Windows 7 and XP issues

[Gahlo]

So I had to get a new computer earlier this year because my old one died on me. So naturally it came with Vista. I wasn't too happy with it so once I was able to get W7 through my schools MSDN partnership I was quick to download and install it a couple weeks before it's street release. I spend most of my time on the computer playing a mildly outdated game. With Vista it wasn't much of a problem, the only adjustment I had to make was to run it in XP SP2 mode and turn off a water option and there wasn't any problem.

With W7, it decides that the program is incomparable and crashes it at random, on top of still having the water problem from Vista. I had heard of the XP runtime mode prior to getting W7, so I dled that and tried that out. Unfortunately since XP runtime mode makes a fake videocard for itself, you can't install any video drivers. Without video driver...well, games fail miserably.

So I decided to live with it for a while, but either it is crashing more often or I have just lost my patience. I have tried over the past 8 hours to get XP on this system and just recently found this. Everytime I boot from my XP install disks[I've tried Windows XP Professional SP3 and Windows XP Pro (x64)] It will get to the setup screen, load files, and then blue screen me.

I am currently at a loss and feel nauseous even looking at my computer atm. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[torrentg]

Do you have any information at all about the blue screen? Use a camera to take the best picture you can if you attempt again. Attach picture to a post.

 

[Gahlo]

Here you go..

 

[Tews]

Navigate to c:/windows/minidump and zip up the .dmp file and upload as an attachment for analysis..

 

[torrentg]

Use Win7 DVD to boot computer. Get to command prompt and run
chkdsk /f

Use method 2 to get to step 6. That's how you run command prompt.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html?ltr=S

 

[gregrocker]

Did you try installing the game with each separate Vista and Win7 (including Beta or WHQL) driver, in XP, Vista and no compatibility modes?

Video card/chip website and Windows Updates will provide some.

This is how I have gotten several older games to run correctly in Win7.

 

[Gahlo]

Use Win7 DVD to boot computer. Get to command prompt and run
chkdsk /f

Use method 2 to get to step 6. That's how you run command prompt.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html?ltr=S

It won't let me.


I tried it before using the command prompt in normal windows, in which case it said it would run the test on reboot. It did and there wasn't any errors.

Did you try installing the game with each separate Vista and Win7 (including Beta or WHQL) driver, in XP, Vista and no compatibility modes?

Video card/chip website and Windows Updates will provide some.

This is how I have gotten several older games to run correctly in Win7.

XP there was never a problem, Vista never found a fix for the water problem(and largely was something I could live without), 7 doesn't work the water and crashes. Nobody has found a solution for this yet in W7.

 

[gregrocker]

The video drivers for Vista and Windows 7 need to each be tried and run in Compatibility Mode. Then the games themselves need to be tried in each mode.

This means right clicking on the executable file for the driver installer, selecting Compatibility tab, and setting the compatibility wizard to XP SP2, trying that, then if it fails, Vista mode.

Likewise the executable files for the game itself, both its installer and it's run file.

 

[Gahlo]

The video drivers for Vista and Windows 7 need to each be tried and run in Compatibility Mode. Then the games themselves need to be tried in each mode.

This means right clicking on the executable file for the driver installer, selecting Compatibility tab, and setting the compatibility wizard to XP SP2, trying that, then if it fails, Vista mode.

Likewise the executable files for the game itself, both its installer and it's run file.

Now windows7 isn't letting me LAUNCH the game.

EDIT:Got it to launch the game. I'll check how stable it is later today.

 

[gregrocker]

My roommate likes to play his 1701AD game which I was never able to get to run in Win7 as it letterboxes it vertically. Even with tech support from Technet MVP's to install all Vista and Win7 WHQL and beta drivers in XP/Vista compatibility modes, then running the game installer's executable in each of these compatibility modes, no fix.
So as a result his is the only one of seven computers in the house that are not Win7.

Depending on how important this game is to you, you might consider a dual boot with clean installed XP just for running the game.

 

[Gahlo]

My roommate likes to play his 1701AD game which I was never able to get to run in Win7 as it letterboxes it vertically. Even with tech support from Technet MVP's to install all Vista and Win7 WHQL and beta drivers in XP/Vista compatibility modes, then running the game installer's executable in each of these compatibility modes, no fix.
So as a result his is the only one of seven computers in the house that are not Win7.

Depending on how important this game is to you, you might consider a dual boot with clean installed XP just for running the game.

Which was my whole point in starting the thread. It looked pretty stable yesterday but I wasn't using it long enough to say that it is fixed just yet.

 

[gregrocker]

Sorry got sidetracked in game compatibility modes.

Have you tried running the XP installer from the Win7 desktop, to Custom install to separate partition or HDD?

Afterward it will require using EasyBCD to recover the Win7 boot as laid out in Method Two of this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

The other method which often works is to boot into the Win7 installer and run Startup Repair at least 3 times to recover the Win7 boot.

 

[Gahlo]

If I try to run XP installer from Win7 Desktop it blocks the process.

 

[gregrocker]

Exactly what error message does it give when blocking WIn7 install from XP desktop?

 

[Gahlo]

Well, the crashing seems to have stopped now, so it doesn't really matter anymore.