Cannot run game installer due to 'compatibility issues'

[bbgun21]

So I've been trying to install another old game from my childhood Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essentials, and the CD file structure looks like this. Now, whenever I run the "SETUP.EXE" file, I receive an error that the file is not compatible with my current version of Windows, which is Windows 7 x64.

So far, this is the only game that does this, the other Rainbow Six games, and other much older games were able to install just fine and without any problems. I'm wondering, but is it possible to solve this issue without having to go through complex workarounds (like setting up a VM for example)?

Would it be possible to install the game through programs like DOSBOX, or something else, if conventional methods don't work?

Can anyone help me out with this? I have no idea what to do, and no matter how much googling I do, I can't find anything that helps.

Cheers!

 

[torchwood]

have a look at this, appears to be a 32bit game, BTW
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

 

[bbgun21]

have a look at this, appears to be a 32bit game, BTW
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

Hi, torchwood.

I did check out the PCGW article on it, and yes, it is a 32 bit game, but I wonder, why wouldn't it work on 64 bit system? All other games that I tried to install (32 bit as well) installed and played fine, so I'm not sure what's wrong with this one, and why it refuses to launch the setup file, hence the reason I made this thread.

 

[wither 2]

You might right click on the .exe and select Properties. Checkmark the box to run as administrator and set the Compatibility mode to Vista or XP, whichever is applicable. Apply the changes.

 

[originaljgf]

Many older 32bit games use a 16bit installer. Sometimes you can find a workaround online, with a few games you can just manually copy all the files to your HD; or set up a 32bit VM and install through that.

 

[Alejandro85]

The error message, although not naming it specifically, is crystal clear once you know the real meaning: The program you're running is 16 bits, and 64 bits systems have dropped compatibility for them completely. No workarounds possible. Period.

As originaljgf said, it was common for some time to have 32 bits programs using 16 bits installers, and those worked fine in the Win95 era, but now you can't simply run the installer (even though you can possibly run the game itself). A possible workaround is to install the game in an older computer with a x86 OS and copy the installed files over, with maybe some hops to solve afterwards, or use a x86 virtual machine to deploy and run the game.

 

[originaljgf]

True there is no way to run a 16bit program in 64bit windows (technically it is possible, but MS decided not to implement it).

But the situation here is that quite probably the game itself is 32bit and it is only the installer that is 16bit. There are a couple of scenarios here,

-the installer may do nothing more than copy files from the CD to the HD, in which case you can usually manually copy the files and the game will run fine

-the installer may make registry entries and/or extract files; you can often find instructions to do this manually or, for a few games, I have found third party 32bit installers

If neither of the above works, you can create a VM in your Win7 x64 and install a 32bit version of XP, Vista, or Win7 in it; in this scenario the 32bit OS just runs as a program in the 64 bit system ,and can run any 16bit or 32bit software compatible with the 32bit OS. So you can either just run the installer in the VM and once the game is installed it may run fine in 64bit, or you can play the game in the VM.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game says you need DGVoodoo to run it, this is a game wrapper that runs in the background

And this may help-
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ows-7-64/807c1516-eda1-470c-ad63-0e7c004eadc4