Jekyll & Hyde (2010)

Hi, Everyone.

I just installed the above game. But when I tried to play it, it crashed right away with the Windows error message about checking for an online solution (never works!) and/or close the program. I never even got to see the opening cutscene. I am running the game on Win 7, and the game is for Win 7, Vista, and XP SP2. Can someone help, and ASAP, please? Thanks.

Is this a download from somewhere or the original disk?

If it's this game
https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/jekyll-hyde_
The problem is likely to be the DRM if the game on DVD, and you'll probably need a NoCD.
If it's a download it shouldn't have that problem, but I'm not seeing the game on Steam.

If it's this game
https://www.mobygames.com/game/mysterious-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/release-info
https://www.bigfishgames.com/games/5887/the-mysterious-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/
It should work if it's from Big Fish.

No, Draclvr. It's the original disk. It took me practically forever to finally trust even Big Fish enough to start downloading their games. And I think it was only early this year that I finally started downloading games from Steam - and only because, as hard as it is to find adventure games these days, the ones I can find seem to come with only the Steam installer.

Thanks for the links, Jenny, but as I just mentioned, the game is not a download but on the original disk. And I don't think it's from mobygames either. As I mentioned in my original message, I couldn't even see the opening credits, cutscene, anything. But I don't see the name "mobygames" anywhere on the game's case. On the front, it just says Adventure Games. On the back, there is a clutter of credits in the lower-right corner: Adventure Company, PhysX NVidia, Bink Video, EMOTIONFX, and Pixelcage. When I searched for the game's files in Computer, it gives me a folder BitComposer. Does any of that help you determine anything...?

I should also tell you that the problem details included in the Windows Error message I get identify "Hyde.exe" both as the Application Name and as the Fault Module Name. I kind of thought it might be the .exe file that is causing the problem, so the Error Message seems to confirm that. Is there any way to fix that?

Last, but not least, Jenny, didn't you once tell me that it's not a good idea to use NoCD, because it can have viruses or might be pirated, or something like that?

Finally, thanks a lot, both you guys. I really appreciate your trying to help. And do, please, "stay" with me and help me get this problem resolved. As you well know, there are just SO few Adventure games left, and I am now down to the last few I have left...

Then I suspect that the problem is that Windows 7 is blocking the DRM as Jenny said. And yes, the NoCDs can be infected... but there are also reputable sources for them out there.

Thanks. Could you please give me a link to one or more of these reputable sources?

I don't use them, so I don't have any links. Hopefully, Jenny will have some suggestions for you.

Hey, Jenny. Hope you read my above reply? I just checked your first link: https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/jekyll-hyde_ Yes, that 's my game all right! The link shows a a pretty similar cover. In my game, the "PC DVD" don't appear in a box as it does in the one in the link. Also, mine has "Teen" instead of the other stuff that shows in the lower-left corner of the link's cover. But the link does mention the same publisher BitComposer and developer Pixelcage. But there is no tab or link to any support on that page. Do you know how to contact those folks for tech help?

I guess you figured out by now that Mobygames is a game encyclopedia, not a download website. It's useful for identifying games. And yes, that's the game that might have a problem with the disc-based DRM.

I kind of doubt the game is still being supported. BitComposer has a website here
http://www.bit-composer.com/www_en/
but there is no mention of the Jekyll & Hyde game.


The NoCD itself wouldn't be pirated. In the past, pirates may have used NoCD's along with illegal downloads. However people who bought the games also used NoCD's when the DRM failed to allow their legally bought games to run, or was adding several minutes to the time it took the game to start.

The problem with NoCD's is mostly one of reputation -- do you trust the people who made the NoCD not to put a virus in it? I think most of them are fine, but just in case, you should probably scan the NoCD with an antivirus before using it.

I haven't used many NoCD's and I'm certainly not an expert.

As for direct links to NoCD's, I can't give one because of how the websites that host the NoCD for this particular game are set up.

If you want to try a NoCD, you can do a Google search for

Jekyll and Hyde NoCD

The NoCD at megagames (made by Vitality) scans as clean.

You can download the NoCD, and before you use it, upload it to antivirus scanners such as
https://www.virustotal.com
and
https://virusscan.jotti.org/

to make sure it is clean.
Since the NoCD is from 2010, if it had a virus in it the antivirus scanners would probably know about it by now.

