Still Life in Vista

leigh · 03-28-2007, 03:32 AM

anyone know how to get still life working on windows vista?

Kurufinwe · 03-28-2007, 03:36 AM

Welcome to the forums, leigh.

I've moved your post to the Tech Help forum.

Someone asked the same question a while ago, but no one was able to offer a solution. Maybe you'll have more luck...

Blade Hunter · 03-28-2007, 07:21 AM

If you want to play games, don't get Vista yet. Someone said that about 80-85% of the older and even newer games don't work under it. Operating systems this game supports are...

* Windows 98
* Windows Me
* Windows 2000
* Windows XP

http://www.adventurecompanygames.com/tac/

QFG · 03-28-2007, 07:24 PM

Vista runs "contemporary" games (say, last two years or so) just fine, for me. Anything older than that is touch-and-go unless you're using an intermediary program like DosBOX or ScummVM.

Bobske · 03-29-2007, 02:40 AM

Maybe it's time to create a Sticky with the names of (adventure) games and the "preferred" OS and a workaround in case the game doesn't work?

Kurufinwe · 03-29-2007, 02:46 AM

Thanks for volunteering.

mathall1 · 03-29-2007, 03:46 AM

Can i just say.Ive had no trouble installing and playing this game Still Life.On my laptop with Windows Vista Home Basic installed.I install it no different than any other way and plays fab.I do on the other hand have big problems with the game Scratches.And vista dont seem to play open gl games at all well.Direct x games run fine and i have no problems with any.Its just the 1 opengl game i have trouble with,with choppy 10fps gameplay grrrrr.Luckily i also have a gaming pc with xp home installed

Btw this scratches game run perfect on xp just not very well on vista.But having a mess around in the cfg file helps somewhat to a more playable fps anyway

MasterLoo · 03-29-2007, 05:47 AM

sorry for the off-topic, but I just love how this topic reads from the main forum: "Still Life in Vista"

Sounds like a news story about how Microsoft brings new life into Vista.

mathall1 · 03-30-2007, 10:43 AM

Just a quick update appears to me that this Still Life game plays in Windows Vista Home Basic ok but NOT Home Premium.Ive just installed Vista premium as a test and this game runs on Basic but Not Home Premium.So frustrating because theres no real difference between both versions apart from some extra programs u dont really need + the windows aero theme which i cant run anyway.So surely this game should work on both.

I can install the game fine.Try to launch it and it launches but screen stays black.No error or anything.I left it going 10 mins but stayed the same.hmmm

ppRaistlin · 03-31-2007, 01:34 PM

Hi.
I have Vista Ultimate and has got the same problem with Still Life.
Make it working by setting the compatibility of the exe to Windows 98 (and not XP SP2)
Have fun !
Bye

mathall1 · 03-31-2007, 03:54 PM

thx mate i managed get this game goin doin what u said.Thx very much

ashtraygirl · 07-20-2007, 11:47 PM

I have Home Premium, and I have the same problem (after fixing 987827876376823 others); when I try to run Still Life, the screen just goes blank. I tried running it in 98/ME compatibility mode, but it just brings up an error message saying that "Running this application in compatibility mode is impossible." Any suggestions?

mathall1 · 07-21-2007, 10:24 AM

You can get this game goin in compatibility mode however as soon as u gain control of the game and walk up to Gus (the police officer) the game freezes and u cant quit out the game without turning power off on your pc.I gave up on this game awhile back i dont think this game will ever get a patch to sort this out.Ive tried everythin i can think off anyways.

Kent Karma · 09-24-2007, 11:16 AM

After reading the possible work-arounds with vista in this thread I noticed one member mentioned one of the only differences between premium and home edition are the visual themes.

So far all I've had todo to get it to work is run in compatability for windows 98 and theres also an option to turn off visual themes below it. So far, I've had different expiriences with the officer at the beginning. Sometimes it just freezes without any indication of donig any work, sometimes a subtitle bar will show but no text will.

It seems as though its trying to retrieve a file to play, but for some reason, even with admistrator status, the game cannot do it so it freezes. I hope we get some more info on this problem soon and hopefully we'll get a patch or some sort of detailed work around.

*Melanie68* · 09-24-2007, 11:22 AM

Welcome to AG Kent Karma!

Thanks for the info.

maphisto_2000 · 09-24-2007, 01:42 PM

Have you tried running the game as administrator?

Right-Click on the executable and choose the Run as Administrator option.

It's got a few old games working for me.

Kent Karma · 09-25-2007, 10:40 AM

Ya unfortunately, it doesn't help any. Usually it does but Still Life is giving Vista a hard time, I guess.

performingchimp · 10-04-2007, 02:16 AM

Hello all!

