As a seller of vintage (older) and hard to get PC games, one of the most common questions we get asked is how to get these older games to work on the newer versions of Windows.  It is relatively easy to do, but first a bit of background.

A long time ago (about 10 years or so) all PC games ran on DOS and did not even use the windows interface to run the games. This was done because memory was an issue in most computers and Windows in and of itself would gobble up most of that memory. By running the game in DOS the computer was able to use its resources directly on the game without having to worry about keeping windows up and running.

With the advent of faster computers, more memory and newer versions of Windows, Microsoft in its infinite (or infant) wisdom decided to get rid of DOS all together. Many reasons have been suggested as to why this was done (the official party line is that it makes windows more stable), but this guide is not going to discuss them (perhaps a latter guide will).  The bottom line and main focus of this guide is; now that DOS no longer exists in the world of Windows, how can you get all those GREAT old titles to run on your newer computer.

The first method that should be used was introduced with windows XP and is known as the Compatibility Feature.  What you are trying to accomplish with the compatibility feature is to trick the game into thinking that it is running on a computer that is using Windows 95 as its operating system.

To use the Compatibility Feature follow these instructions:

1. First you have to find the Compatibility Wizard.  This can be easier said than done.  Most times if you click Start>All Programs>Accessories>Program Compatibility Wizard, you will find the tool. 

Sometimes the Wizard will not be located there. As a second method of finding the tool you can click Start>Run>and then type hcp://system/compatctr/compatmode.htm or simply just copy hcp://system/compatctr/compatmode.htm from here and paste it into the window after you click Start>Run.  This will open up the Wizard for sure.

2. Now that you have the Wizard open click Next and you will have one of three options to choose from.  They are:

I want to choose from a list of programs
I want to use the program in the CD-ROM drive
I want to locate the program manually

The selection you choose will depend on whether or not you have installed the program to your hard drive.  The easiest way to do this is to simply put the CD-ROM into the disk drive and click on the second choice: I want to use the program in the CD-ROM drive.  Then click on Next.

3. Next you will be given several choices to choose from, but pick the first choice, the one that says Microsoft Windows 95.  This is the oldest version of Windows that the compatibility tool will use and should work for most of the older PC games that are out there.

4. In the next step you might have to experiment with the selections.  Most programs will need you to check the boxes that say:

256 colors
640 x 480 screen resolution
Click on Next

These are the minimum settings for these games and should work. Once you get the game up and running you can try changing the colors and resolution in the setup window of the game itself to get it to run in higher resolutions. For now, you are just trying to get the game to work.

5. The next step will show you a summary of what you have selected for this particular program.  All that is left to do is to click on Next.

The Compatibility Wizard will now attempt to get the program running for you. If all works well then click on:
Yes, set this program to always use these compatibility settings
By clicking on this setting your computer will be told to use these settings and to revert to a Windows 95 type mode whenever the game is in use.

If it doesn’t work then click on:
No, try different compatibility settings
By clicking on this setting you will go back to the beginning and be able to try different combinations of getting the game to work.

If you are frustrated with Windows and still can’t get the game to work, then click on:
No, I am finished trying compatibility settings
Eventually you will come across a game that still will not work even after using the Compatibility Mode. If that is the case then you will need to either edit the configuration of the computer (fairly complex) or you can try using a third party program.

Our next guide will discuss how to use third party programs to get your DOS based classic (old) games working in Windows XP.  Look for the guide entitled Using 3rd party programs to get DOS games to run in XP.

If you feel my guide has helped you, then please show your gratitude by clicking "yes" to the question "Was this guide helpful?"--Thanks.