Good afternoon.

Time inexorably runs forward and, sooner or later, certain programs, games become obsolete. The operating systems in which they worked are also massively beginning to be replaced by newer ones.

But what about those who want to remember their youth, or do they just need one or another program or game that refuses to work in the newfangled Windows 8?

In this article, I would like to consider running old programs and games on new computers. Consider several ways, including virtual machines, which allow you to run almost any application!

So, let's begin…

1. Game console emulators

Perhaps the first word in this article should remain with emulators game consoles(Sega, Dendy, Sony PS). These consoles appeared in the 90s and immediately gained wild popularity. They played from young to old at any time of the year and day!

By the 2000s, the excitement subsided, computers began to appear and somehow everyone forgot about them. But these console games can also be played on a computer by downloading a special program - emulator. Then download the game and open it in this emulator. Everything is quite simple.

By the way! The network is full of emulators for other game consoles. The purpose of this little preview for this article was to show that console games can be played on a computer!

Now let's move from console games to computer games and programs...

2. Launch using Windows compatibility tools

If a program or game refuses to start or behaves unstable, you can try running it in compatibility mode for a specific OS. Fortunately, the developers themselves have built this feature into Windows.

Truth, for the entire time of use, this method probably helped me out a couple of times out of several hundred launches of problematic applications! Therefore, it is worth trying it, but you cannot believe in 100% success.

1) Click right click on the desired executable file of the program and select properties. By the way, you can also click on the desktop icon (i.e. shortcut). The effect is the same.

2) Now check the box next to "compatibility mode" and select the OS you want to emulate.

Then save the settings and try to run the program. There is a chance that it will work.

3. Launching games and programs in the DOS environment

Even the oldest programs can be run in a modern OS, however, this will require special programs emulating a DOS environment.
About the day of the best DOS emulators Windows environment is DOSBox. You can download from office site programs.

Installing DOSBox

Installing the program is not difficult. Only I would recommend that during installation, be sure to create an icon (shortcut) of the executable file on the desktop. Check the box next to "Desktop Shortcut".

Starting games in DOSBox

Let's take some old game that needs to be run on Windows8. let there be Sid Meier's turn-based strategy Civilization 1.

If your program requires Windows 98, for example, then without virtual machine you can't do it anymore. Further we will talk about them!

4. Run old OS on new versions of Windows

Run any old program on the new OS is possible only with the help of virtual machines. They represent regular programs, which emulate, as it were, the operation of a real computer. Those. it turns out that you can run an OS in Windows 8, for example, Windows 2000. And already in these running old OSes, run any executable files (programs, games, etc.).

We'll talk about how to do it all in this section this article.

4.1. Virtual machine. Installation

This is a free virtual machine that will allow you to run dozens of operating systems on your new computer, from Windows 95 to Windows 7.

The only thing is that this type of program is quite demanding on system resources, so if you want to run in Windows 8, Windows 8 OS - you need to have at least 4 GB.

Works in both 32 and 64 bit systems. Installation takes place in a standard way, personally, I do not touch any checkboxes, everything is by default.

The only thing I leave a check mark is for the installer to create a shortcut on the desktop to launch the program (Create a shortcut on the desktop).

In general, after installing VirtualBox, you can proceed to install the OS into it. But more on that below.

4.2. Setting up a virtual machine

Before proceeding with the installation of the OS, you need to configure the virtual machine.

1) After the first launch in VirtualBox, you can click only one button - "create". Actually, we press.

5) Virtual HDD, which you create in this program is a regular image file. It will be located in the folder that you specify during configuration.

There are two types of virtual hard disk:

Dynamic: means that the file will grow in size as the disk fills up;

Fixed: The size will be set immediately.

6) On this, as a rule, the configuration of the virtual machine ends. By the way, you should have a button to start the created machine. It will behave as if you turned on the computer without an installed OS.

4.3. Installing Windows 2000 in a virtual machine

In this post, we will focus on Windows 2000 as an example. Its installation will not differ much from the installation of Windows Xp, NT, ME.

To start you need to create or download an installation disk with this OS. By the way, the image is needed in ISO format(in principle, anyone will do, but with ISO the entire installation procedure will be faster).

