Need tech advice not really related to my Gateway...

On 3/20/2011 3:47 PM, SC Tom wrote:

"chicagofan" wrote in message
...
I know there used to be some smart people who lurked here to help
folks like me, so I'm back. Are you there, Ben, anyone?

I have an old Activision game that they stopped updating with Win 98.
Some people have been able to get Shanghai II to work with XP,
although my laptop says XP in some places, it says NT... in more,
which I don't understand, and it won't install normally. It says game
not for NT.

Anyway, I think the biggest problem is the graphics card I have, won't
handle 256 color resolution. Is there *ANYTHING* I can do to get this
old game to play on my laptop?

http://www.amazon.com/Shanghai-Doubl.../dp/B00004T9C8

Some people have partitioned their drive and formatted it in DOS to
play their game, but I would still have the graphics problem, wouldn't
I? Thanks for *any* and all suggestions... I really want this game
back.

Barbara

[Gateway MX 6440/ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M series]



Have you tried running the game in compatibility mode? I have an old DOS
poker game that I run on XP SP3 by that method. Right-click on your game
shortcut and pick Properties. Click on the Compatibility tab and pick
Windows 98 or Windows 95 and check the box next to Run in 256 colors.
Click OK to save and exit.

If it won't install, you can also try installing it in compatibility
mode using the same method even if you're installing from CD. You might
not want to check the 256 colors, but otherwise, it should install, then
you can edit the shortcut properties.

My understanding of this whole thing is that it runs just fine under XP
(no compatibility mode needed). The only problem is that the game
installer will fail unless you are running in 256 color mode (the only
mode which the installer will run in). Once it is installed, you can run
it in any graphic mode from there (well anything 8-bit or higher anyway).

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era)
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

BillW50 wrote:
On 3/20/2011 3:47 PM, SC Tom wrote:

wrote in message
...

I know there used to be some smart people who lurked here to help
folks like me, so I'm back. Are you there, Ben, anyone?

I have an old Activision game that they stopped updating with Win 98.
Some people have been able to get Shanghai II to work with XP,
although my laptop says XP in some places, it says NT... in more,
which I don't understand, and it won't install normally. It says game
not for NT.

Anyway, I think the biggest problem is the graphics card I have, won't
handle 256 color resolution. Is there *ANYTHING* I can do to get this
old game to play on my laptop?

http://www.amazon.com/Shanghai-Doubl.../dp/B00004T9C8

Some people have partitioned their drive and formatted it in DOS to
play their game, but I would still have the graphics problem, wouldn't
I? Thanks for *any* and all suggestions... I really want this game
back.

Barbara

[Gateway MX 6440/ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M series]



Have you tried running the game in compatibility mode? I have an old DOS
poker game that I run on XP SP3 by that method. Right-click on your game
shortcut and pick Properties. Click on the Compatibility tab and pick
Windows 98 or Windows 95 and check the box next to Run in 256 colors.
Click OK to save and exit.

If it won't install, you can also try installing it in compatibility
mode using the same method even if you're installing from CD. You might
not want to check the 256 colors, but otherwise, it should install, then
you can edit the shortcut properties.

My understanding of this whole thing is that it runs just fine under XP
(no compatibility mode needed). The only problem is that the game
installer will fail unless you are running in 256 color mode (the only
mode which the installer will run in). Once it is installed, you can run
it in any graphic mode from there (well anything 8-bit or higher anyway).


Thanks, Bill... I couldn't have explained it half as concisely or
intelligently. I don't get the compatibility option... simply a
"fail" message. That is... until I try it again... Kevin Murphy's way!
bj

"BillW50" wrote in message
...
On 3/20/2011 3:47 PM, SC Tom wrote:

"chicagofan" wrote in message
...
I know there used to be some smart people who lurked here to help
folks like me, so I'm back. Are you there, Ben, anyone?

I have an old Activision game that they stopped updating with Win 98.
Some people have been able to get Shanghai II to work with XP,
although my laptop says XP in some places, it says NT... in more,
which I don't understand, and it won't install normally. It says game
not for NT.

