Solved StarCraft fix holy cow!

[zbjump]

Confirmed

I can confirm this fix for Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.

Just go to the following location

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Display\Screen Resolution

Open StarCraft and enjoy.

Just FYI I am using a Geforce GTX 280 video card with the latest drivers and I'm running StarCraft Broodwar version 1.16.1

 

[squall leonhart]

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Display\Screen Resolution

Doesn't work, nor does it fix random freeze.


VPC07 + XP Pro (not XP Mode) ftw

 

[vs17]

I have a fix!

It's worked for just about every incompatible game I can find with windows 7 and vista color problems, (e.g. Starcraft, Worms Armageddon).

The game has color problems because of something in explorer.exe interfering with it.

The solution is simple, and I guarantee this will work:

1) Press Ctr+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager.
2) Click on the Processes tab.
3) Find and close explorer.exe. (Don't worry, you can always bring it right back with no problem.)
4) Go to File -> New Task
5) Browse to the .exe file of the game you want to run (e.g. C:\Program Files\Starcraft\Starcraft.exe)
6) Run the target
7) Enjoy perfect colors in older games in Windows!

When the game is done, you can re-launch explorer.exe through the Task Manager.
Just type explorer in the New Task dialog and it will reopen.

Let me know if it works for you.

 

[squall leonhart]

How many more times is that method going to be posted in this thread.

Rtft.

 

[Tarax3n]

What do you guys mean by build??? virtual pc???

 

[AdamPL]

Hi Guys
Problem is solved!

1) Update starcraft version to Starcraft 1.16.1
2) Visit this website and download latest version:
Mc Bane`s Resolution Hack
3)run "StarcraftResolutionHack.exe" and choose resolution. (in my computer 1680x1050 doesn`t work)

 

[Wrh]

The resolution hack doesnt work for multiplayer, it doesnt recognize the version.

For me (Win 7 home premium, build 7600) closing the explorer and running SC through the task manager worked a treat.

But to make life easier for yourself, open SC first, then open the task manager and close the process explorer.exe. Simply Alt+Tab back to SC and it "should" have regular colours, it worked for me anyway and i tried ALL of the other solutions to no avail.

*@Tarax3n: The "build" is your version of windows 7. Open dxdiag using "run" and look at your operating system, it should have your version of windows and which build you have

thx

 

[ScathArach]

WRH you couldn't have possibly tried all fixes because if you use my fix it will work because it bypasses everything in windows that causes the issue with the Starcraft colors... I have given it to about 10 people and they all have it working perfect.. So before you give advice make sure what you are giving is accurate.

The reason starcraft has color issues is because of the AERO feature on windows seven desktop so if you switch to a Windows Classic theme and open your resolution window it will work you open starcraft and bingo you can still tab out and do other things in windows which you cannot do if you kill explorer.exe... I have a batch file I use that does all these steps with one click... If you want it let me know...

 

[Wrh]

I'm sorry if im incorrect, but it doesnt seem to work for me :huh:, ive set my theme to classic > opened resolution screen and the colours are still wierd, it seems to work when i get passed the menu and get in-game, but then every 5-10 mins the colours go funny unless i change the "gamma correction" in video options.

Am i missing something? a compatibility setting maybe? (i dont think its anything to do with win7 build seen as it works for win7 Ultimate 64bit when im using Home Premium 7600)

If you could please send your batch file i would appreciate it alot It makes life alot harder when you have to open/close explorer.exe every time you enter/leave the game.

I wasnt trying to say your fix doesnt work for anyone, i wasnt even giving advise, im simply saying the only way that "I" (not anyone else) could get it to work was by closing explorer.exe (if i can figure out why switching to classic theme isnt working for me properly, i'll gladly kiss your feet and bring you milk and cookies!, closing exporer.exe is a pain in the ***)

 

[squall leonhart]

The reason starcraft has color issues is because of the AERO feature on windows seven desktop so if you switch to a Windows Classic theme and open your resolution window it will work you open starcraft and bingo you can still tab out and do other things in windows which you cannot do if you kill explorer.exe... I have a batch file I use that does all these steps with one click... If you want it let me know...

forcing the classic theme does not work either.

 

[ScathArach]

The reason starcraft has color issues is because of the AERO feature on windows seven desktop so if you switch to a Windows Classic theme and open your resolution window it will work you open starcraft and bingo you can still tab out and do other things in windows which you cannot do if you kill explorer.exe... I have a batch file I use that does all these steps with one click... If you want it let me know...

forcing the classic theme does not work either.

Do you have all teh compatibility setting set for your EXE for all users before doign this... I now have 13 people using my bat file that puts it to Windows Classic Theme and opens the resolution and they set teh compatibility for the EXE and it wworks every time

 

[squall leonhart]

Compatibility settings have absolutely no impact on the colours issue. neither does classic theme (other then forcing starcraft to run entirely in directdraw software, and thus much slower).

 

[ScathArach]

Hates people that think the know more then they do

Compatibility settings have absolutely no impact on the colours issue. neither does classic theme (other then forcing starcraft to run entirely in directdraw software, and thus much slower).

Have you actually looked at the compatibility settings. One of them is setting it to run with 256 Color and a lower bit which is what Starcraft was designed to do. You just proved with that post that you have no clue what you are talking about. Turning to windows classic theme turns Aero off which allows Starcraft to put windows explore in the background instead of on top. Before you go shooting your mouth off learn more about software how it works and what you are talking about. I have also discussed this issue with my programming professor and he agrees with me and has over 12 years of Microsoft programming experience.

Yours Truly,
Your friendly neighborhood programmer

 

[squall leonhart]

Read through the thread. i know more about this issue then anyone randomly chiming in and adding their "Fixes".

Windows automatically forces 256 colours, and disables DWM prior to starting the game.
End tasking explorer doesn't solve the freeze, neither does affinity tweaks.

setting windows classic disables Acceleration for 2D (GDI and Ddraw) which one can do via the Dx Tools anyway (neither work).

The colour issue has nothing to do with the themes, Explorer causes a palette issue regardless of acceleration being available or not, regardless of themes, regardless of apps running.

Pausing Explorers threads prevents explorer from updating and intruding on the 8bit palette.

I have also discussed this issue with my programming professor and he agrees with me and has over 12 years of Microsoft programming experience.

Tell your professor to act or stfu. Microsoft programmers got shit all experience compared to the guys who write emulators in their spare time, Who btw have run the game through debuggers, decompilers and the like and still can't isolate the palette intrusion in the game and patch it out without killing activity in the shell.

Edit:
Combination Testing.
It seems the recent Compatibility updates did help, however you need the following.

Classic Theme with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Basic\Standard with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Glass 256/640x480 and Disable Desktop Composition.

And the consistency test FAILS.

I was able to run SC just fine with Aero glass on, but a reboot later and nothing i do fixes it.

So yeah, stuff your fix. Inconsistency relying on unknown circumstances trumps all.

 

[ScathArach]

Read through the thread. i know more about this issue then anyone randomly chiming in and adding their "Fixes".

Windows automatically forces 256 colours, and disables DWM prior to starting the game.
End tasking explorer doesn't solve the freeze, neither does affinity tweaks.

setting windows classic disables Acceleration for 2D (GDI and Ddraw) which one can do via the Dx Tools anyway (neither work).

The colour issue has nothing to do with the themes, Explorer causes a palette issue regardless of acceleration being available or not, regardless of themes, regardless of apps running.

Pausing Explorers threads prevents explorer from updating and intruding on the 8bit palette.

I have also discussed this issue with my programming professor and he agrees with me and has over 12 years of Microsoft programming experience.

Tell your professor to act or stfu. Microsoft programmers got shit all experience compared to the guys who write emulators in their spare time, Who btw have run the game through debuggers, decompilers and the like and still can't isolate the palette intrusion in the game and patch it out without killing activity in the shell.

Edit:
Combination Testing.
It seems the recent Compatibility updates did help, however you need the following.

Classic Theme with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Basic\Standard with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Glass 256/640x480 and Disable Desktop Composition.

And the consistency test FAILS.

I was able to run SC just fine with Aero glass on, but a reboot later and nothing i do fixes it.

So yeah, stuff your fix. Inconsistency relying on unknown circumstances trumps all.

So the fact that me and 13 others are running my fix consistently without any issues yet if we run an Aero's theme it tanks doesn't mean jack shit... You think you know all and don't... You have issues on your own machine. Wide real time tests mean more then simulated tests... If you set compatibility to all users for all settings it works but if you leave out one part of my fix it tanks yet it always works if I do everything and my 13 friends did the same. Its why game companies do Betas its called a broad spectrum test. Learn more about the fact that multiple things impact a situation then just one. Occasionally you can run it with Aero on but it is not consistent cause as you say Explorer updates and combined with Aero bam problem. So stuff your so called knowledge and actually have multiple people run fixes and multiple combination of fixes instead of it all based on a single machine and your configs. This is the one fix that the 14 of us has had work 100% of the time. So have a nice day with your fake knowledge and narrow tests.

 

[squall leonhart]

Edit:
Combination Testing.
It seems the recent Compatibility updates did help, however you need the following.

Classic Theme with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Basic\Standard with 256/640x480 compatibilty
Windows Aero Glass 256/640x480 and Disable Desktop Composition.

Edit
And the consistency test FAILS.

I was able to run SC just fine with Aero glass on, but a reboot later and nothing i do fixes it.

So yeah, stuff your fix. Inconsistency relying on unknown circumstances trumps all .

Your lack of Reading disturbs me.

Mudlord says (10:51 AM):
*Okay, I feel like posting on that forum
*Jeez, some people SICKEN me
*it manifests in even the DX7 SDKs test apps
Mudlord says (10:52 AM):
*Clearly it can't blit to the primary surface right, so we need to render to a 32 bit texture with a pallete look up texture using shader emulation instead!

 

[mudlord]

Or to put it in laymans terms:

* Wrap to D3D9, and use pixel shaders and a LUT to emulate how DirectDraw works and using a image scaling algorithm like HQ2X to upscale the image so you get better image quality. Thus having the tiniest possibility of solving the problem once and for all and having benefits on the side. Disabling threads willy-nilly is prone to disaster. I tried and it fails. But then you run into the issues of ****ing around with emulating GDI for games that use it (Starcraft/C&C Tiberium Sun/ etc), so there goes that idea, since Direct3D and GDI DO NOT play nice.

Final solution: Get the game dev's to fix thier code to use alternate renderers OR use XP.

This is the one fix that the 14 of us has had work 100% of the time. So have a nice day with your fake knowledge and narrow tests.

How is disabling threads in your Windows Shell a proper fix? It seems awefully hackish when the true problem lies with DirectDraw.

For example: I coded this program and in most cases didn't work jack shit.
Game, set and match.

Yours Truly,
Your friendly blackhat software reverse engineer

 

[Moochmaker]

For some reason your solution doesn't work for me. The colors are still messed up on 7 for me. :?

 

[squall leonhart]

new direction.

providing a patch to sun for scaling/stretching support in virtualbox.....

 

[mudlord]

For some reason your solution doesn't work for me. The colors are still messed up on 7 for me. :?

As I said, it doesn't work. No matter how I try, it won't work. Application specific patches OR if the dev got off thier arse and did a alternate renderer, will fix the problem. Since Blizzard is developing SCII, its in thier best interests not to do that.

So, your screwed.