1) Start the virtual machine. Everything is simple here and there should not be any problems.

2) The second step is to connect our ISO image to the virtual machine. To do this, select devices/select image optical disc . If the image has joined, then you should observe such a picture as in the screenshot below.

3) Now you need to restart the virtual machine. This can be done using the command of the same name. See screenshot below.

4) If the image is working and you did everything correctly in the previous 3 steps, you will see a welcome screen and the installation of Windows 2000 OS will begin.

5) After 2-5 min. (on average) copying the installation files, you will be asked to read license agreement, select a drive to install, whether to format it, etc. - in general, everything is the same as with normal installation Windows.

The only thing. You can not be afraid to make mistakes, because anyway, everything that will happen will happen on a virtual machine, which means that this will not harm your main operating system in any way!

7) After another reboot, you will already be watching installed Windows 2000!

By the way, you can install games, programs in it, and in general work in it as if it were a computer under Windows control 2000.

4.3. Sharing files with a virtual machine (connecting a hard drive)

Many users do not experience big problems with installing and setting the basic settings for a virtual machine. But difficulties can begin when you decide to add some file (or vice versa, copy it from the virtual machine disk). Directly, through “edit-copy-paste” the focus will not pass ...

3) Here you need to select the section " disk management«.

In the column on the right, click on the control button and select "attach virtual hard disk". Enter the address where it is located and connect the VHD file.

How to find the VHD file?

Very simply, by default, during installation, the file will be located at:

C:\Users\alex\VirtualBox VMs\winme

where "alex" is your account name.

Personally, I would not have started to figure it out myself if I had not encountered the fact that the program necessary for the calculations was not so ancient and would not refuse to work in Windows XP. I had to install and configure a virtual machine, then Windows 2000 into it, and calculations were already carried out in it ...

By the way, how do you run old programs? Or do you not use them at all?

One of Microsoft's greatest strengths - and weaknesses - is its focus on backwards compatible. Most Windows applications will work fine on Windows 8. This is especially true if they worked on Windows 7, since Windows 8 is very similar to its predecessor.

Solution:

Older games and software, in particular those designed for older operating systems, including XP and Win 98 or DOS, may not work properly. Regardless of the software you're dealing with, whether it's a PC game or business software, a Google search with the name of the game followed by "Windows 8" or the exact error message you received will probably help you decide. problem. The tips below apply to different types software, but search additional information, regarding your particular program, is always a good alternative.

Why can games and programs be incompatible?

There are many reasons why an application might not work properly on Windows 8.

Bad programming: Some programs may be dependent on administrator rights, work fine on XP, but experience problems when running from regular user on newer versions. Some, for example, depend on requests from earlier versions of Windows, which have since been deprecated in newer versions of the OS because they have been reported to have hacked applications.

Dependency on old software versions: Software may use old libraries, e.g. NET Framework version 3.5 which is not installed on Windows 8 by default.

16-bit software: 64-bit versions of Windows no longer have compatibility for 16-bit Windows applications. If you have a 16-bit application written for 3.1, you will need to use Windows 8 32-bit to run it.

DOS A: Windows 8, like all versions since XP, no longer runs on top of DOS. While some DOS programs still work, advanced software written for DOS—such as DOS computer games—does not work in the Windows Command Promt (Command Line) environment.

Before the update

Microsoft offers some information that you can review before upgrading. You can download and run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, which will scan your computer and tell you if games, software, and hardware will work properly on Windows 8. Of course, the app isn't 100% guaranteed, but some useful information provides.

Software update

If the game does not work on Windows 8, you must update it to latest version and install all available patches. For example, old game, installed from a disk, may not work on Windows 8, but the game developer may have released a patch that allows you to run the game on new versions of the OS. For example, many Windows Live games do not work properly until an update is installed.

You may also need older libraries required to run the software. For example, Windows 8 includes. NET Framework version 4.5. If you see an error related to the .NET Framework, you must go to the control panel and install the .NET Framework 3.5 package, which will run software that depends on NET 3.5, 3.0, or 2.0.

Run as administrator

Run problematic application can be quite simple, sometimes running as administrator is enough for this. Windows, as a rule, independently determines if the application needs additional rights, and runs it as an administrator, but this function may not always work. To run a program as an administrator, right-click on its shortcut and select "Run as administrator".

