & 2 |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
Much along the lines
of what
ScummVM does for
LucasArts games, so have a group of dedicated Ultima fans created
Exult.
If you are a dedicated Ultima VII player, you owe it to yourself
to try out this fantastic utility. And... of course, it now works
in DOSBox. All you have to do is make sure to set ems=true
in dosbox.conf.
|
| Under a Killing Moon |
Win Comp: no |
VDMSound: no |
DOSBox: yes |
| Full instructions for getting UAKM up and
running in XP with DOSBox may be found
here.
|
With Virtual PC 2004 having just been made a free download, there are no games
that I know of that cannot be made to run in XP! See the Virtual PC 2004 FAQ in the FAQs at
the top of this page for details. For the record, the following games that
previously would not run in XP will now run in a Windows 95 (maybe) or Windows
98 (definitely!) virtual machine:
AMBER: Journeys Beyond
Dark Side of the Moon (fixes missing text in dialogue trees problem)
The Feeble Files (not yet verified, but it should work :-)
Copyright © Steve Metzler 2004 - 2006. All rights reserved.
NOTE: please do not contact Quandary in relation to any questions you
have regarding the instructions on these pages. Instead, you can contact
Steve directly via the e-mail address provided below. The address is shown
as an image to prevent it being harvested by spam bots.
See also the
Quandary Help! page
for links to additional help in getting games to run.
|
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