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This the English Version of this Article, to get the Indonesian version, click here.

Did u ever feel like playing old game or your old software from the previous windows in Windows XP? I Feel that a few day before, but u know what happen when XP Try to execute a program design not for him? The program will some time work smoothly, some time it work with a few error here and there and some time it will not work at all. And worst of all, some time, you couldn’t even install the Game…!!!

Well, if some of that bad stuff above happening to you, don’t give up just yet. Windows XP has a Compatibility features that help you, run an older Program from the previous Windows (Any windows from Windows 95 Above). In some older program, the Program will give u hint about what to do with the incompatibility, but most them will keep silent about it and u just had to figure it out by yourself.

We take example of the old Program Whose Give Hint, let’s see Romance Of Three Kingdom 4 (ROTK IV) Game, when you try to play the game in Windows XP, it will tell us, that the game could only run in 256 Color environment. Another Example is X-Change 1 Game, when we try to run it, it will tell us that it could only run in 640 x 480 screen resolution.

Well, unlike those two game above. Most old incompatible game will not show any hint or clue, or in a few case, they may give u some misleading information. For example, let’s see The Simpson : Virtual Springfield Game (for more info about The Simson : Virtual Springfield review, just look at this Review. In this game, when we try to install it, it will give us some strange message, the message is like this : ‘YOUR CURRENTLY SELECTED HARD DISK DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH AVAILABLE SPACE TO INSTALL GAME.PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER DRIVE’.

Well, maybe you thought is a normal message, but, when that message show, I still have ( more or less ) 110 GB in my hard drive. There’s no way some old game windows 95 have a size more than that. So I thought, this is must be an error.

The Simpson : Virtual SpringField Installer Error Message

Strange Message Right…?

So, if strange thing like this happen, don’t give up just yet. Try Using The XP Compatibility Features First. There are two way to access the XP Compatibilty Features.

The First Way
- Use XP Program Compatibility Wizard -

1. Click Start Menu, then Click Help & Support (You could also press F1 in desktop to get the same result)
2. Click Fixing a Problem
3. Click Application & Software Problem
4. Click Getting older programs to run on Windows XP
5. Follow the Instruction

The Second Way is
- Using the Compatibility Tab from File Properties -

Actually the First and The Second way has the same meaning, but the first use more of your time and a little repetitive. The Second, in the other hand take little of your time. Ok, to make thing more simple, we use The Simpson : Virtual Springfield as sample.

1. Enter Windows Explorer
2. Search the .exe file which has a compatibility problem with XP
3. Right Click the file, and then select Properties from the pop up menu
4. Select Compatibility Tab

Compatibility Tab

Di bagian Compatibilty Mode (di gambar, di tandai dengan batas berwarna biru), anda bisa memilih sebenarnya untuk Windows apa Program ini di buat. Pilihanny terdiri mulai dari Windows 95 s.d. Windows 2000. Biasanya dengan mensetting bagian ini, program sudah bisa di jalankan.

In The Compatibility Tab, You could see Compatibility Mode which u can setting to adjust which windows that the software should use (you can select from Windows 95 to Windows 2000), and in the Compatibility Tab, u could also c the Display setting. The Option from display setting is speak for itself, so no need for me to describe them.

• 256 Color, EX: setting for Romance Of Three Kingdom IV
• 640 X 460 Screen Resolution, ex: For X-Change Game
• Disable Visual Theme, usually needed only by game and some Program which has some visualization ( I never use them before thought)

Now, let c how we made the The Simpson : Virtual Springfield became installable and playable. Here the step:

1. Select Compatibility Tab from setup.exe in Virtual Springfield properties
2. Because the game was made for Windows 95, in compatibility mode, select Windows 95.
3. Leave all option from the display setting empty, this game doesn’t need that
4. Click Apply / OK
5. Run the setup.exe
6. Install the game
7. The Game will ask you about direct x 3 (Strange Question), ignore it, just select No
8. Now the game Installed in your Computer
9. Enjoy the Game

Ok, that’s it

Hope it can help u like it help me

bye

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm and is filed under English Article, GAME, software, tips & tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.