You can also fix this problem by disabling User Account Control completely. However, we do not recommend disabling User Account Control as this important point security, and related errors have become rare as the system has become much better after Windows Vista. Almost all programs for Windows work fine with User Account Control enabled.

Compatibility Mode

Windows 8 includes a compatibility feature for troubleshooting. Just right-click on the shortcut of the program that won't start, select "Properties" and go to the "Compatibility" tab. From here, you will be able to run the Compatibility Troubleshooter. Alternatively, you can trick the program into appearing to work on previous versions Windows, including XP or Win 98. This will help solve problems with software that worked well on previous versions of the OS. The Compatibility tab also allows you to always run the program in administrator mode - useful if the program is only run as administrator.

Use DOSBox

If you have an old DOS application that doesn't work on Windows - probably an old game like the original DOOM - you can run it from DOSBox. DOSBox is free app, which emulates a full DOS environment in a window, allowing you to run DOS applications on Windows. DOSBox has better compatibility than command line. It works so well that some developers optimize their games for DOSBox - if you buy the original DOOM or Quake from the Steam store, they are bundled with DOSBox.

Use a virtual machine

Virtual machines allow you to run programs that ran on previous Windows versions. With a virtual machine, you can install XP, for example, and run it in windowed mode. After that, you can run legacy software from under the virtual machine. Windows 8 does not support XP compatibility from Win 7, but you can get this feature by installing XP in VirtualBox or VMware Player.

Note that virtual machines are not perfect solution for games, since they are much slower and 3D graphics work very mediocre. However, virtual machines have limited support for 3D graphics, so if we are talking about a very ancient game, it should work well in a virtual machine. You may also run into problems when software requires direct access to certain hardware - you can plug a USB device into a virtual machine, but software that depends on direct access to the computer's hardware will not work.

Troubleshooting tips for specific games

G8 users are more likely to experience problems with games than with software, which is timely replaced by new versions or updated. If you're running into issues with a specific game, try searching for the game on the PC Gaming Wiki. This site provides detailed information for troubleshooting most games - not only for Win 8, but also for other versions of operating systems Microsoft systems, as well as other operating systems.

They flooded with questions - "What? Why? How?" in the new "mega-chip" of Windows 7 called Windows XP Mode. I will try to answer briefly, but for those who are especially curious - as in the case of a post about Windows installation 7 on a netbook - I also recorded a video review ... I understand that this looks like an obsession, but what can I do - I, like my wife, suddenly became quite interested in writing a video for a blog (a bad example is contagious, probably). And judging by the statistics, the video turned out to be a very popular thing, I plan to further supplement my separate selection of videos on local UA-IX resources for more convenient viewing by users in Ukraine.

What is Windows XP Mode in Windows 7?

This small piece of technology with the general name of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, MEDV, also known as "bear" (not to be confused with well-known characters in Internet folklore :)) - comes as part of the MDOP 2009 package. A small part, but the most important - Windows XP Mode allows you to run a virtual OS process (Windows XP or Windows Vista) in a specially developed edition Virtual PC(in this moment comes separately in beta status), and in this case, the user will not be shown the desktop of the virtual machine, but only the window of the application that is installed in the virtual OS, but published as a "normal" link in the "Start" menu of the parent system. Thus, for the user, work with applications both installed in "native" Windows 7 and in virtual windows XP is absolutely "transparent" - it will be able to distinguish them only by the design of the windows. And no confusion with desktops, switches and all that. For admins, no compatibility worries about applications written for Windows XP when they run on Windows 7, as they run in their native, albeit virtual, XP environment. Yes, and it is quite difficult to call it especially "virtual", especially when compared with "pure" Hyper-V virtualization - in Windows variant XP Mode supports not only USB flash drives, but also a variety of "natural" USB, and not only devices - so, I "found" and earned a fingerprint reader on my laptop in virtual Windows XP.