Anyway, I think the biggest problem is the graphics card I have, won't
handle 256 color resolution. Is there *ANYTHING* I can do to get this
old game to play on my laptop?

http://www.amazon.com/Shanghai-Doubl.../dp/B00004T9C8

Some people have partitioned their drive and formatted it in DOS to
play their game, but I would still have the graphics problem, wouldn't
I? Thanks for *any* and all suggestions... I really want this game
back.

Barbara

[Gateway MX 6440/ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M series]



Have you tried running the game in compatibility mode? I have an old DOS
poker game that I run on XP SP3 by that method. Right-click on your game
shortcut and pick Properties. Click on the Compatibility tab and pick
Windows 98 or Windows 95 and check the box next to Run in 256 colors.
Click OK to save and exit.

If it won't install, you can also try installing it in compatibility
mode using the same method even if you're installing from CD. You might
not want to check the 256 colors, but otherwise, it should install, then
you can edit the shortcut properties.

My understanding of this whole thing is that it runs just fine under XP
(no compatibility mode needed). The only problem is that the game
installer will fail unless you are running in 256 color mode (the only
mode which the installer will run in). Once it is installed, you can run
it in any graphic mode from there (well anything 8-bit or higher anyway).

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era)
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

Then it may be possible to install it in compatibility mode choosing Win9x
as I mentioned in the second paragraph and choose 256 colors there, too.
--
SC Tom

On 3/20/2011 5:36 PM, SC Tom wrote:

"BillW50" wrote in message
...
On 3/20/2011 3:47 PM, SC Tom wrote:

"chicagofan" wrote in message
...
I know there used to be some smart people who lurked here to help
folks like me, so I'm back. Are you there, Ben, anyone?

I have an old Activision game that they stopped updating with Win 98.
Some people have been able to get Shanghai II to work with XP,
although my laptop says XP in some places, it says NT... in more,
which I don't understand, and it won't install normally. It says game
not for NT.

Anyway, I think the biggest problem is the graphics card I have, won't
handle 256 color resolution. Is there *ANYTHING* I can do to get this
old game to play on my laptop?

http://www.amazon.com/Shanghai-Doubl.../dp/B00004T9C8

Some people have partitioned their drive and formatted it in DOS to
play their game, but I would still have the graphics problem, wouldn't
I? Thanks for *any* and all suggestions... I really want this game
back.

Barbara

[Gateway MX 6440/ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M series]



Have you tried running the game in compatibility mode? I have an old DOS
poker game that I run on XP SP3 by that method. Right-click on your game
shortcut and pick Properties. Click on the Compatibility tab and pick
Windows 98 or Windows 95 and check the box next to Run in 256 colors.
Click OK to save and exit.

If it won't install, you can also try installing it in compatibility
mode using the same method even if you're installing from CD. You might
not want to check the 256 colors, but otherwise, it should install, then
you can edit the shortcut properties.

My understanding of this whole thing is that it runs just fine under
XP (no compatibility mode needed). The only problem is that the game
installer will fail unless you are running in 256 color mode (the only
mode which the installer will run in). Once it is installed, you can
run it in any graphic mode from there (well anything 8-bit or higher
anyway).

Then it may be possible to install it in compatibility mode choosing
Win9x as I mentioned in the second paragraph and choose 256 colors
there, too.

Yes that is absolutely true. Although just the installer itself and not
the installed program. But either way (changing to 256 colors or use the
compatibility mode) should work just fine. Since this is just needed
once, it really doesn't matter much.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era)
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

On 3/20/2011 4:42 PM, chicagofan wrote:
Thanks, Bill... I couldn't have explained it half as concisely or
intelligently. I don't get the compatibility option... simply a
"fail" message. That is... until I try it again... Kevin Murphy's way!
bj

That compatibility mode comes up if you right click on the file (or a
shortcut) you want to run (must be a program and not a document or
something, in this case setup.exe). Then you get a menu. Select
properties and one of the tabs is compatibility.

But you don't have to do it this way if you don't want too. Windows just
has to be in 256 color mode and the installer is happy.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era)
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3