Mikeu on 3/12/2006 at 00:35
Hey, I'm having some problems running System Shock 1 that can't be solved by the FAQ, and won't be. The main problem at the moment is that I'm on Windows Vista Build 6000 (MSDN final copy from my fathers buisness). The problem is that according to microsoft, it has problems allowing 16 bit applications full screen and disallows it, and even crashes ntvdm if it is ignored (the warnings, that is) so no full screen applications or games work, and I can't even do a Command prompt and go full screen, it has the same error.
Administrator
"This system does not support fullscreen mode"
This is a cut down slide fro th WINHEC 2k6 slideshow which references my problem.
(
http://img366.imageshack.us/my.php?image=videobioseu8.jpg)
There's a lot of smart people here so..can anyone suggest a fix other than using DOSBOX to emulate DOS?
This is my PC as according to DXDiag
System Information
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200+, ~2.2GHz
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Memory -- 1 gig
Display Devices
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700
Display Memory: 509 MB
Dedicated Memory: 254 MB
Shared Memory: 255 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Sound Devices
Description: Speakers (Creative EMU10K1 Audio Processor (WDM))
Vigil on 3/12/2006 at 00:49
<a href="http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107149">Try System Shock Portable</a>, which is an unzip-and-play version of System Shock packaged with a special VESA driver to (among other things) allow you to run the game in windowed mode. You'll need to run the included setup program to switch it to windowed mode, since it's set up to use fullscreen by default; just read the docs and you should be fine.
If that doesn't work, then your best bet really is Dosbox. From all accounts SS1 is quite playable in DOSBox in 320x200 mode, though the hires modes are right out.
Mikeu on 3/12/2006 at 00:59
I'll give it a try, downloading it now via bittorrent. If it doesn't work..haha..Lots of problems. mainly this kills a lot of things I've been wanting to try. The only reason I'm in Vista right now is my father wanted me to be his test machine because I use a lot of varied types of programs (including dos programs, like the programs he still writes) so when I found this out he said he'd just write in a forced windowed mode in vista but..that doesn't help me with System Shock 1 or Little Big Adventure that I want to play..I'll post the results after I get it tested
Mikeu on 3/12/2006 at 02:21
It errors even after I set it to windowed mode. It can't find the glide2x.dll (and I pointed it to the one in shock/res but that doesn't help) and immediately says it can't go full screen. Therefore either that file is glitching and causing it to be unable to load in windowed mode or something else is wrong on the PC. Clicking ignore makes it show vesa.exe and says that its unable to find glide2x.dll though I pointed it to the correct location. Any ideas?
included screenshot of the error
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http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brokenvistagz2.jpg)
Vigil on 3/12/2006 at 12:41
Your diagnosis is probably correct. As to why it's failing to recognise the glide2x.dll, though... that may be a vista-specific problem, because I can think of no other reason for it to fail to find the file.
Does it show the same cannot-find-glide2x.dll error message if you open a command window, CD to the RES directory and run dgvesa.com on its own?
Mikeu on 3/12/2006 at 16:44
Just tried that now, and yes. It's not finding the file when I use cmd to go to C:\Shock\RES and load dgvesa.com
Vigil on 3/12/2006 at 19:40
In which case it probably is Vista-specific. All I can hazard a guess at is that Vista's security settings block glide2x.dll from being loaded, and that dgvesa uses a standard "DLL does not exist" error message for any kind of failure to load the DLL.
Which doesn't really help you much! You could try contacting the programmer of the VESA/Glide wrapper <a href="http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=6225&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=240">in this thread</a>, but he says there's intractable problems with the DOS side of the wrapper in 64-bit OSes and by the sounds of it he is not interested in further development. So it's looking like Dosbox is the only viable option.
Ryu Connor on 3/12/2006 at 20:47
Quote Posted by Vigil
All I can hazard a guess at is that Vista's security settings block glide2x.dll from being loaded, and that dgvesa uses a standard "DLL does not exist" error message for any kind of failure to load the DLL.
Nah. System Shock Portable happily operates under a Limited User Account (LUA). Vista's UAC shouldn't have any issues with it.
Quote Posted by Vigil
but he says there's intractable problems with the DOS side of the wrapper in 64-bit OSes
Yeah, it's called Microsoft ditched 16bit support.
(
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282423)
Quote:
No 16-Bit Code* No 16-bit code can run, except for recognized InstallShield and Acme installers (these are hard-coded in Wow64 to allow them to work).
* 16-bit Setup bootstraps are not supported.
* 16-bit MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows 3.x utilities will not start. If you attempt to start such a program, you receive a "Program.exe is not a valid Win32 application" error message.
Mikeu on 4/12/2006 at 00:36
But that's the thing. It's ditched in the x64 edition, True. But I'm running an x86 edition (32 bit edition of windows vista) because I WANTED 16 bit support still(although I have a 64bit processor which is capable of handling it). It seems the only problem right now is microsoft blocking the display from going full screen so the game can not load. (and I really am hoping for a solution that is not DOSBOX since I've played SS1 every time on 640X480.)
