GAMEBOOMERS provides you with all the latest PC adventure computer games information, forum, walkthroughs, reviews and news.

GB Reviews

Latest & Upcoming Adventure Games

GB Annual Game Lists

GB Interviews

BAAGS

GB @ acebook

About Us

Walkthroughs

free games galore

Game Publishers & Developers

World of Adventure

Patches

GB @ witter

GameBoomers Store

Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Virtual PC #1050349
01/17/16 04:47 PM
01/17/16 04:47 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Interesting glitch with Virtual PC on Windows 7.

After a great battle with getting Virtual PC to run on Windows 7 - after a great deal from help from Gameboomers experts - I managed to get it running. I recently reloaded the old Windows 98 game Lighthouse and it seemed to run perfectly, but then I encountered a problem. When I was in the submarine at the wreck of the Ironclad, had got into the minisub and was trying to make my way to recovering the gun piece, I found that the controls would not allow me to manoeuvre the controls to get the device - hook? - off the wall to attach to the probe at the front of the minisub.

It does not seem to be possible to inch my way up to the necessary position to get hold of the device. When I attempt to move the attachment at the end of the probe, I cannot do it. If I try to move it to the right/left or up/down by clicking on the left hand lever, the only thing that I can do is move the attachment right to the end of its travel - there is no way of inching it along. The same thing occurs when I try using the arrows on the keyboard: it is a bang/bang system - I was a control engineer in my long-distant past and I remember those old systems.

I tried it for a while but cannot change the performance to an analogue system - it is effectively digitally stuck.
As I do recall that there is a later problem in the game associated with closing steam valves in the lava pit, I am sure that a bang/bang system would be hopeless under these circumstances.

That is - unless anyone can help me!!



petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050351
01/17/16 05:00 PM
01/17/16 05:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
InlandAZ Offline
BAAG Specialist
InlandAZ  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
There is a patch ** Here ** that addresses problems on the sub. See if it helps.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050499
01/18/16 12:19 PM
01/18/16 12:19 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
I have downloaded the second Patch 9(litept2A) and put it on a CD, but Virtual PC cannot see the patch.
(I have not arranged for VPC to connect to the internet, though I did try, but Windows 98 does not allow me to connect.
Not that I am particularly bothered, as the host Windows 7 is OK, and also is protected via antivirus etc.)

So my Cunning Plan to creep litept 2A into Virtual PC via a CD did not work.

Presumably, the Windows 98 system cannot read the data that I downloaded and put on the CD.

There must be an easy way to get the data from the Windows 7 download into the VPC, but I cannot seem to figure it out.

Anyway, many thanks for the advice. I do remember that I had to put the patch into my VirtualPC which I used to run on my XP machine, but the shortcoming that I had with Lighthouse was associated with the lack of a map of the rail system in the volcano on the wall in the steam room. But I never had a problem with the bang/bang system in the submarine. I hope that the 3rd patch could perhaps fix that problem.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050564
01/18/16 03:32 PM
01/18/16 03:32 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
InlandAZ Offline
BAAG Specialist
InlandAZ  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
Try to drag and drop the file from the host PC to the Virtual Desktop.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050567
01/18/16 03:58 PM
01/18/16 03:58 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Trouble is, I can't see the normal Desktop when I have clicked on Virtual PC. The virtual PC fills the entire screen, and I haven't found a way to get hold of the file that I want to drag it in.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050569
01/18/16 04:37 PM
01/18/16 04:37 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
InlandAZ Offline
BAAG Specialist
InlandAZ  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
Click "Right ALT+Enter" - that should toggle the virtual desktop to a smaller window.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050586
01/18/16 05:46 PM
01/18/16 05:46 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Progress - of a sort.
Your advice about 'Right Alt Enter' worked fine, but I cannot drag and drop into Virtual PC - I always get the 'No Entry' sign when I try.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050602
01/18/16 07:18 PM
01/18/16 07:18 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
I usually use a burning program (imgburn for example) to create an iso file containing whatever files I want to transfer to the OS inside the virtual machine (in your case, Windows 98). Then I tell Virtual PC to load the iso as the CD drive. Once Windows 98 is started, I can either run the files directly off what Windows 98 thinks is the CD, or I can copy them from what Windows 98 thinks is the CD to a folder on the Windows 98 virtual hard drive. I think the patch for Lighthouse may have been one that has to be copied to the game folder though -- can't remember.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050617
01/18/16 07:59 PM
01/18/16 07:59 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
InlandAZ Offline
BAAG Specialist
InlandAZ  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
Originally Posted By: petert
Progress - of a sort.
Your advice about 'Right Alt Enter' worked fine, but I cannot drag and drop into Virtual PC - I always get the 'No Entry' sign when I try.

petert


Are you running Virtual PC "2007" ?