The NoCD at Megagames seems to be a replacement Hyde.exe file, so to use it:

1. unzip the NoCD
2. Back up or rename your original Hyde.exe file (to Hyde.old or Hyde.bak or some other thing) if you don't want to overwrite it.
3. Move the Hyde.exe from the zip file to the game folder

One problem with NoCD's is that they may not work with all versions of the game.
Also they aren't patches, and won't help if there are other technical problems.

Thanks, Jenny. Will see what I can do, but... it's probably not worth the hassle (risk?)... I'll just put this game along with some others that wouldn't run.

But, thanks again, Draclvr and Jenny, for all your help.

Sorry we couldn't help.
I see no one has a Let's Play of this game on YouTube, so you may not be the only one who can't get it working on a modern computer. Considering Steam doesn't offer it (and they offer most anything) it may have technical issues beyond the DRM.

No, please don't be sorry. I really appreciated both of you trying to help. But I guess it's one of those games. I remember I used to have an older Jekyll & Hyde game, came in a jewel case - you know, the ones that sell for $9.99. That was designed for XP, but I couldn't get my XP to run it. So I guess these J & H games are just not designed that well... or something...

At any rate, could you please drop me a line if perchance you do see something to help me with my problem. I'm putting the game away, but I never sell them or give them away, you know. Except for the few I did give to my brother, who is not even a gamer! Just keeps them for me, so to speak, as my shelves/cupboard has runneth over, over the years.

Once again, thanks so much!

Guess what, guys? I installed the game on my old XP, and it is running just fine! I had observed something during the installation on my Win 7, which might help explain why the game didn't run on Win 7 even though the package had included Win 7 and Vista as capable of running the game. But I'd like to hear your thoughts before talking about it. So, please, let me know! Thanks

I have been following this thread too and I would think that you would not have this problem on Windows XP, because it would not be blocking the DRM the way that Windows 7 would be.

But then why (Marian) won't A Vampyre Tale play in XP?

I'm curious what Zureen observed during the install on Win 7. I guess I'm going to have to try the game myself and see what happens.

I am not sure, oldbroad. Is it a copy protection problem with Vampyre? I don't remember. And of course I could be wrong about my supposition, too!

Actually, Marian, based on what my observation seems to confirm, the problem had nothing to do with the DRM. And keep in mind, the back of the case clearly stated that the game could be run on, and in exactly this order, Win 7, Vista, and XP-SP2. Any other ideas?

I don't know. I thought that is what was decided upon .

I'll tell you soon enough, oldbroad. You don't have to play the game just for that reason (although it did turn out to be a rather interesting game, so I wouldn't discourage you from playing it). But I just want to hear some more theories, that's all.

I have to finish putting my old XP computer back together again and see if A Vampyre Story will play there. I'm doubting it will, but only because of the on-board graphics in that computer.

Hey, this thread was about Jekyll & Hyde. So why has everyone started talking about A Vampyre Story all of a sudden ...?

I don't think Drac saw all of the earlier posts from today or else she would have responded to your question. I am waiting to hear more theories about Jekyll & Hyde.

Sorry, I sure didn't! I have lots of visitors from Colorado right now and am flying in and out of the threads! I didn't even realize I was in this thread... read oldbroad's post and just responded. Sorry, Zurreen!

I'm sorry Zureen. I did NOT intend for that happen!!! Please forgive me. I am also interested in hearing about Jekyll & Hyde!

Vista and Windows 7 did not block DRM-related drivers at the time of the game's release in 2010.
It wasn't until 2015 that a Microsoft security update blocked installation of the DRM-related drivers because Microsoft found they caused system instability and opened security holes.
From ***HowToGeek***

The game was released in 2010.
2010 is before 2015.
So DRM that was allowed by Windows 7 in 2010 may have been blocked in 2015.

Be aware that SafeDisc and SecuROM aren't the only ones that were blocked.
They're just the best known. Any DRM that tries to install drivers Microsoft thinks are unsafe is blocked.

Often the drivers try to install themselves the first time you try to run the game, and not at the time of installation. So if you see an error message the first time you try to run the game, the DRM is one of the possible suspects.

About the only way to prove the DRM is causing the game not to play is to try it both with and without the NoCD. If the game only works when you install the NoCD, there's your answer.
If you don't want to use the NoCD, and the game works on an older computer with an earlier version of Windows, there are several reasons a game may not work on the newer computer, both hardware-related and software-related.

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It should as long as your video card and its drivers are compatible.
Be sure to install the patch.
Among other things, the patch is supposed to remove the SecuROM DRM.

