Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Windows XP and older Computer Games-Compatibility

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Topic: Windows XP and older Computer Games-Compatibility

Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 11-28-2001 02:53 PM

Ok, just got my brand new Dell computer. Real sweat setup-1.9 gHz P4, 512 MB RAM, 74 gig HD, whole nine yards. So as I'm installing my games, I run into a problem when I go to install Imperialism I. I get the error mesage:
"Windows NT has been detected. This is a Windows 95 game that will not run on Windows NT."
Now I don't know if any of you have ever played this game, but its quite fun and I'm rather disapointed that I can't install it. Is there a update for Windows XP or some sort of workaround so I can install it?

Thanks in advance.

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Colin Wiseley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 123
From: Blacksburg, VA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-28-2001 03:01 PM

I've run into this problem too when trying to play old games. What I ended up doing was making my computer dual booting, with Windows 98 for older games and Windows 2000 for everything else.

------------------
Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-28-2001 09:33 PM

Windows XP is essentially a newer edition of WindowsNT. So many PC games that worked under Win9x will not work with XP. Why? A lot of those games make certain calls to hardware and try to rewrite memory spaces, things of which are flatly restricted by WinNT's security and system stability measures. Certain games are also a mishmash of 16-bit type coding and have other features that just won't work with NT.

I don't buy a lot of computer games, but for the few I do purchase I always make sure they are NT compatible. About the only game I still have that does not work at all in NT is the original version of Quake.

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-28-2001 10:57 PM

Try the "Compatibility Mode".

Follow the Start > Programs > ??? to get to the icon that you would use to start it with. Right click and goto Properties(?) (Maybe you can correct me) There you can select the older operating systems along with 256 color mode, 640x480 mode and something else.

I too was disappointed that I couldn't use XP for some of my kids older games. I ended up buying a Full Edition of Win ME that doesn't use the NT core.

I think more consumers are going to run into this and get pissed or frustrated when older software meant for WIN32 core won't work.

Paul.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 11-29-2001 01:24 AM

Chances are if you have certain programs that use DOS in any way, shape or form it will not be compatible with Windows NT, 2000 or XP. Those OS's have some sort of "fake DOS" I believe. DOS can talk directly to the hardware as Bobby pointed out, so games that use DOS usually run faster than ones that don't.

My solution: Get a game console. Gamecube and even PlayStation 2 are good. You don't have to worry if your games are going to work or not. They HAVE to.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-29-2001 03:51 PM

There is an exclllent program called Partition Magic that allows partitioning on the fly and a boot manager called bootmagic that allows multi OS's on a machine and prevents predatory ones from seen the others and screwing with them

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 11-29-2001 09:15 PM

Thanks for the help guys, I'll look into that stuff.

Joe, unfortunately most of the games I play are strategy games that aren't ported to consoles. I know for a fact that Imperialism is PC (and maybe Mac) only.

All of my other games installed and run just fine thank God, its just this one that is problematic. I bought it four years ago and still play it on a fairly regular basis, but if the solution is too much trouble it might just go up for sale on eBay.

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