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
buying computer with window xp in stores #878261
04/04/13 11:07 AM
04/04/13 11:07 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
does anybody know which stores not online that i can go to to buy that have window xp, because the patches do not work, half of my games do not play great on window 7.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878267
04/04/13 11:20 AM
04/04/13 11:20 AM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
You cannot buy computers with XP any more. Microsoft will be stopping support for this old operating system in about a year. You might be able to find old computers on some place like EBay, but I would be careful there.

What kind of problems are you having? Almost all of my games are playing perfectly on Windows 7 and even on Windows 8.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878269
04/04/13 11:29 AM
04/04/13 11:29 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
the black mirror won't play, crime stories won't play, natalie brooks 2, cannot push read, so phone will not ring, cannot play nancy drew stay tune for danger, secrets can kill, and the patch jenny gave me won't work, and dracula 3 to work.

Last edited by family; 04/04/13 11:43 AM.
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878299
04/04/13 01:58 PM
04/04/13 01:58 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: family
the black mirror won't play, crime stories won't play, natalie brooks 2, cannot push read, so phone will not ring, cannot play nancy drew stay tune for danger, secrets can kill, and the patch jenny gave me won't work, and dracula 3 to work.


The Black Mirror requires a NoCD patch. Crime Stories is a different animal, the graphics engine is incompatible with Windows 7.

Drac - if you have a copy of it, does Crime Stories play under Windows 8?

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878301
04/04/13 02:01 PM
04/04/13 02:01 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
There are some games that use certain kinds of copy protection that won't play on Windows 7. I think Black Mirror is one of them. I'm pretty sure Dracula 3 played just fine for me, but I will load it up and double check.

Others have gotten all the Nancy Drew games to play just fine. Have your tried playing that one in compatibility mode for XP?

EDIT: I loaded Dracula 3 and am having some issues with the video, but it plays just fine. Danyboy and I did a review of this game for Mystery Manor in 2008. I played in on my old XP computer and Danyboy played it on his Vista computer and it played fine for both of us. What issues are you having with Dracula 3 on your computer?

Inland, I don't have Crime Stories or I would gladly check it out.

Any thoughts on why the video is "jittery" in Dracula 3? I said yes when asked to install DirectX 9.0c. Video card is a GTX 260.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: Draclvr] #878313
04/04/13 02:44 PM
04/04/13 02:44 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,169
near Yosemite
Marian Offline
Global Moderator
Marian  Offline
Global Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,169
near Yosemite
The original Secrets Can Kill and Stay Tuned for Danger apparently do install and run for most if not all Windows 7 users, but unfortunately there is no sound. Playing the Secrets Can Kill Remastered version eliminates the problem, but there is no good fix that I know of for Stay Tuned for Danger.

So, it's just the very first Nancy Drew game (the original Secrets Can Kill) and Stay Tuned for Danger (#2) that are generally a no-go for Windows 7 users.

Her Interactive discusses the difficulties with Stay Tuned for Danger here.

Maybe you can find a workaround, Drac; we would be forever in your debt! wave

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878320
04/04/13 03:36 PM
04/04/13 03:36 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
Stay Tuned has another problem due to a certain timed puzzle. The speed of the puzzle was dependent on the speed of the computer processor. They came up with a "patch" that gave you more time on the "newer computers" -- which worked in the early 2000's. But computers kept getting faster and faster and the patch doesn't work anymore because the puzzle is still dependent on computer speed.

The problem with the sound card could probably be circumvented by playing the game inside Virtual PC, which emulates an old Soundblaster 16 sound card. Of course you'd need a Windows 95 or 98 CD to install Windows inside Virtual PC. And there would still be the problem with the timed puzzle that's dependent on processor speed.

Originally Posted By: Draclvr
Any thoughts on why the video is "jittery" in Dracula 3? I said yes when asked to install DirectX 9.0c. Video card is a GTX 260.

I'd guess it was a driver incompatibility. If you had XP or earlier, I'd suggest reducing video acceleration. But drivers for Vista, Win7, and Win8 don't usually allow you to reduce video acceleration. So you're left with trying a different, often older version of the drivers -- and that's not so good for Win8.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878327
04/04/13 04:05 PM
04/04/13 04:05 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
I'm on Windows 7 with the jittery video issue, but I had a similar issue with Dracula 3 on Windows 8. I can go into my Nvidia settings, but it's a wilderness there and of course, as you say, there's no simple video acceleration setting.

Family, I would still be interested in what your issues are with Dracula 3. I would like to know if my problem is my video card and maybe the game would play on lower end graphics.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878343
04/04/13 05:13 PM
04/04/13 05:13 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
if you click on the icon nothing, jenny gave me the nocd patch and i follow i cut nothing for the black mirror, natalie brooks 2 , i cannot click the read on the cellphone, crime stories video game is a black screen.

