Solved StarCraft fix holy cow!

[mudlord]

Try the link now.

 

[Gamer1238]

Nice work mate

Dude nice work man, I am so happy that you found away to get it to work

Correct, it was originally a x64 application, I recompiled it and did some updates to work on Win7 x86.

 

[Habx]

Thaanx

Thanx a lot you really helped me out

 

[smsff7]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Nice a working fix for starcraft now I can play it again

PS: I got this game for $3

 

[rapurimanka]

I am working out a method so Squall's fix can be made generically to any affected 256 colour game, so then its easy for newbs. I already worked out how to capture DirectDraw IDs, and its very easy to extract the filename only from a complete Windows path, and then stuff it into Registry keys.

The issue is working out how Windows generates the application's name for the Compatibility key. I have a hunch is related to window class ID, but not 100% sure since it will take some time to make sure if its true, OR if its possible to just add any name in there and it applies the fix regardless. If possibility 2 is true, shouldn't be too hard writing a patcher that does it.

EDIT: Okay, wrote the patcher. Tested on Starcraft and Warcraft II BNE. Only works on Windows 7 x64, it is also a 64bit application, too. Source code in C is included.

Hi, can you explain how it works? It only changes something in starcraft exe or also changes registry entries? If registry is also affected, won't it bring my problems in other spheres of my OS?

 

[mudlord]

1) App gets HWND/process IDs of application being run.
2) App runs the application.
3) It kills its threads as soon as a HWND and thread ID is gathered.
4) From there, the most recent DirectDraw application ID is gathered. Since it was the app to be patched, it copies it to a variable.
5) This variable, along with the needed flags makes a compatibility profile in the Registry for Windows Vista/7 to use with that application, only. It won't affect other parts of your registry. The key name used comes from the application's window class name/IDs.

Of course the source explains the details.

To fix the crashing involves a whole new can of worms: I have to then reverse engineer how Starcraft/Storm.dll uses GDI/DirectDraw and see what its doing thats causing those crashes.....

 

[Nemix]

@ zZanthraXx

Have you found a fix?

I did not read through the whole thread but I think my brother has a solution cause I see him play StarCraft on Windows 7 64-bit without any of color/crash problems.

 

[GivingHope]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

OK, what do I do with this code?

 

[smsff7]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

OK, what do I do with this code?

go into the registry find the entry and change it

 

[tswaters]

Try the link now.

Both you and Squall_Leonhart rock. I thought it strange that I could run scII with no problems, but sc/bw failed. It took me a long time to read this entire thread, and I did... Trolling when trolling must be done. Some people, I tell ya. It takes all of three seconds to find the dirty hacks there is no need to post it again and again.

 

[rapurimanka]

Guys, can anyone explain the roots of this problem, what was done in modern windows that ruined gfx in starcraft and few other games?

What was done, and what's the reason for it?

 

[mudlord]

Its quite simply a bug in Windows. Pallete changes are done by some Windows component and the graphics get screwed.

 

[rapurimanka]

Component that comes with os? Well bug's should be fixed within windows update...

Some people say that they renew direct draw mechanism, are you sure it’s about palette?

 

[smsff7]

I have had a strange new bug with starcraft and Win7X64. When I try to run the game it will minimize automatically for no reason. If I let it sit for a min or two I can restore it and run it, but it will go through that every time I minimize the game.

 

[minky]

yay!!

It worked for my vista too!!!! just opened up the screen resolution! perfect!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[PrivateAngel]

Some of these solutions worked for me at first, but then about 30 seconds into the game, those colors came back. I FINALLY realized that it was because I had set my desktop background wallpapers to change every 30 seconds, and when that happened it caused the issues with StarCraft. So I stopped it, set the desktop background to just one picture and no more problems with StarCraft.
That might be the problem for some people, so if you have an animated desktop background or one that changes every now and then, remove that.
If no one has mentioned this before I hope it helped.
Now go immerse yourselves with StarCraft !

 

[HughShaw]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\Starcraft116]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"Name"="Starcraft.exe"
"ID"=hex:ca,89,65,49

Squall, you're a genius! For all that don't know, open up regedit, find the values posted above, then change the ID values to match above. Starcraft now works in Windows 7. Mines was under Starcraft115 instead of Starcraft116 though.

 

[MajorFoley]

nope

this fixed worked on my first computer with older hardware but still running windows 7 HOWEVER when i tried running it on this comp i still get the colour errors and i have tried leaving open screen resolution and personalize.

 

[Klaw117]

Until Mudlord website comes up again, I uploaded the patcher to a filehoster

File-Upload.net - Win7-DirectDraw-fix-for-256color-games.rar

This patcher now comes up as a Medium-level threat in Microsoft Security Essentials. Not to worry though, since it's not dangerous in any way (or at least, not that I know of). Just allow the program in MSE.

 

[Dragoon]

Until Mudlord website comes up again, I uploaded the patcher to a filehoster

File-Upload.net - Win7-DirectDraw-fix-for-256color-games.rar

This patcher now comes up as a Medium-level threat in Microsoft Security Essentials. Not to worry though, since it's not dangerous in any way (or at least, not that I know of). Just allow the program in MSE.

Thanks for noticing. For me too but it's classified as HackTool:Win32/Patch.D
(Microsoft Malware Protection Center Naming Standard)
which means it a tool to write values in the registry and MSE can't tell if they are bad or good.
What the tool does is to write compatibility modes for applications that windows stores in the registry. You can check out the keys with the Registry Editor regedt32.exe under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MIRCOSOFT\DirectDraw\Compatibility\

For extra security I ran the tool through two online Multi-Virusscaners
Non of them found anything.


Win7 DirectDraw fix for 256color games.exe - Jotti's malware scan

Win7 DirectDraw fix for 256color games.exe MD5:3f710cebf1d828eb2e8514ea5b4f423a - VirSCAN.org Scanners did not find malware!