In fact, this is all close (or rather, even built on the same principle) to the operation of Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008, where the user sees the windows of individual applications running on the server instead of the remote desktop. Only in the case of MEDV / Windows XP Mode, such a server is a virtual OS, in which special "a la terminal" services are installed, and the "terminal client" is located on the parent OS and its tasks also include "lifting" the virtual OS on request, if it's not working yet. So everything is really simple, no fraud, only "software magic". :)

Oh, and one more thing - MDOP offers this mode of operation not only for Windows 7, but also for Windows Vista, and in addition - utilities for centralized management of images, virtual OS settings and application publishing, which is very useful for networks where even 50 PCs will use a single image and settings.

How to enable/run Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 RC?

Both in RC and in the release (most likely) there is no ready-made "super button" with the proud name "enable Windows XP Mode". The technology is external (again - yet) in relation to Windows 7 itself (only professional editions, Home / Starter editions are not supported). But it doesn't matter - on a special site you can download a new version of Virtual PC for support in Windows 7 Windows mode XP Mode and a "ready" image (about 450MB) of a "clean" Windows XP, in which the necessary services and drivers are installed. For those who want to create their own virtual image, there are beta versions of updates for Vista/XP on the site, the installation of which into the virtual OS adds that support for Windows XP Mode. Download, install - first Virtual PC for Windows 7, then the image itself

A section appears in the "Start" menu in "Programs" Windows Virtual PC, and in it - the point itself Virtual Windows XP. This is a link to the same image, which is 450MB and is installed second :) At the first start, the image is configured in a very trivial way - only the password of the future user is requested and that's it. All settings of this virtual OS correspond to the typical settings of virtual Machines Virtual PC, except for the Auto Publish item that appears. This item is responsible for how applications from virtual Windows XP will be published in the start windows menu 7. By default, there is an automatic publication mode, which means that - Attention!!! - all over again installed applications in the virtual machine will automatically " float" on the menu parent Windows 7

We install what we need - and in the start menu, in the same section Windows Virtual PC section appears Virtual Windows XP Application with links to these virtual applications. Close the virtual machine, run the required application from start menu already Windows 7 - and after a short wait (in the video you can estimate the start time of the virtual machine "in the background" with the subsequent launch of the required OS on the HP 8510w laptop), we get the application in the "real" XP mode.

What are the limitations of Windows XP Mode?

Most importantly, this is the requirement for hardware support for virtualization in processors. Instructions for configuring hardware virtualization are on the same page (above) as the download of Virtual PC itself. I would like to pay special attention to the fact that often after the actual settings of the BIOS settings, to enable hardware virtualization, you also need to physically turn off the computer's power.

Sometimes old games do not run on modern computers, so they need to be launched via dos box emulator, we will give a small instruction.

DOSBox: how to use?

To run the game using DOSBox for Windows 7, 8, 10 or XP:

1. Download free DOSBox for your operating system on the official website;
2. Install DOSbox. A shortcut will appear on the desktop;
3. Download the game if you haven't already;
4. Unpack the downloaded archive, you will get a lot of files. Important: games under DOS are launched with *.bat, *.exe, or *.com files, in each game differently, start in turn, I advise you to start with a file in the name of which the name of the game is present, for example doom.exe;
5. Go to the folder with the game and drag the game launch file directly to the DOSBox shortcut on the desktop Windows desktop. As shown in the picture.

All!!! The game starts and runs without problems.

If suddenly the game does not start: check the setup.exe or install.com files - in DOS games, the sound was configured manually, at that time the sound cards were not compatible, you need to run one of these files, select sound card, for example " sound blaster", and save the settings.

List of DOSBox system buttons:

ALT-ENTER - Switch dosbox to full screen

CTRL-F1 - Remap buttons

CTRL-F5 - Take a screenshot

CTRL-F6 - Start/stop sound recording to wave file

CTRL-ALT-F5 - Start / Stop creating a video from the screen (video capture and recording to avi)

CTRL-F9 - Close DosBox

CTRL-F10 - Capture/Release Mouse

CTRL-F11 - Slow down game speed

CTRL-F12 - Increase game speed

Pressing ALT-F12 (Remove speed limit (turbo button)) accelerates the game to the limit. Acceleration goes while the combination is pressed. It can be very useful for scrolling cutscenes, speeding up waiting, even if the game does not provide for this. Unfortunately the combination is not very stable. The most common symptom with such acceleration is the disappearance of sound in the future.