Member Avatar for Paddy

I recently got myself a few old games that I wanted to play but they don't seem to like XP. I get errors about DOS and such, and I know that XP doesn't support DOS, but is there some sort of "emulator" or something that I can get so I can play these games?

Thanks muchly ;)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by DRCRAFT

Dani AI

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Thanks to for starting the thread and to and for the early tips — a few focused additions that actually solve most of the “old game won’t run on XP” cases.

For true DOS titles: run them under an emulator such as DOSBox rather than XP’s compatibility layer. 32‑bit XP includes a limited NTVDM that will run simple DOS programs, but it doesn’t emulate real‑mode hardware the way games expect (and 64‑bit Windows cannot run 16‑bit DOS apps at all). DOSBox recreates a DOS environment, CD audio, sound card and joystick support. Quick workflow:

Create a folder on C: (e.g. C:\DOSGAMES) and copy the game there.
Run DOSBox.
Inside DOSBox:
  mount c c:\dosgames
  c:
  cd gamename
  gamename.exe

Adjust DOSBox’s config if sound or timing is off.

For Windows 95/98 era games that need direct hardware access, copy‑protection drivers or legacy DirectX, use a virtual machine (VirtualBox / VMware / Microsoft Virtual PC) and install the older OS inside it. That gives the closest behavior to the original environment; remember to use valid OS media/licenses and install any legacy drivers the game needs.

Specific note for (The Dark Side of the Moon): missing dialog/save text is often a permissions or runtime issue. Check that the game can write to its save folder (Program Files is protected on XP), run the EXE with an account that has administrative rights, try Windows 95/98 compatibility modes, and install the game’s required DirectX redistributable if present. If those fail, run the game inside a Win9x VM — that fixes most odd text and save problems without resorting to unsupported patches.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

right click on the .EXE of the game and chose properties and then Compatibilty ,click on the link down the bottom to learn more about Compatibility

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Oh wow! I just had an article published about this a couple of days ago!

Here it is.

Member Avatar for Paddy

LOL I never even knew about that compatibility thingy! I actually found settings in there that let me play games that I wouldn't even have previously bothered trying! Thanks a lot caperjack.

I bookmarked your article, Catweazle! Its really useful.

Many thanks to both of you. Ever need a kidney, look no further.

Member Avatar for DRCRAFT

Anyone out there having a real problem with The Dark Side of the Moon pc game; having no reply nor save game text? If you have a real solution please reply. Re-installing is not the answer nor are there any patchs, that I'm aware of at least! Thank you!

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