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050675
01/19/16 06:31 AM
01/19/16 06:31 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
It is my feeling that the original patch - litept2a - had to put into the game folder.
Not sure that I can follow the advice from Jenny100 about 'imgburn' and 'iso'; my knowledge of these things is sketchy at best.

I am running VPG 2007.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050727
01/19/16 10:57 AM
01/19/16 10:57 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
You don't have to use imgburn.
Nearly every modern disc burning program has the ability to create iso files (CD images) from files on your hard drive instead of burning them to CDR or DVD+R.

You said Windows 98 couldn't read the CD with the patch on it.
Using an iso file and telling Virtual PC to use the iso as your CD drive is one way of getting around that.

Using imgburn is easy:

Open imgburn
Choose the button to create (or "Build") an iso.
Browse to the file(s) you want to be in the iso and add them.
Name your iso file
Click the button to create the iso.

Other disc burning programs that can create iso files will have similar procedures, and you can certainly use one of those. If you install Imgburn, watch out that it doesn't try to install McAfee or some other trialware.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050763
01/19/16 03:53 PM
01/19/16 03:53 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
InlandAZ Offline
BAAG Specialist
InlandAZ  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,263
Arizona
Originally Posted By: petert
It is my feeling that the original patch - litept2a - had to put into the game folder.
Not sure that I can follow the advice from Jenny100 about 'imgburn' and 'iso'; my knowledge of these things is sketchy at best.

I am running VPG 2007.

petert


If you haven't installed the VM Additions, you'll need to in order to support drag and drop.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050865
01/20/16 06:26 AM
01/20/16 06:26 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Thanks to both of you: I now have the litept2a installed, and will try again at the game.

If it works in the scout submarine, well and good. If it doesn't, I will put in the third patch.

Thanks again.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1050979
01/20/16 03:57 PM
01/20/16 03:57 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
I have managed to get the 3 patches into the Sierra folder - I think - but the performance of the game is unchanged insofar as the scout submarine is concerned. It is still a bang/bang system.

Not to worry. I will fiddle a bit more with the game and I think I am gradually improving my knowledge.

It's a bit like the situation when an impassioned lawyer sets out a most convoluted argument to prove his client is innocent, and when the judge says "I listened to your speech, but I confess that I am no wiser" the lawyer replies "Perhaps no wiser, my Lord, but infinitely better informed".

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051002
01/20/16 05:39 PM
01/20/16 05:39 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
I suggest watching a YouTube playthrough to make sure you're doing the puzzle correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vY8wlnymIk&index=11&list=PL241CB5AC2ABB5623

If you have version 2.0 of the game, you only need the latest patch, which is from 1997.
Most people have version 2.0, and going by the description of the latest patch, version 2.0 already had the submarine problem fixed.
However the submarine "puzzle" is fiddly, and if you have an old version 1.x of Lighthouse, and didn't patch before playing, you may have to go back to a save before the submarine chapter.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051121
01/21/16 05:39 PM
01/21/16 05:39 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
I believe that the problem is a little more deep-seated. Or maybe that is easier to solve by you experts!

I managed to ensure that the patch I wanted - the one that adds a hint system and adds a red light to tell me when the device at the bow of the scout submarine is in the correct alignment - was correctly installed into the Lightwin folder, because when I 'explored' that folder I could see that the patch was there.

BUT, now here is the thing, I do not believe that I had ever managed to get Lighthouse into the 'C' drive. I never saw the correct icon in the 'C' drive, but always had to load it from the CD. I have tried the usual trick of clearing all the Lighthouse data from the computer and then reloading it, but it seems that the only way to launch the game is via the CD.

Which I guess explains why nothing that I have tried by patching the game has no effect.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051201
01/22/16 11:21 AM
01/22/16 11:21 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Update from yesterday.

When I look in the 'c' drive, I can see the Lighthouse icon in 'Lightwin', but when I click on it, I am asked what program I wish to use to open it but, unsurprisingly, nothing in the list seems to work.

Then I look at the last icon in Lightwin, which is 'Sierw5', and when I click on that, I can enter the game. But when I do that I find that when I wish to load a game, there is no Hint option displayed. Of course, I do not need a hint, but I am aware that the Litept 2a is supposed to, among other things, add the hint system, but it doesn't seem to be there.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051647
01/24/16 03:38 PM
01/24/16 03:38 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 243
C
Collector Offline
Settled Boomer
Collector  Offline
Settled Boomer
C

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 243
Why bother with a VM for Lighthouse? Just use the new installer. It includes all relevant patches and automatically sets everything up for you. And just so you know, the Windows version of the game is more buggy.

http://sierrahelp.com/Patches-Updates/NewSierraInstallers.html#Lighthouse


Owner, author of The Sierra Help Pages
Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051651
01/24/16 04:32 PM
01/24/16 04:32 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Originally Posted By: petert
When I look in the 'c' drive, I can see the Lighthouse icon in 'Lightwin', but when I click on it, I am asked what program I wish to use to open it but, unsurprisingly, nothing in the list seems to work.

