[Blackcat]

Originally Posted by youfightlikeadairyfarmer

Right after buying it I switched computers, and Broken Sword 3 will in no way run on windows vista, I've tried every compatibility setting and so far it seems like it will absolutely not work .

I'll try this right away and will let you know if it works.

UPDATE
Works... without any tweaks or special settings... just an 'out of the box installation' (I have the THQ 2 CD budget version)
Maybe the problem is with your Vista graphics driver?

[L.Goshin]

Hi,
This one is my first msg. in the AG Forums. After all those years, I register the site/forum.

Anyway..

I try to install Grim Fandango on my Windows Vista system. Guess what? Not working!

And I think, it's all about 64-bit version of Vista. Error msg. says: This program* is not supporting 64bit. (*setup.exe)

So, there is no way to play GF in 64bit systems?

Thanks..

[youfightlikeadairyfarmer]

Originally Posted by Blackcat

I'll try this right away and will let you know if it works.

UPDATE
Works... without any tweaks or special settings... just an 'out of the box installation' (I have the THQ 2 CD budget version)
Maybe the problem is with your Vista graphics driver?

Hmm. I have the same version, And I don't think it's got anything to do with my graphics.

here are the weird error messages I get.

[Ninja Dodo]

I've had the dubious pleasure of dealing with Vista on someone else's computer. It seems you can't even plug in headphones while a game is running, or ALT-tab without losing full-screen and having to restart the game. Oh and you have to click on the splash image during startup or the game will run windowed anyway.

Wow.

I'm not getting this.

[extentofmysin]

Same here, ive never had a problem plugging in headphones with any game or losing full screen, so must have been a problem with that one system. I have an xp desktop pc and a vista laptop, to be honest most programs i have work fine in vista (including photoshop cs1!) and compatibility is no where near as bad as some people try and make out. A very old copy of nero refused to work, but that was about it, so no huge loss. It might be worth stating what version of vista you are running as a 64 bit vista system may well be less compatible. I have a 32 bit system, and even managed to get an old copy of Blade Runner to work by hitting the windows keyboard button mid game and then returning back to it! If a game is messing up graphically then a good bet to get it running is to switch off user account control (control panel>user accounts and safety>user accounts>turn UAC off) and the pointless memory intensive aero transparent display, which can cause havoc! Even if its not a graphic issue its worth switching it off before trying to run anything under the 95/98/2000/XP compatibility properties settings. http://www.vistaclues.com/turn-off-t...ero-interface/

[Iceadventure]

I am going to try to install broken sword 3 on vista soon. What version of starforce does it use? http://www.star-force.com/support/users/group3.php
According to this list there is a version that won´t work with vista and I am wondering if the game has that version.

[Chackan]

Here is my small list (haven't tried many games since i got my Laptop with Vista):

- Secret Files: Tunguska
Works perfectly
- The Longest Journey
Works perfectly
- Still Life
Windows 98 Comp. Mode
- Scratches
Can't run it in fullscreen, dunno why
- Amber
Can't get it to run
- Noir
Can't get it to run
- Tex Murphy: Overseer
- Got it from here: Link

[misslilo]

Sorry, don't know about broken Sword 3.

Just wanted to let everyone know, that the old game Toonstruck play just fine in DosBox 0.72.

Steps:
- In Dosbox folder right click dosbox.conf and Edit it.
- Scroll to bottom and after the [Autoexec] add:

mount c c:\Games  (or whereever you normally install your games to)
mount d d:\ -t cdrom 
(where d:\ is you CD/DVD drive - NOT the first of the d's :) ))

This should actually be in there always - so you might already have it, if you have played other games under dosbox


Also make sure under [cpu] that you have:
core=auto
cycles=max

Set Fullscreen = True

- Save and close it.

-Now open Dosbox and type:
d: and hit Enter
- type install and hit Enter

Just let it install in default place, which is Burst\Toonstrk
When you get to the Sound and Video configuration:
- For Sound choose just Soundblaster, DevicePort = 0x220, DeviceIRQ = 7, DeviceDMA = 1

- For Video let it test and find it itself. Don't be alarmed by the warnings, just go through with it all.

Now you can exit the installation.

Close Dosbox again and open/edit the dosbox.conf again.

Scroll to:

[Autoexec] 
mount c c:\Games  
mount d d:\ -t cdrom 

Here you add:
c:
cd burst\toonstrk
toonstrk

Save and close it.

Next time you open Dosbox, it will start Toonstruck

I myself have just arrived at Zanydu and having a blast...

[Chackan]

Did anyone have any luck with Noir and Amber? :S

[Dustie]

Originally Posted by Texas

<snip>
Games Im wondering about.
Moment of Silence
</snip>

Works

[misslilo]

The only Noir game I know, is Discworld Noir, which played like a charm in Vista the second time around I tried - go figure, lol.