There's more than one reason DRM might prevent a game from playing.

1. One reason is that Windows itself is blocking the installation of DRM-related drivers.

2. Another reason is that the CD/DVD drive is not able to get past the DRM.
A computer that played a game without any apparent problem in the past may not be able to get past the DRM's disc check a few years later because the CD/DVD drive is aging, and the motor and read speed aren't quite as consistent. A drive may still be able to read and write normal files, but the ability to get past disc-based DRM and allow a game to play is the first thing to go.

Of course there are brand new drives that also can't get past the DRM.
I know because I bought them. And the DRM manufacturers will never tell you which model drive to buy that is compatible with their DRM, and will swear up and down that it will work with any drive, despite that this is an obvious lie -- proven to be a lie when the game works perfectly with a NoCD. Only a few publishers will release a patch that removes the DRM. A Vampyre Story has such a patch. Ubisoft also had similar patches for some of the games they published -- Myst IV (I think it was Myst IV) and some of their Darkside games.

Also the DRM manufacturers blacklisted some legitimate programs because they might conceivably be used to crack the DRM -- programs like the sysinternals utilities and Nero. Never mind that the tools DRM crackers actually use are easier to use for that purpose and are not blocked. DRM has always been a bad joke that only harmed people who paid money the game, while those who downloaded the warez versions were not affected.

3. And then there are non-DRM related reasons the game may not work, such as lack of compatibility with certain video driver versions or features being dropped from newer video cards. The latest drivers aren't always the best. The best are usually the ones the game would have been tested with, which would pre-date the game's release.

Yes, that's what I thought, Jenny - but you took the time to explain it in depth.

No problem, guys! I'm just glad we're back on topic. Thanks so much for understanding.

And thank you so much for such a detailed and thoughtful explanation. I was hoping for just such a theoretical account, hoping to benefit to at least some extent from your unquestionably vast knowledge and experience.

But I think you hit the nail on the head only with that last point # 3 re: the non-DRM reasons. That is what my inner feeling as well as the observation I mentioned seemed to confirm. Here is what I observed. Please, everyone, let me know what you guys think.

The game did take a long time, first to extract files from my disk and then to install them on my computer, the Win 7. After it finished with all that, another wizard came on - the Phys X, if I remember correctly. I usually allow such supplemental installations, even with Direct X, although I know I already have the latest version. At any rate, shortly after the wizard began, I got a message that my current drivers were newer than the ones I was trying to install. So I declined, of course. Who wants to downgrade the drivers, right?! I am sure this message was from Windows itself because, after I declined to continue in response to this message, I got a message from the game again. If I remember correctly, it was prompting me to go ahead and install those drivers. When I declined again, it "reassured" me that I could go to such and such file/folder to install if I changed my mind. I never did, tried to play the game, and it never even kicked in.

Long story short, I think my Win 7 drivers, which I have tried to keep up-to-date, were apparently not compatible with the game. In contrast, my XP has remained in its SP3 state, and I don't use it online for fear of attracting a problem that no one would be able to correct since Microsoft no longer services it . Thus, the game was able to proceed with its (Phys X) upgrade without any "resistance." My only worry now is that, because of this "update" by the game, I might not be able to run the old games that only this XP computer was able to play because it had remained in its latest state. Sure hope not. Jekyll & Hyde is a nice enough game, but nowhere nearly as great as these other old games that I actually like to go back to play every few years...

Anyway, that's the whole bit. So - what do you guys think?

With your extra information, I'm leaning towards the PhysX drivers. If the game is picky, picky, picky... you may need just those drivers to play it. I have been able roll back drivers in PhysX in the past if it was necessary.

There is still the DRM issue with Window 7, 8 and 10. But what usually happens there is that the game loads and then simply does not launch or play. Your extra info is leaning more to this game needing these drivers. Let's see what Jenny says... she knows way more than I do about this stuff.

I'm not sure whether you're talking about video drivers or PhysX. They aren't the same thing.
Are you saying you have a newer version of PhysX than what the game wanted to install?
PhysX is not 100% backwards compatible, no matter what is claimed. Some games only work with the version of PhysX they were made for. The people who make PhysX don't care about supporting an adventure game. They only care about top selling game genres.

