Old Sierra games won't run anymore!

[Boogeyman]

The games are:Laura Bow 2, King's Quest 5 and 6,Quest for Glory 4 and Incredible Toon Machine.


If I try to start them I get this message: C:\\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.

[Ghost_Rider]

Hey Boogeyman, which version of Windows are you running?  I had problems with older games on both Windows NT and Windows 2000.  Please tell us a little more about the system you are trying to run those games on, and I'm sure someone here can help you out.

[Boogeyman]

XP SP2.

I'm pretty sure I played Toon Machine not too long ago.

[Ghost_Rider]

Hmm, well I can run QFG4 and KQ5 with WinXP SP1, no problem.  The only thing for QFG4 is the "speech" or soundfx doesn't work.  I can get the music, but not the speech working.  

Were you able to run any of those games with SP1, or did you never run them on SP1?  

One thing I can think trying is if you right-click on the shortcut on your desktop (if you don't have them, try creating one for each game).

When you right-click, go down to "properties".  Then, go to the folder tab that says "compatibility".  

Check off the first checkbox, and pick Windows 95 mode.  Also, try 256 colours and 640x480 mode.  

Hope that helps... if not, I'm sure someone else here would be of more help to you.  But that worked very well for some older games for me (such as WarCraft 1 by Blizzard).

[Boogeyman]

Of course. I'm pretty sure I've run them under SP2 as well. Compatibility mode doesn't help.

[Nytegard]

As for the digital sounds in these games, someone awhile ago posted a solution, though I don't exactly remember the numbers.

You had to set the IRQ in VDMS differently than autoexec.nt or something similar.  Search these forums.  I believe the solution was in a Conquests of the Longbow post.

[Boogeyman]

That has NOTHING to do with my problem!

[HondaSiR]

Temper, temper Boogeyman, I'm sure a lot of members here are capable of helping you out with your technical difficulties, its your attitude that prevents them from doing so. (In other words, be more kind and sympathetic, the members here are quite...sensitive when it comes to choices of words that are posted). Just a friendly advice.

[Alistair]

Uh, using VDMS should work for such DAC-digitised games as LB2, QFG4, GK1 etc, however you can't get the music running correctly in DOS. And Windows music never plays correctly. Goodness knows why- I assume there's a bug in the MIDI's or Windows games under XP.

Get back to us should you require further clarification.

- Alistair

[Ghost_Rider]

Yeah I've noticed with Windows XP the sound in games like QFG4 sound "off".  Some instruments are fine, but others can be off-time or just sound weird... and hey, I play drums, so I can usually tell when things are off time   :wink:

Anyway, even some newer games still sound unusual or the audio is very "choppy".  Really I think the best thing is to play older games on an older processor, with an older sound card or midi device.  

Sometimes I really wish I had an Amiga 2000 again... but that means I'd have to have ROOM for an Amiga 2000.  I mean I could just knock this wall down, then I'd have more room.... but it might be a support wall?

Well Boogeyman, I hope you get it figured out, you said those games were working before, so maybe a setting was changed or something.  Sometimes Windows Updates fix one thing, and break ten others.

[Alistair]

I've heard not terribly many good things about XP SP2.. (Which is why I haven't installed it.)

Games like QFG4 don't run properly musically in DOS because of a MIDI speed error that VDMS speed setter 'Speedset' can't fix yet.
In Windows, a musical bug exists. Not sure yet- I assume not every controller necessary is sent to the Sound Canvas (Or maybe the MIDI is designed for GM cards, which I highly doubt).

Definitely older PC's are better musically for old games.

- Alistair

[Boogeyman]

Well, the problem was that autoexec.NT had somehow gotten deleted. I was able to replace it, but when I restart or shutdown, it gets deleted again!

[Alistair]

Obviously you've got some malicious program on your hard disk, then..

Use Ad-aware and/or run a virus scanner to check it out!

- Alistair

[Boogeyman]

Well, Ad-Aware found and deleted WinAD, but it comes back when I reboot or shut down!

[Ghost_Rider]

I'm not sure, but I don't think it would be WinAD that is blowing away autoexec.nt.  

You may have already done all this, but this is what I'd do:

1)  Make sure you have your virus scanner running with auto-protect or whatever the real-time file scan is called.  

2)  Make sure your virus definitions are up to date.  With Norton you'd want to run Live Update.  Not sure what it's called on McAfee.  

3)  Once you know for sure everything is up to date, run a full system scan, make sure it goes through all hard drives and partitions.

4)  AdAware should be getting rid of those ad programs.  However, if you have other software on your PC that uses third party software, those programs will re-install the ad programs.  For example, Kazaa installs other programs.  You can blow them away, but next time you run Kazaa, it re-installs them.  Do you have Kazaa or any other music sharing programs?  I had Kazaa on an older PC and it made a mess of that computer.  

5)  If your virus scanner is fully up to date, and you don't have any downloaded software that may be using ad programs, then I'd say time to format your hard drive.  I know, last resort, and a big pain to go through... but it's the only way to be sure.  But before you go through the trouble, I'd make a list of all the programs you've downloaded and go through them one-by-one.  Also, you might be able to get away with doing a partial re-install of windows, and not have to do the full format.  WinXP is pretty good for that.  

Hope this helps.

[Boogeyman]

Norton SystemWorks detected nothing. I think WinAD just might be responsible because it is showing up in the same folder that Autoexec.nt was in.

[Ghost_Rider]

In that case, it is quite likely you've found it.  Now the only thing is how to get rid of WinAD and stop it from coming back.  Maybe someone else on the board has heard of WinAD and know what it might be tied in with.  Looks like autoexec.NT is in two folders:

C:\Windows\repair

and

C:\Windows\system32

I am guessing WinAD is showing up in the system32 folder?  There must be something that is installing WinAD.  Do you have Kazaa or anything similar?  Some other FreeWare or ShareWare?  I've figured out pretty much nothing is "Free".  There's usually a catch, and it's quite often adware/spyware/some other junk.  

Just curious, does Norton SystemWorks include a Virus Scanner?

[Boogeyman]

I am guessing WinAD is showing up in the system32 folder?

That is correct.


I think that I might have gotten it from SoundClick when i went to get Ura Faerie's Tales of Symphonia remixes.

[Alistair]

Why not manually delete it?
If it won't let you, remove it from the memory and/or registry.

- Alistair

[Ghost_Rider]

I think he tried that, and AdAware seemed to blow it away, but it keeps coming back.  

It sounds like something else keeps re-spawning it.  The registry thing might work, but if something is re-spawning it, it might come back again.  Have to figure out the root cause to wipe it out for good, but it's a bit of a mystery.