It's probably not the actual .exe file.
Either that or it has to be launched from another file which configures it to run in Windows properly.

Quote:
Then I look at the last icon in Lightwin, which is 'Sierw5', and when I click on that, I can enter the game.

That kind of thing is not unusual for a Sierra game.
Don't worry about it.
You know which file starts the game.

Quote:
But when I do that I find that when I wish to load a game, there is no Hint option displayed. Of course, I do not need a hint, but I am aware that the Litept 2a is supposed to, among other things, add the hint system, but it doesn't seem to be there.

It's probably not a Hint feature like what you're expecting. ***AdventureLantern*** describes it like this
Originally Posted By: adventurelantern
The game does include a built-in help system in the main menu. This operates on the basis of the screen at which the player left the game, providing pre-defined hints for that screen. While at times useful (for instance in providing the method to clear the tumblers in the safe puzzle), this help is not sensitive to the state of that screen, and thus the same help will appear for a given screen regardless of the state of any puzzles to which it might refer.

So it may not even appear until you play a while before returning to the main menu.
I'm not sure if loading an old save will refresh it.
I played the 2.0a patched version in Windows 98 on an old computer about 15 years ago, and have a vague recollection that the "Help" rarely appeared and wasn't helpful when it did.

So I'd forget about the so-called Hint/Help feature. If the game isn't cooperating in other ways, try Collector's installer, which will probably use DOSBox (DOSBox controls for processor speed, and excess processor speed can cause bugs).

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051663
01/24/16 06:07 PM
01/24/16 06:07 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
You are absolutely right about the Hint file, which was in the chocolate teapot school of utility.


My problem is that the Litept2a file, according to the instructions for the patch, was supposed to add the Hint file and also include a red light at the top of the screen to help in positioning the device to enable capture of the hook.
I found that the Hint option never appeared at any time ( not that was of any use during the game), and that the red light never appeared. So there was no way of positioning the probe at the front of the scout submarine - it would simply whang from side to side and top to bottom with no intermediate positions whatsoever. Not a lot of use, and would have been equally useless in the lava pit.

My assumption, therefore, is that if the Hint file did not appear, then it was a fair bet that the red light would not appear either, so it was fairly futile to carry on with the game. As I recall, the hint option appeared early in the game whenever I used to play Lighthouse - in the last century, of course!

I will have a go at Collector's installer - I had never heard of this before.

Thank you, Jenny100.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1051844
01/25/16 04:55 PM
01/25/16 04:55 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Originally Posted By: petert
I found that the Hint option never appeared at any time ( not that was of any use during the game), and that the red light never appeared. So there was no way of positioning the probe at the front of the scout submarine - it would simply whang from side to side and top to bottom with no intermediate positions whatsoever.

That's really starting to sound like a "too-fast computer" problem.

Quote:
I will have a go at Collector's installer - I had never heard of this before.

That should work. At least it will take care of any "too-fast computer" problems.

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1052283
01/28/16 08:56 AM
01/28/16 08:56 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
Sadly, the Dosbox installer did not load correctly.
I went through the instructions happily enough, loaded in the CD, was asked to wait while the installer chuntered on but then the system seemed to stop working correctly. The green installation bar got to about 98% of the way across, and then would not go to the end.
I left it for about 3 hours, with no success.
I then tried to leave the installer but it would not let me - I had to force shutdown of the Windows 7 machine to leave the program.

I feel that the Lighthouse game, for me, is jinxed.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1052300
01/28/16 11:21 AM
01/28/16 11:21 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
I've had times where an installer puts up a popup box for me to OK something, but it appears behind the main installer window so I don't see it. I have to hover my mouse over the icons in the taskbar in order to access the OK box and get control back to the main installer. Is it possible something like that happened?

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1052309
01/28/16 12:16 PM
01/28/16 12:16 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
I'll try that.

petert

Re: Virtual PC [Re: petert] #1052328
01/28/16 02:36 PM
01/28/16 02:36 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
petert Offline OP
Settled Boomer
petert  Offline OP
Settled Boomer

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 909
Hampshire, UK
It worked the second time I tried - I did exactly the same as before and it loaded perfectly.

Very strange, but most satisfactory.

Can I get the Litept2a patch in to Dosbox? The map on the wall in the steam room at the lava pit will not be there because it did not exist when I played the game original, unpatched so to speak.

Many thanks, both for you, Jenny100, and for Collector's Sierra help page.

petert

Page 1 of 2 1 2
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

Moderated by  Draclvr 

Who's Online Now
2 registered members (oldbroad, BrownEyedTigre), 233 guests, and 0 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Staff, Mod
Newest Members
PierreLombardo, Dux, WillPowerGoat, Ebalon, J7769mon
9388 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™