What Kent was saying about file retrieval made me think perhaps its because Vista is overprotective of it's Programs folder. So has anyone with a partitioned hard drive tried instaling it to their "non-system" drive (e.g. drive D)?

If this works I'll partition my drive - I've been desperate to play this game since it came out!!

Long live the only truly interactive and involving games around, the ADVENTURE GAME!

Jon

performingchimp · 10-06-2007, 03:41 PM

I tried it, it didn't work

I got as far as the first bit of dialogue with the cop, and it froze.

I tried installing it on another laptop with XP Home, but it won't work on that either! It installs, but won't load, it has an error message to do with rendering - I think it was designed for old graphics cards so the 3D elements won't work on anything vaguely modern.

Very frustrating!!

One day, I will play this game. One day.

However, Blade Runner would never run on my XP machine, and it is fine in Vista! So I can play that again now.

Sinkrat · 10-17-2007, 09:48 PM

Hey all...

I came across this site looking for a solution. Didn't find one. I did; however, find an answer somewhere else for another older game: Post Mortem. This same method worked for STILL LIFE. Here's what worked for me.

Right click on your shortcut for STILL LIFE. Select PROPERTIES. Click on the COMPATIBILITY tab. Change the compatibilty MODE to run the program in WINDOWS NT 4.0 and also click the checkbox for DISABLE VISUAL THEMES. It runs perfectly.

ENJOY!! It's a pretty morbid game.

P.S.

I saw that someone else said to do something similar; but running the game in Windows 98 didn't work for me. It's worth a try to change into Windows NT.

You can try changing compatibilty for other older games too. Just use trial and error to see which version of Windows settings to use.

Hope this helps! It's worth the play.

03-28-2007, 03:32 AM	#1
leigh Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1	Still Life in Vista anyone know how to get still life working on windows vista? Share Share this post on Twitter

03-28-2007, 03:36 AM	#2
Kurufinwe Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 3,038	Welcome to the forums, leigh. I've moved your post to the Tech Help forum. Someone asked the same question a while ago, but no one was able to offer a solution. Maybe you'll have more luck... Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently reading: Dune (F. Herbert) Recently finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowling) [++], La Nuit des Temps (R. Barjavel) [+++] Currently playing: Skyrim Recently finished: MCF: Escape from Ravenhearst [+], The Walking Dead, ep. 1 [+++], Gray Matter [++]

03-28-2007, 07:21 AM	#3
Blade Hunter Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8	If you want to play games, don't get Vista yet. Someone said that about 80-85% of the older and even newer games don't work under it. Operating systems this game supports are... * Windows 98 * Windows Me * Windows 2000 * Windows XP http://www.adventurecompanygames.com/tac/ Share Share this post on Twitter

03-28-2007, 07:24 PM	#4
QFG Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 515	Vista runs "contemporary" games (say, last two years or so) just fine, for me. Anything older than that is touch-and-go unless you're using an intermediary program like DosBOX or ScummVM. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-29-2007, 02:40 AM	#5
Bobske Biomechanoid Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 543	Maybe it's time to create a Sticky with the names of (adventure) games and the "preferred" OS and a workaround in case the game doesn't work? Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ The box said 'Requires Windows 95 or better'. So I installed LINUX.

03-29-2007, 02:46 AM	#6
Kurufinwe Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 3,038	Thanks for volunteering. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently reading: Dune (F. Herbert) Recently finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowling) [++], La Nuit des Temps (R. Barjavel) [+++] Currently playing: Skyrim Recently finished: MCF: Escape from Ravenhearst [+], The Walking Dead, ep. 1 [+++], Gray Matter [++]

03-29-2007, 03:46 AM	#7
mathall1 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 76	Can i just say.Ive had no trouble installing and playing this game Still Life.On my laptop with Windows Vista Home Basic installed.I install it no different than any other way and plays fab.I do on the other hand have big problems with the game Scratches.And vista dont seem to play open gl games at all well.Direct x games run fine and i have no problems with any.Its just the 1 opengl game i have trouble with,with choppy 10fps gameplay grrrrr.Luckily i also have a gaming pc with xp home installed Btw this scratches game run perfect on xp just not very well on vista.But having a mess around in the cfg file helps somewhat to a more playable fps anyway Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by mathall1; 03-30-2007 at 10:49 AM.

03-29-2007, 05:47 AM	#8
MasterLoo Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 98	sorry for the off-topic, but I just love how this topic reads from the main forum: "Still Life in Vista" Sounds like a news story about how Microsoft brings new life into Vista. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "I meet a lot of people, and it's my impression that most wrong thinking people are right." - Monty Python

03-30-2007, 10:43 AM	#9
mathall1 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 76	Just a quick update appears to me that this Still Life game plays in Windows Vista Home Basic ok but NOT Home Premium.Ive just installed Vista premium as a test and this game runs on Basic but Not Home Premium.So frustrating because theres no real difference between both versions apart from some extra programs u dont really need + the windows aero theme which i cant run anyway.So surely this game should work on both. I can install the game fine.Try to launch it and it launches but screen stays black.No error or anything.I left it going 10 mins but stayed the same.hmmm Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by mathall1; 03-30-2007 at 10:51 AM.

