Oppo advice needed: Legacy Gaming

"IJustWantMyZBack" (IJustWantMyZBack) 06/25/2020 at 11:45 • Filed to: None

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Been cleaning some stuff out and found my copies of the old Microsoft E ntertainment P acks among other vintage games. Feeling a little nostalgic, I want to play them but alas I do not have a PC with a copy of Windows XP or Windows 7 Pro with XP Mode. I know I can likely run this in virtual box but my understanding is that I will still a copy of the OS install disc in order to get up in running.

I have debated buying a second computer that’s old and has XP preloaded but that seems a bit ridiculous. Thoughts? 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 11:54

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How old are these games? DOS? Or NT?

Tripper > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 11:58

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https://archive.org/details/WinXPProSP3x86

bob and john > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 12:00

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older PC’s arent that $$. Id honestly just run the older machine. 

Tripper > Tripper 06/25/2020 at 12:01

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Sorry, look in the comments for the official ms disc if you need a key I can probably find on one of the dinosaurs at work.

facw > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 12:02

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You would still need an XP CD/key, which I’m sure you could find in 5 seconds on the internet (frankly I’m surprised I don’t still have the old standard pirate key memorized, though I think MS cut that off, I recall a much cooler keygen that threw random keys against the local authentication code until one passed).

A dedicated machine feels like overkill, though I’m not sure how well VMs are handling 3D acceleration these days, especially if you wanted Glide support or something for retro gaming.

Either way, I’d strongly recommend keeping XP off the internet.

And of course many old games will run fine on Windows 10 (for my own attempts the biggest hassles seem to be the more restricted “Program Files” directories, 16-bit software (looking at you Lucasarts installers), and invasive DRM software.

Also, even though you have the old copies, it may be a better use of you time and money to just buy again on GOG or Steam to get something that’s supported on modern OSes.

For Sweden > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 12:03

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Everyone loves Legacy gaming

Nibby > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 12:09

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cheapest solution would be to just run XP in a VM... who cares aboutthe license key for an unsupported OS for 6 years now?

you can probably build a nice XP rig for under $80 pretty easily...

or you can use OTVDM on 64-bit windows to run 16-bit apps. It works pretty well but not perfect.

https://github.com/otya128/winevdm/releases

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 12:18

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I’d say to buy the second computer. It really won’t be that much. I keep seeing one on Craigslist near me, a P4 IIRC, for $15. If you are near STL I’d tell you to come over and take one or three of those dinosaurs out of my basement, and take some monitors and a color laser printer while you’re at it. I could even toss in some gameport joysticks and a  20" CRT monitor to get the full retro feel...

facw > For Sweden 06/25/2020 at 12:21

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A little under 2 hours left to get DiRT Rally 2.0 and a bunch of other driving games for $15, and you can send all that money to charity (I recommend the Equal Justice Initiative):

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/codemasters-2020-bundle

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 13:10

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Honestly, it's easier to get old games running well by just getting older hardware. I resell old gaming laptops for that very purpose. 200$ for a 15 year old laptop seems like a lot, but when the old games run just like you remember them, it can be a cheap way to enjoy your extended library. I tend to look for old Dell XPS laptops and towers to refurbish and flip.

IJustWantMyZBack > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 06/25/2020 at 13:49

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Appreciate the offer but I am near Houston. 

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 14:33

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Feeling like making a drive? I’ll spring for dinner...

Please save me from myself... 

DasWauto > IJustWantMyZBack 06/25/2020 at 15:02

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I’ve got a 40 or 50Gb Windows 7 partition on my laptop just to play old games in compatibility mode. Red alert 2 and Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 are still some of my favourites .

barnie > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 06/25/2020 at 15:10

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Damnn, dude, that’s quite a stash. Most I ever had was 9 P90s running under the bench in my workroom. ~2000, all running Slackware . Ran a lot of SETI packe ts when not m odeling weather or crunching some big matrices. #1 was a dual P90 Abit with peltiers way over clocked.

barnie > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 06/25/2020 at 15:12

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Dude, yer gettin’  a Dell!! Oh, wait, you already got....nevermind

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > barnie 06/25/2020 at 15:15

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Yeah, I’ve got too much crap and I keep getting more. That’s just the computers; there’s another stack with network gear, and more boxes of pieces and parts. I did get rid of a huge collection of older stuff when I moved, but then acquired more. On the bright side, I didn’t pay much for this stuff and am pretty happy to give it away to those who need it. Needless to say, there’s always a computer project or three going on in this household...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > barnie 06/25/2020 at 15:19

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Dude! yer gettin’ a Dell! And an HP! And a Compaq! And an Apple! And an Asus! And a Lenovo! And...