How can I bend Windows 7 to my will?

September 21, 2010 5:41 PM

How can I make my 64-bit Win 7 VAIO compatible to play this game?

I've attempted using the Windows Compatibility tool found in the properties menu of the file I'm trying to run, but this doesn't seem to be working even going as far back as Windows 95. I've read that Windows Compatibility options are sometimes not available on certain machines from Sony. It appears for me, but as nothing seems to be happening I'm not sure if it's just disabled or something.

Ideally I'd like to play this without using another piece of software, but I'm open to any suggestions that help.

Thank you graciously in advance, Hivemind!

posted by Vrai to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Best answer: You could install the game and play it in DOSBox, or load the game's data files into ScummVM. ScummVM will probably give you the best performance and will be easier to get running, since DOSBox involves running the game under a DOS simulation, while ScummVM is a reimplementation of the game engine that runs under Windows.
posted by zsazsa at 5:47 PM on September 21, 2010

Best answer: The SVN version of ScummVM seems to support the game. If that doesn't work, give DOSBox a try.

Playing it without another piece of software is probably impossible, the game is too old.
posted by Memo at 5:48 PM on September 21, 2010

Best answer: Make sure that you are running as an administrator as well, and cycle through each of the compatibility options. It's unlikely that it's been disabled, but just that it's being finicky. What sort of message are you seeing, error-wise?

I was able to run The Last Express (which I discovered on Mefi) on Win7 a few months ago and it was frankly fantastic. I think I ended up mounting the CDs on DaemonTools and it worked.

If you can't get Laura Bow running, try to track down Last Express; it's clearly not the same, but it's in the same vein and it's fantastic. Also, now I want to try this Laura Bow business...
posted by disillusioned at 5:49 PM on September 21, 2010 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: MeFi never fails to amaze me! You guys are fantastic. Thank you for the suggestions, Zsazsa and Memo.
I was indeed able to get the game working with ScummVM. You've all made my night!

P.S: A special thanks to Disillusioned for the great game recommendation as well. I took a look at the wiki and it looks like something I'd definitely love to play.

<3
posted by Vrai at 5:56 PM on September 21, 2010