If a game wants to install DirectX, you should let it. It will not replace your current DirectX. It will only add files that are missing. The DirectX you download from Microsoft will not be complete because there are way more files than most people ever use. If the game uses files that aren't part of a typical DirectX installation from Microsoft, and you don't already have them on your hard drive (possibly installed with another game) the game is not going to work right.

This game uses DirectX 9.0c.
Windows 7 comes with DirectX 11, which by default is not backwards compatible at all.
Unless you've installed DirectX 9.0c with another game, Windows 7 will not be able to play it.
Installing DirectX 9.0c does not replace DirectX 11, but makes the missing DirectX 9.0c files available to DirectX 11.

Anyway, you have two possible problems --
1. wrong version of PhysX for the game
2. missing DirectX 9.0c files


Not always. It depends a lot on the game. Most will fail to start without any indication of what is wrong. There were some games where when the DRM fails the disc check it allows the game to play, but creates more and more bugs until the game is unplayable. This behavior was advertised on the website of the maker of the DRM, and sometimes called "trigger functions." The makers of the DRM thought they were being smart, claiming that people playing pirated games would think the pirated versions were bad and buy the game. Instead people who had bought the game, failed the disc check, and had terrible bugs that made the game unplayable decided that the developers were at fault for making a buggy game and didn't buy any more of their games (at least not at full price). Meanwhile the pirates discovered what was going on with the DRM and either solved the problem or played something else if the game was mediocre to start with. Legitimate buyers were told by tech support to "update their video drivers" (their useless answer to everything) or were accused of pirating the game, which put them off from buying any games from that company in the future.

Thanks, Draclvr. I think I agree with your assessment. Am just - well, trying to figure out what Jenny just said. But do please tell me how to roll back the PhysX drivers, in case I have to do that to be able to play my old favorite games I mentioned. You're not talking about a System Restore, are you? As far as I know, such a restore does not roll back any drivers though. Or, does it... ?

Thanks for your response, Jenny. I think I may have confused you though. I mentioned the DirectX only as an example. And, yes, I do allow the games to install DirectX; and about every time, the game comes back with the message that I already have what I needed to play the game. DirectX 9.0c. I've never had a game that required any other version actually. So, no, I'm not talking about Direct X at all.

As for your question re: whether I am talking about video drivers or PhysX, I told you exactly what happened. If I remember correctly (and I'm pretty sure I do), the wizard that came on clearly said PhysX. The message only stated that I currently had newer drivers than the ones I (or rather the game) was trying to install. I never said video drivers, because the message never specified. But the fact that the wizard had PhysX written in big, bold title would indicate that it was trying to install the PhysX drivers. So I'm really not sure why you are bringing in the video drivers...? I never mentioned them. In fact, that was why I tried to relay the message exactly as it appeared, in order to avoid any such confusion. I've already installed the game twice now - first on Win7, to no avail; and then on my old XP. So I'm afraid I'm long past that message. Maybe, if you have the game, you could install it and see for yourself whether there was something else in that message that I missed? I do know that that wizard comes on every time, after all the extracting and other installation. At least it does on my original disk version.

Hey, Jenny. This is for you. I finished the Jekyll & Hyde game on my XP/SP3, but I remembered you were curious about the particular (component?) my Win7 wouldn't install. So I installed the game on Win7 again, and confirmed that it was the PhysX driver. I actually took screenshot of the messages, but apparently we can't attach any images to this forum. So all I can do is tell you what the messages said. The first message was no doubt from Win7, and read:




In other words, the computer actually didn't even warn or try to discourage installing those older drivers. It just aborted the installation. The next message was apparently from the game, warning that the installation was not complete (of course, it wasn't - thanks to the computer's "refusal" to install the older drivers!), reassuring that we could run the setup at a later date to complete the installation. The third and final message was titled "NVIDEA PhysX Setup Canceled" and stated that the "NVIDEA PhysX was interrupted before your new software was fully installed. You can rerun this installation at another time to complete the setup of this software."

So those were the three messages I got. Again, I can send you the screenshots, if you like and there is a way of doing so. But, all in all, what do you think now?

You can only post links to screenshots here, so you'd have to host the photos somewhere else. I used to use a couple of photo hosting websites, but they've gotten so full of ads I quit. I usually just switch to email to send screenshots at GB.

