Vintage Compatibility: Please help or redirect to appropriate Thread location

[jessegibson]

I just recently purchased an old game.

AD&D Collectors Edition: Complete Set Vol 1-3. This has all 9 games on one CD-Rom.

I have 2 PC's right now. A newer Vista 64-Bit Media PC and an older Windows XP machine I use for office use.

Bottom line is I cannot get it to run 64-Bit or 32-Bit (x86)on my Vista machine. I have not yet tried on my XP but I will. I am assuming if I can get it to run on my XP machine then I can simply partition my Hard Drive and install XP 32-Bit on it to run it on my PC of choice.

In any case, if I cannot get it to run through Windows XP does anyone have any advice for what to do?

Here is what the System Requirements show on the Box...

...IBM PC or compatible. 2MB free RAM. DOS 3.3 or higher. CD ROM drive. EGA/VGA graphics card and monitor. Compatible with Microsoft compatible mouse...

I also have a question about the EGA/VGA card. My XPmachine uses the older VGA plugs and monitor (17-21 pin or something, I have not yet looked, it is a 17" flat screen from about 5-6 years ago.) I am guessing that monitor should work. My Media PC running Vista 64 is hooked upo to a 52"LCD via a DVI-->HDMI set up.

Does anyone know if I will run into display issues on the Vista machine, assuming I am able to get the software to run on it somehow?

Summary
1.) How can I make sure to be able to run this older DOS 3.3+ software on a much more modern PC? (Partition and install old OS, i.e. DOS?, How do I do that?)

2.) Do newer advanced graphics card run and handle programs requiring EGA/VGA set-ups of old?

3.) If this is not in the correct Thread location please advise the proper location. Or if Admin/Moderator, please redirect it to the appropriate Thread location.

4.) If need be I can take screen shots and post them in here for the error messages I am recieveing. I also already tried the Vista 64 compatibility wizard, DOS was not an option for the operating system to try, WIN 95 appears to be oldest program on the compatability wizard.

Thanks, I am dying to get into some nostalgic gaming. They don't make them like they used to, and that really sucks to me. Any way I am very anxious, this cost me a fair amount and I am dying to play it and way bummed it won't run. I am sure it should be an easy solve, I just don;'t know what to try.

Adios all, I look forward to everyone's input.

PS ~ I may post this in several Threads if i do not get any responses, just to make sure I am not posting incorrectly. Thanks for your patience with me if I end up doing that.:D

 

[ahm]

Both of your machines are too new to run that software. HAND

 

[jessegibson]

Both of your machines are too new to run that software. HAND

So what is the solution?

Is it not possible to Partition an older OS to a newer PC?

Do I need to find an older PC? How do I know where to find one? Can I build one? I built my media PC, first DIY?

Sorry, I am not only looking to be told it won't work.

I am looking for what I need to do in order to play the games on the CD-ROM.

Any more help would be great.

 

[Fallo]

I am looking for what I need to do in order to play the games on the CD-ROM.

Any more help would be great.

If these are DOS games, then you need to go and download DOSBox to play them. The forum for it is at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/

Be aware that the regulars there are pretty temperamental, but they should be able to help you if you explain your problem in detail and follow their directions.

Also note that 64-bit versions of Windows can't run 16-bit applications at all. The 32-bit versions of XP can, but the NTVDM is a poor substitute for real DOS and I wouldn't recommend it for games at all.

 

[jessegibson]

If these are DOS games, then you need to go and download DOSBox to play them. The forum for it is at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/

Be aware that the regulars there are pretty temperamental, but they should be able to help you if you explain your problem in detail and follow their directions.

Also note that 64-bit versions of Windows can't run 16-bit applications at all. The 32-bit versions of XP can, but the NTVDM is a poor substitute for real DOS and I wouldn't recommend it for games at all.

Thanks I will check out that forum.

Just to clarify, you are saying it should be possible to play 16-Bit on a 32-Bit PC but never 64-Bit. That is fine as I can install XP on my Vista machine.

Will they have info on how to obtain a 16-Bit PC or how I can find the parts and build one?

How would you suggest I approach this problem I have with the forum you referenced?

 

[barythrin]

Hi Jesse,

So first, you won't need to post it in multiple areas here, most folks check the new posts for the day vs just one sub forum so you'll be good and probably find a few folks that have done this.

A lot of people playing older games use an emulator called dosbox http://www.dosbox.com/. This way you can emulate all the simple hardware and still run it on a newer OS. XP's compatibility wizard may work but I'd guess it's pretty similar (if not the same) to Vista's. Other techniques would be using another emulator like Microsoft Virtual PC or VMWare Server (both are free) and again it's a simulated computer so it will boot up with a blank hard drive and you'd need to install the OS you want to run, then the game(s), etc.

Sure you could build or find, etc an old PC as well. Some folks say there isn't any better way to play the classics than a classic PC that it would have ran on to begin with. The TSR/SSI games though I honestly don't think you're missing much since I atleast played a lot of them on our 486 and never had problems. Finding an old computer? Shouldn't be too hard, search your local craigslist.org site, Goodwill or any thrift store, or honestly just ask around and you'll likely end up with someone in the area just giving you one. An obsolete 4/586 system isn't worth much if anything so I'd imagine there are folks around that would like to offload them for free. I certainly wouldn't pay anyone over $50 and that's if they show it to you and it's working with a monitor, etc.

Your video card and monitor should be fine since these are newer old games ;-)

I think the easiest way to go is probably dosbox and searching for a tutorial if it gets difficult to set up.

Let us know how it goes
- John

 

[jessegibson]

John -

Thanks for the help and insight. I feel like I have to figure out old tech, when all my life I have been trying to keep up with the new tech.

I was searching the above forum and it seems the DOSBox you mention is a requirement. I will check it out and see what I come up with. I will probable also use the other forum as a resource.

When I get everything figured out I will try and send a Thread/Post describing what I had to do/go through. Just in case anyone needs that info in the future to save frustration.

I always like little projects like this where I have to learn something new. My preference would be to just use my Vista 64 machine via "DOSBoxing" or whatever. It sounds like you are saying that is a process of "installing" an older OS onto a newer HD. My brain thinks it should work smoothly, but I don;'t know enough about MB's, and code to know if DOSBox is a straight fix or if this will turn into a little more of an adventure. Correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like I would be creating a "PC" within a "PC, is that basically what DOSBox does?

Oh well, even if it does turn into an adventure it will make playing it that much more fun. And since I recently broke my back and shattered my shoulder in a motorcycle accident I will have plenty of time on my hands to play around with this.

This should be fun. I always knew I should have started a long time ago, building computers.

Thanks again for your help.

And if anyone else has recommendations, please offer them. The more info I can get the better.

First step, download DOSBox and see what happens.

 

[barythrin]

Correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like I would be creating a "PC" within a "PC, is that basically what DOSBox does?

Yup, that's the idea

And since I recently broke my back and shattered my shoulder in a motorcycle accident I will have plenty of time on my hands to play around with this.

Yikes! Well good luck and hope you get better. On the bright side, unless you do something extremely unusual you won't have to worry about breaking anything during the dosbox installation.

 

[jessegibson]

Yikes! Well good luck and hope you get better. On the bright side, unless you do something extremely unusual you won't have to worry about breaking anything during the dosbox installation.

:lolsign::lolsign::lolsign: