So, a computer game question

[james_davis_nicoll]

F.E.A.R. does not seem to run under Windows 7. It was suggested to me I try using a XP emulator: which one would people recommend?

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Depending on your version of 7, there may be one baked in (though you may have to explicitly invoke it).

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

There's actually one built-in: just make sure XP mode is enabled and then install the game inside XP.

[emt-hawk.livejournal.com]

If that doesn't work, use Sun's VirtualBox and run an XP session inside that, then install to the XP session.

[martin-wisse.livejournal.com]

That's only for professional Windows 7 installations, isn't it?

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

That was the suggestion made to James by one of our mutual "Windows experts": that he'd need the Pro or Ultimate version of Windows 7 to have access to the built-in emulator support.

[soon_lee]

Can confirm that my W7 Home Premium is able to run software in XP compatibility mode in the way indicated by blufive downthread.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

"XP Compatibility Mode" is not "Windows XP Mode". Windows XP Mode is an actual WinXP virtual machine. You double-click it, and it boots a copy of XP, in a window. You then install your game inside the XP window.

The difference is that "Compatibility Mode" tries to emulate XP's behaviours, in Win7. "XP Mode" is an actual full copy of XP. No emulation, it's really XP. It's the same as installing VMWare, VirtualBox, or Xen, and running XP inside a manually-created VM, except Microsoft has already done all the work for you.

And that's only available in Win7 Pro or Ultimate.

[soon_lee]

Thanks, did not know that.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

We tend to use VmWare around here, but it isn't an XP emulator so much as an x86-box emulator, in which you'd have to install XP. (Same would be the case for VirtualBox that was mentioned above.)

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

And Windows VirtualPC (which is used to implement the XP mode that first poster mentioned) is Microsofts virtual machine. If you have an Professional (or better) Windows 7 license, you should be find with XP mode, but with a Home edition, this solution is about the same as any other virtualization choice -- you'll need to install XP in the VM.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

Home Win7 comes with an emulator invoked at installation, IIRC. You right-click on the installer file and somewhere in the pulldown menu is a way to specify what OS you want it to run under. I think. I only did this a couple of times a few months ago, so I may be wrong.

[blufive.livejournal.com]

In my win 7, if I right-click on the program icon in the start menu, then select properties, "compatibility" tab, there's an option that lets me choose to run in "compatibility mode" for a bunch of older windows versions.

Never used it, dunno how well it will work with games (which typically want to get as intimate with the hardware as possible) but there you go.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Fear is a recent game, though - it should play nicely with Windows Compatibility. So yes, this is the first thing I'd try.

James: I'm assuming it's a retail copy with a physical disk? Lots of people reported problems with that in Win7 if they weren't running the patched version, but lots of OTHER people reported no problems at all. I've got the Steam version and it works on Win7, no problem.

So try Compatibility Mode, then try running the game with right-click "Run As Administrator", then try re-running the installer with right-click "Run As Administrator". Make sure you've got the most recent patch.

All of those are WAY faster than installing XP in a VM, don't require that you find or purchase an XP license, and will probably result in way better performance for a rather-pretty FPS. You should try them, first.

(Alternately? The Steam version is $10, with both expansions, and solves all your compatibility problems handily. If you're wililng to wait, it regularly goes on sale for ~$4ish.)

[martin-wisse.livejournal.com]

That. Also, if you're looking for older games to play under Windows 7, gog.com is like crack and actually easier to order from than it is to dig out the cds from my shed and then finding out they don't play well with modern Windows.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Gog is great for classic pre-XP games, yes. They recently had The Compleat Ultima VII for something ridiculous like $5.

For more modern games, Steam. Steam is awesome.