Sanitarium worked out-of-the-box.
It was the Budget version re-released by XS Games in 2003 compatible with XP.

Had a few freezes, which was solved by just going back to a save and try again - although I made it a habit to turn OFF subtitles every time and turn it back on, when past the freeze.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Btw, I also played Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring without any problems at all.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Chackan

Did anyone have any luck with Noir and Amber? :S

Amber didn't work even on XP. The best thing to do to get the game running is install Virtual PC (free from Microsoft) and emulate a virtual machine with Windows95.

[sherryah]

I bought The Westerner from adventureshop and have Vista 32. I can install it but when I click on play it will not play .Has anyone got Westerner to work with Vista? Tech can't help me.

[misslilo]

@Sherryah

I have the US retail version of The Westerner (Wanted: A wild western adventure) and it played perfectly on my Vista 32 Home Premium.

I don't recall doing anything special to make it work.

Did you try right cliking the shorcut and have it play in XP compatibility mode?
Also make sure you don't have any Antivirus or firewalls going, while installing.

Maybe I should say, that I have disabled all of the security stuff in Vista...like UAC and Defender.

[K515]

I'm thinking of getting a new desktop PC next year (which will, of course, have Vista) and so far, all this stuff (from the link to GameBoomers list of games that work on Vista as well as this thread) seem to say that basically the games will only install/be playable in Vista 32-bit, and if I get a PC that has the 64-bit version of Vista, I guess I can expect tons of problems with installing/playing games on it, right? I've heard of there being Vista on all the new PC's last year, and frankly, I'm kinda leery about getting a new computer (with all the latest hardware, etc.) that's good for running all the new adventure games that're coming out (that I'm hoping to play) only to encounter a lot of roadblocks in the form of Vista 64-bit plus the super-security thing that's built into Vista that won't let games be installed unless you're an Administrator (lots of legal stuff/red tape?) let alone play. Is all this negative stuff about the 64-bit Vista true?

[Collector]

The biggest problem with 64 bit Windows (this includes XP64, too) is that most 16 bit programs will not run on it. This means all DOS games (64 bit Windows doesn't even have the NTVDM) and most Windows 3x games will not run natively. Some 32 bit games came with 16 bit installers. Many of these games will run on 64 bit Windows, but cannot be installed with the original installers.

The solution for the DOS and Win3x games is obvious and easy. DOSBox will run the vast majority all DOS games, and Windows 3x can be installed in DOSBox to run many of the Win3x games.

This leaves the compatibility/speed bug problems of older 32 bit games. If the problem is a 16 bit installer on a 64 bit OS, it may be possible to do a manual install. Other issues can be a problem on both 64 and 32 versions of Vista. The APIs (Application Programming Interface) change over time. The APIs are how programs, such as games, interface with the operating system. Older programs may expect a certain missing API to be there or may find the version that the newer OS has does not have the same exact function and thus fail. This is part of what "Compatibility mode" tries to address. For many of these games, a virtual machine with an older version of Windows installed in it may be the only answer.

A lot of the specific issues many have with vista have to do with the UAC, or User Access Control. It is an added layer of security in Vista that tries to limit root privileges to malware. Many turn off the UAC, but this can make the PCs more vulnerable. As far as legacy games and UAC problems go, many can be fixed by installing the game in a folder that the user has rights ti write in. This can be as simple as not installing in the %ProgramFiles% folder.

[tekkiegurl]

is there a lot of games compatible with vista?

[sysryn]

Originally Posted by tekkiegurl

is there a lot of games compatible with vista?

I never had any problems with running games under Vista. Except, as stated above, with very old games that are 16bit.

[Lynn]

Finally got "The Crystal Key" (version 1.1) to work on Vista!

(I just love this game and was too stubborn to give up on playing it again. Hope this helps someone out there.)

I installed the game to: "\Users\<username>\Games" folder.
(This allowed me to save my progress as I played the game.)

Then using the Control Panel, I set Quick Time:
"Sound Out" -> "WaveOut=Windows Preferred"

Then I set Windows Compatability on the game's *.exe:
(check) Disable visual themes.
(check) Disable desktop composition.
(check) Disable display scaling .. DPI..

Lastly, to get the game to stop freezing and to get all the videos to play, I accidentally discovered this workaround. (Why it works, I don't know. It just did for some reason.):
1) In the bottom of the screen, click on the backpack to open
the pack.
2) Then, choose ANY item to highlight it. (If that item should
be needed in the game, highlight another item in the pack.
Just need to keep an item in the pack highlighted at all
times.)

[Lynn]

Here is a game I discovered that works in Vista:
(Normal install - no tweaking etc. required)

The Messenger