03-31-2007, 01:34 PM	#10
ppRaistlin Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1	Hi. I have Vista Ultimate and has got the same problem with Still Life. Make it working by setting the compatibility of the exe to Windows 98 (and not XP SP2) Have fun ! Bye Share Share this post on Twitter

03-31-2007, 03:54 PM	#11
mathall1 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 76	thx mate i managed get this game goin doin what u said.Thx very much Share Share this post on Twitter

07-20-2007, 11:47 PM	#12
ashtraygirl Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2	Oh, the struggles. I have Home Premium, and I have the same problem (after fixing 987827876376823 others); when I try to run Still Life, the screen just goes blank. I tried running it in 98/ME compatibility mode, but it just brings up an error message saying that "Running this application in compatibility mode is impossible." Any suggestions? Share Share this post on Twitter

07-21-2007, 10:24 AM	#13
mathall1 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 76	You can get this game goin in compatibility mode however as soon as u gain control of the game and walk up to Gus (the police officer) the game freezes and u cant quit out the game without turning power off on your pc.I gave up on this game awhile back i dont think this game will ever get a patch to sort this out.Ive tried everythin i can think off anyways. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by mathall1; 07-21-2007 at 04:06 PM.

09-24-2007, 11:16 AM	#14
Kent Karma Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3	How to get it to work! After reading the possible work-arounds with vista in this thread I noticed one member mentioned one of the only differences between premium and home edition are the visual themes. So far all I've had todo to get it to work is run in compatability for windows 98 and theres also an option to turn off visual themes below it. So far, I've had different expiriences with the officer at the beginning. Sometimes it just freezes without any indication of donig any work, sometimes a subtitle bar will show but no text will. It seems as though its trying to retrieve a file to play, but for some reason, even with admistrator status, the game cannot do it so it freezes. I hope we get some more info on this problem soon and hopefully we'll get a patch or some sort of detailed work around. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Kent Karma; 09-24-2007 at 11:24 AM.

09-24-2007, 11:22 AM	#15
Melanie68 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	Welcome to AG Kent Karma! Thanks for the info. Share Share this post on Twitter

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09-24-2007, 01:42 PM	#16
maphisto_2000 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 7	Have you tried running the game as administrator? Right-Click on the executable and choose the Run as Administrator option. It's got a few old games working for me. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-25-2007, 10:40 AM	#17
Kent Karma Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3	Ya unfortunately, it doesn't help any. Usually it does but Still Life is giving Vista a hard time, I guess. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-04-2007, 02:16 AM	#18
performingchimp Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2	Hello all! What Kent was saying about file retrieval made me think perhaps its because Vista is overprotective of it's Programs folder. So has anyone with a partitioned hard drive tried instaling it to their "non-system" drive (e.g. drive D)? If this works I'll partition my drive - I've been desperate to play this game since it came out!! Long live the only truly interactive and involving games around, the ADVENTURE GAME! Jon Share Share this post on Twitter

10-06-2007, 03:41 PM	#19
performingchimp Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2	I tried it, it didn't work I got as far as the first bit of dialogue with the cop, and it froze. I tried installing it on another laptop with XP Home, but it won't work on that either! It installs, but won't load, it has an error message to do with rendering - I think it was designed for old graphics cards so the 3D elements won't work on anything vaguely modern. Very frustrating!! One day, I will play this game. One day. However, Blade Runner would never run on my XP machine, and it is fine in Vista! So I can play that again now. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-17-2007, 09:48 PM	#20
Sinkrat Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1	Still Life Works & In Vista Hey all... I came across this site looking for a solution. Didn't find one. I did; however, find an answer somewhere else for another older game: Post Mortem. This same method worked for STILL LIFE. Here's what worked for me. Right click on your shortcut for STILL LIFE. Select PROPERTIES. Click on the COMPATIBILITY tab. Change the compatibilty MODE to run the program in WINDOWS NT 4.0 and also click the checkbox for DISABLE VISUAL THEMES. It runs perfectly. ENJOY!! It's a pretty morbid game. P.S. I saw that someone else said to do something similar; but running the game in Windows 98 didn't work for me. It's worth a try to change into Windows NT. You can try changing compatibilty for other older games too. Just use trial and error to see which version of Windows settings to use. Hope this helps! It's worth the play. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Sinkrat; 10-17-2007 at 09:52 PM. Reason: saw similar solution didnt work