"this app cant run on your pc": installing a classic strategy game from a second-hand cd

Solvedcompatibilityretrowindows14 replies · 231 views · started
Accepted solution by Yuki Novak — oof check if the game has been re released on a digital store. Re releases are usually patched for modern Windows and are often teh…
  1. ok weird one is aynone still playing old games from discs? im trying to install a classic strategy game from a second-hand CD:

    This app can't run on your PC

    This app can't run on your PC
    
    To find a version for your PC, check with the
    software publisher.
    

    im on Windows 10. compatibility settings dont seem to change anything. whats teh usual way to get these running?

    Id also love to know if aynone has played this game on a modern PC and how it went. Did you need any ptaches?

    This is pure nostalgia, but it would mean a lot to play it again. Any help is appreciated, even if the answer is buy it again. what am i doing wrong??

    6
  2. Does the game use disc-based copy protection?

    3 0 helpful
  3. @copperbuilder what did u end up doing in the end

    0 2 helpful
  4. many very old installers are 16-bit programs, and 64-bit Windows can't run 16-bit code at all. the game itself is often 32-bit and runs fine; it's just the installer that's the problem.

    0 2 helpful
  5. also lol i come back to this thread every week just for teh drama... bump. still happening with classic for me

    7 2 helpful
  6. been there man community fan patches and wrappers for old DirectX and resolution issues exist for many classics. search for teh games name plus widescreen fix or compatibility. lmk how it goes

    0 3 helpful
  7. been there man a virtual machine with an older Windows version, or a project like winevdm (otvdm) that runs 16-bit programs on 64-bit Windows, can help with stubborn installers.

    thumbsup

    1 0 helpful
  8. Older disc copy protection like SafeDisc and SecuROM doesn't work on Windows 10 and 11, cuz the driver it relied on was removed for security reasons. If the game uses it, teh original disc won't work even after install.

    0 0 helpful
  9. oof check if the game has been re-released on a digital store. Re-releases are usually patched for modern Windows and are often teh easiest route.

    0 5 helpful
  10. reading this at 2am instead of sleeping, no regrets pls help 🙏

    11 0 helpful

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