Is it possible to get the Internet games working in the present day?

So, if you are like me, you may remember the 3 Internet games pre-installed on Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The servers for these games lasted from the years 2000 - 2020. In 2020, Microsoft sadly shut these servers down.

These 3 games were called:
- Internet Checkers
- Internet Spades
- Internet Backgammon
- Internet Hearts
- Internet Reversi
Now, if you try to connect in the modern day, it says "A network error occurred while communicating with the game server.".

I do not want to go on MSN Games on the World Wide Web to do this, if you can even do that. It had a better feel in Games Explorer.

So, if you would, could you please help me get these games back?

ATTENTION: I will end this discussion on 01/31/2024, or when I can fix it (if I do, of course)

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What I'm looking for in general here is for a fix to make it go to a different server so it will now work, just like Escargot did with MSN Messenger. (If you didn't know you can fix MSN Messenger in 2023, go to http://escargot.chat.)

There is a program called Windows 7 Games for Windows 11 and Windows 10. It includes an option for Internet Games but it is unchecked for a good reason. Like has been said the server for them was taken down so the games no longer work.

I'm asking if there is a way to fix them, not why they don't work all of a sudden.

Use shovels to dig up and find your solution, don't use temporary bandages.

What I want is for these games to get another working server, just like how Escargot did with Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and much more.

It obvious. Set up your own server.

MisterEd said:

It obvious. Set up your own server.

I don't know how to set up a server, and I also don't have the money.

lukewt1017 said:

I'm asking if there is a way to fix them, not why they don't work all of a sudden.

The "why" closely relates to the answer that "there is no way to fix them".
The games themselves aren't broken at all, they're looking for a server that's no longer there so it can't possibly work, as those servers connect the players together, and the entire games rely on them. So, no server, no game, there is no way around this.

You mention "Escargot" doing the same, what they actually did? I guess they reverse enginered MSN to see how it interacts to the server (borderline illegal, btw), using this knowledge to reimplement a working server that fits the client, then modify the program to connect to this server instead of the real, dead one. This could be done with the hosts files if the program uses a domain, or you must modify the binaries otherwise. This is outright a violation of the MS licence (and the method Escargot uses, according to them).

You need to either do all of this or find someone else that already did and wants to host a server. Without it, unfortunately, the games are dead.
The next best option would be to look for someone to make clones of the games and keep them running

Alejandro85 said:

The "why" closely relates to the answer that "there is no way to fix them".
The games themselves aren't broken at all, they're looking for a server that's no longer there so it can't possibly work, as those servers connect the players together, and the entire games rely on them. So, no server, no game, there is no way around this.

You mention "Escargot" doing the same, what they actually did? I guess they reverse enginered MSN to see how it interacts to the server (borderline illegal, btw), using this knowledge to reimplement a working server that fits the client, then modify the program to connect to this server instead of the real, dead one. This could be done with the hosts files if the program uses a domain, or you must modify the binaries otherwise. This is outright a violation of the MS licence (and the method Escargot uses, according to them).

You need to either do all of this or find someone else that already did and wants to host a server. Without it, unfortunately, the games are dead.
The next best option would be to look for someone to make clones of the games and keep them running

So you're telling me that if this happens, when the MSN Weather gadget for Windows's server is moved, it'll be borderline illegal or just illegal for someone to connect it to the server's new place, or make a server to fix it themself?

lukewt1017 said:

So you're telling me that if this happens, when the MSN Weather gadget for Windows's server is moved, it'll be borderline illegal or just illegal for someone to connect it to the server's new place, or make a server to fix it themself?

Why would it be illegal for the MSN weather app to access the MSN weather server since Microsoft developed and owns both of them?

The MSN weather server is part of the MSN.com website. It has been since around 1998. The weather data from the MSN weather server can be obtained by apps that are programmed using a predefined API that the MSN weather website has defined. The MSN Weather gadget gets its weather data this way.

BTW, I don't know but I assume that the My Weather gadget gets its weather data the same way.

Where does MSN weather get its data?
MSN Weather, which appears in Bing, Windows, and other Microsoft services, uses data primarily from a company called Foreca, which in turn merges data from 50 different sources (including NOAA and JPL in the United States).

Where Do Weather Apps Get Their Info From?
Where Do Weather Apps Get Their Info From?

OK, let's stop talking about gadgets now.