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Just out of Curiosity... #1075218
07/23/16 02:33 AM
07/23/16 02:33 AM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,249
Delaware
Tracy Offline OP
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Tracy  Offline OP
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Hi everyone. I just had a quick question and thought I'd post and see what your opinions might be. I recently bought a lot of older Nancy Drew games so I could replay them, but some won't play on my laptop w/Windows 10. I've been tossing around the idea of buying an older laptop with an old version of Windows (say Windows 98 or maybe XP) in order to play them, but I'm not sure if it'll be worth it. I've found some pretty good ones on eBay, and the prices are pretty good, but one thing holding me back from jumping into this is that if something goes wrong with the laptop, I probably won't be able to find someone to repair it. I'm just curious tonight if any of you guys may have done this and what your experiences have been like?

Thanks so much for your help!
Tracy


“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
― George Eliot
Re: Just out of Curiosity... [Re: Tracy] #1075220
07/23/16 03:23 AM
07/23/16 03:23 AM
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Posts: 2,849
Michigan
Geo Offline
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I would try this first if you didn't know about it.
( http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/set-compatibility-mode-windows-10 )

Re: Just out of Curiosity... [Re: Tracy] #1075237
07/23/16 11:49 AM
07/23/16 11:49 AM
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Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
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Most Nancy Drew games (except for the first two) will install and run on 64-bit Windows 7 using compatibility mode. So it's worth trying to configure them on Windows 10. HerInteractive has tips for installing on Windows 10 here
http://www.herinteractive.com/2015/12/windows-10-game-installation/

Treasure in the Royal Tower and Final Scene (two of the early games) can't be installed at the same time, no matter what version of Windows you're using. This also occurred back when the game first came out and isn't a Windows-10-specific issue. You can read about it at the web archive ***here***. HerInteractive made a "patch" but I never used it and don't know if it works on Windows 7 or later.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+


And about old laptops...

"SirDave" used to have a series of articles about playing older games on old laptops over at JA+, but the links are long since gone or changed. He had similar articles in the Adventure Lantern magazine though, and those are still available. There might be some info there on what laptops to look at. However those are for laptops with Windows 95/98, not XP. Look for the articles on "The Best Way To Play Old Classics" in these issues:

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_Sep2006.pdf
page 29

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_Oct2006.pdf
page 24

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_Nov2006.pdf
page 20

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_Feb2007.pdf
page 23

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_Sept2007.pdf
page 12

http://www.adventurelantern.com/Magazine/AdventureLantern_NovDec2007.pdf
page 10

These aren't Nancy Drew games, but they give an idea what to look for in the way of a Windows 98 laptop. It's also interesting to check out the rest of the magazine and see what games were "current" back in 2006-2007.

One problem with older Windows 95/98 laptops is that the screen may not be very good. I'm not talking about resolution -- I'm talking about colors being "off" -- yellowed or dull or with strange tinted patches. This may or may not bother you. As you continue to play with the old laptop, you get used to it. But moving back and forth between an old laptop and a new one you'll see a difference. Most old laptops will have a VGA output and can be plugged into an appropriate monitor, but it sounds like all you have is another laptop.

Screens on laptops that shipped with XP will be much better. However if you get one with widescreen that may cause an issue with full screen games.

It's probably not an issue with the older Nancy Drew games, but other Windows 98 games may require a video card with discrete video memory, and you won't find that on Windows 98 laptops.

Battery life is not good on older laptops either, even if you buy a "fresh" battery. Plan to use the laptop plugged in. The people who use and collect these old laptops usually service the laptops themselves, or have a friend who will do it for them if there is a problem.

If you decide to try an old laptop, you may want to check Craigslist (not just eBay) and see if any are offered in your area. That way you might be able to see it before buying it.

Re: Just out of Curiosity... [Re: Jenny100] #1075240
07/23/16 12:08 PM
07/23/16 12:08 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,228
near Yosemite
Marian Offline
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Several users on the Her Interactive forum have reported that they can get *all* the Nancy Drew games running on Windows 10 - just follow the installation instructions that Jenny posted the link to above.

I actually was able to run Stay Tuned for Danger perfectly with no problems on my Windows 7 Home computer, but with Windows 7 Pro I had to use XP mode in order to get the sound to work (this is off topic of Windows 10, I know, but I thought this information might prove useful for someone). The same rules applied for the original Secrets Can Kill.

Re: Just out of Curiosity... [Re: Tracy] #1075403
07/24/16 05:19 PM
07/24/16 05:19 PM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,249
Delaware
Tracy Offline OP
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Tracy  Offline OP
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Delaware
Oh thanks SO much Jenny and Geo and Marian! I'll see what I can do w/ the compatibility stuff before buying an old laptop. You guys are the bomb. : )

PS I'm having a ball reading these old Adventure Lantern articles! How fun to read about and see pics of old games!

Tracy

Last edited by Tracy; 07/24/16 06:09 PM. Reason: Added info

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
― George Eliot
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