Last edited by family; 04/04/13 05:14 PM.
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878345
04/04/13 05:40 PM
04/04/13 05:40 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
When you say click on the icon, are you talking about Dracula 3? If you double click on the play icon, it should launch. If it won't launch, then something else is wrong that has nothing to do with Windows 7.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878349
04/04/13 06:02 PM
04/04/13 06:02 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
yes i click on dracula 3 icon and nothing.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878352
04/04/13 06:12 PM
04/04/13 06:12 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
The NoCD patch was for Black Mirror, Draclvr.
But Family is having troubles with more than one game.

Family, is your video card an onboard card (built into the motherboard) or is it a separate card. If it's an onboard card, it probably has no video RAM of its own and that may be why some games won't play.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878354
04/04/13 06:18 PM
04/04/13 06:18 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Yeah, I know... she has listed several games she is having trouble with. I was checking on Dracula 3 for her on my Windows 7. I knew Black Mirror needed the NoCD patch, wasn't sure about the Nancy Drew games, but was surprised about Dracula 3. I thought I had tested it on Windows 7, but obviously I hadn't!

If the game won't even launch from the gameplay icon, something else is wrong. Like Jenny says, if you have on-board video, that may be causing problems too. Dracula 3 needs a 64MB DirectX 9.0 3D Compatible Video Card and preferably a 128MB card. What do you have in your computer?


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878365
04/04/13 07:05 PM
04/04/13 07:05 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
is that why i am having trouble with natalie brooks 2 and crime stories too., i will check, it saids a direct 11, when i did a dxdiag, and ran a dx diag and it said no problems.

Last edited by family; 04/04/13 07:26 PM.
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878369
04/04/13 07:17 PM
04/04/13 07:17 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 9,848
San Diego, CA
Sorta Blonde Offline
BAAG Specialist
Sorta Blonde  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 9,848
San Diego, CA
If you really want XP, you can do what I did. Got newish computer, removed the current operating system and installed XP which I bought from ebay seller (legal, unused copy with all documentation) and had my computer guru friend install it. I'm happy with it. Be sure you aren't buying a used or illegal copy or there will be mega troubles. Microsoft is discontinuing the support of XP but I am happy with it on my old computer and now the newish one. Good luck.


WARNING! This person is extremely blonde...please type SLOWLY.
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878372
04/04/13 07:27 PM
04/04/13 07:27 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
thank you very much, i have a xp cd-rom, that i kept , which this one was xp, til the guy turn it into window 7, and now it saying the color scheme is the problem.

Last edited by family; 04/04/13 09:20 PM.
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878391
04/04/13 10:41 PM
04/04/13 10:41 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
family, you've never told us what your video card is... What is saying you have a problem with your color scheme?


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878460
04/05/13 09:38 AM
04/05/13 09:38 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
when i do the compatibily tab, and it is ati, i look it up.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878462
04/05/13 09:45 AM
04/05/13 09:45 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
What does dxdiag say?

Click the start button in the lower left corner of your screen, type
dxdiag
in the Search box and OK it.

When dxdiag appears, choose the Display tab.
What does it say for the Name: of the video card?

Here's an example of what you might see
http://www.windowsresource.net/cimages/dxdiag2.jpg

The top circled thing in the picture is the "Name:" and it should say something more specific than just ATI.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878464
04/05/13 09:49 AM
04/05/13 09:49 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
ati radeon hd 5450 is the name,memory 2801mb.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878465
04/05/13 09:52 AM
04/05/13 09:52 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
Is this a laptop?
If it's a brand name computer, what's the brand and model number?

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: Draclvr] #878521
04/05/13 01:21 PM
04/05/13 01:21 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: Draclvr

Inland, I don't have Crime Stories or I would gladly check it out.

Any thoughts on why the video is "jittery" in Dracula 3?


Like Jenny said, it may be a drive issue. I seem to recall having a few jitters myself, and I used a GTX 460.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878554
04/05/13 03:38 PM
04/05/13 03:38 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
no it is a desktop, intel core,and powerspec.

Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878559
04/05/13 04:12 PM
04/05/13 04:12 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Offline
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,983
Near St. Louis, MO
Is Powerspec the brand of the computer? I've never heard of it.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: buying computer with window xp in stores [Re: family] #878567
04/05/13 04:47 PM
04/05/13 04:47 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
family Offline OP
BAAG Specialist
family  Offline OP
BAAG Specialist

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7,397
marietta,georgia
intel(r) core(tm) is the processore.

Page 1 of 2 1 2
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

Moderated by  Draclvr 

Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 230 guests, and 0 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Staff, Mod
Newest Members
PierreLombardo, Dux, WillPowerGoat, Ebalon, J7769mon
9388 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™