Thanks, Draclvr. So how do I email her the screenshots? They certainly took a long time to prepare. I had to install the whole game before it got to PhysX, and that took well over 20 minutes. Then I copied and pasted the screenshots from Paint to my MS Word, so I could crop and enhance the message so Jenny would be able to see just the message and clearly at that. And I did it all for Jenny, because she'd sounded curious and seemed to want to see it. So, after all that work, I was really disappointed that this forum didn't allow any attachments (for security reasons, I guess). So, yes, it would be good if I can still email her those screenshots. So, do I use "Email Post" for that?

Also, you'd promised to tell me how to revert the PhysX drivers, if necessary. But then, I guess you forgot, what with your visitors from Colorado (hope you enjoyed the visit!). So, again, were you talking about a System Restore? But, as far as I know, the System Restore does not revert the drivers... I've tried two of my old games that I play, from time to time, on my XP/SP3. They seem to be running fine. But there might be other games I'd played before that might not like the PhysX "upgrade" too much. So it would be good to know how I can revert those drivers, if ever I need to do so.

Once again, thanks for your prompt response. Guess Jenny hasn't logged on yet, but hope to hear from her soon too.

It's not necessary to email me screenshots.
You've already explained what happened well enough to understand.
Thank you for the information -- useful to know that this particular game has this problem.

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And about PhysX

I don't think you can "revert" PhysX the way you can revert video drivers.

You have to uninstall your current version of PhysX through Control Panel, and it's probably best to reboot afterwards to make sure the uninstallation is completed. Once the "new" PhysX is gone, you should be able to install the older version that came with the game.

But I don't know whether you have to install the game's version of PhysX at the same time as you install the game in order for the game to be convinced PhysX is installed. Apparently the game does some "check" to make sure PhysX is installed, and does not recognize the newer PhysX version as valid. It may be necessary to uninstall the game as well as uninstall the modern version of PhysX before attempting to install the game along with PhysX.

I think Jenny has covered it perfectly.

Yes, I had Colorado grandkids from May 22 until last week! Just catching my breath before the next wave of visitors arrives next week - family from Germany for 4 weeks!

See? The screenshot would have made it clearer. No, the game doesn't check anything. The PhysX installation is part of the whole set up, i.e., the installation of the game. First, the game "extracts" a bunch of files from the game's DVD; then, it installs those files on the computer; then, it installs DirectX [you know, most games check and then inform me that I already have the necessary DirectX version and therefore don't need to do anything further; but this game doesn't bother to even do that!]; and then, it goes into the PhysX Set Up - no questions asked or answers (given by the computer re: my trying to install drivers older than the ones I already have, etc.) recognized. It's all part and parcel of the game's set up, which apparently does not allow for any exceptions.

Anyway, I went to all that trouble because I thought you were curious, and that you might like to have the information so as to perhaps be able to help future gamers who might have run into a similar problem. That's also why I took the screenshots, hoping to post them here on the forum so (a) not only could you see for yourself, but (b) so could any future gamers who happened to try this game.

From Germany? Wow! You sure are one "worldly" lady, aren't you? Just kidding. Hope you have a great visit!

LOL! Yes, Guenter and Petra come every summer for a month to visit with family on this side of the globe. And shop! I always say my B & B is open for business in the summer.

Gameboomers has a longstanding policy of not allowing screenshots as it could easily start eating up bandwidth with as many members as we have. I rely on screenshots a lot to help people and I just go to their profile and get the email address after asking permission first.

Thanks, Draclvr. Yes, I never use anyone's email either, even if I already have it, until and unless I have their permission. I thought maybe screenshots weren't allowed because of risks of hacking or something. But I guess bandwith makes sense too. I remember well, back in the days when I actually had time to write walkthroughs (and those were quite long and thorough walkthroughs at that!), one of the first things Marita asked me was to keep the screenshots at a minimum because of cyberspace concerns.

But re: B & B - Bed & Breakfast?! Don't tell me you charge your guests for putting them up! Better to have them "return the favor" by getting them to pay for your stay, and then be sure to go visit them often! As I recall back in the days when I used to visit Europe with my family, Europe is really expensive - especially food-wise!

Oh, heck no! This is family... our "B & B" is free, free, free! Although it's a month, we enjoy them a lot as we catch up on family. This is actually my husband's first wife's family. He met her while stationed in Germany and she passed away in 1999. My 2nd husband had died a couple of years earlier and after we got together, I told them they should just keep coming over, so they do! They shop and visit family and we cook together 3 or 4 times a week. Petra lives out by the pool and reads and there is a lot of good beer consumed while we watch "chicken TV" every night!

Wow! Sounds like a whole lot of fun! Wish I were part of your family too.