Transcript: Chat - Playing Games with Windows XP
Published: May 2, 2003
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Welcome to today's Windows Expert Zone chat. Our topic today is Playing Games with Windows XP.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): We are pleased to welcome our experts for today I will have them introduce themselves now.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): I'm Brian Benincasa, a Technical Evangelist with the Windows Gaming & Graphics Team at Microsoft. Our team works with game developers worldwide to ensure they are up-to-date and well educated on Windows gaming technologies and initiatives.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): David - Software Test Engineer - Application Compatibility. 2 years working with application compatibility on WindowsXP.
Special Guest Chris (Microsoft): I'm the editor for the Expert Zone Web site. We
Special Guest Steve (Microsoft): Hello and thanks for coming. I am the Group Manager for Technical Evangelism focused on 3rd party development of games for Windows. My team supports the game development community that build and publish all the games you love on Windows.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): One more time, Chris!
Special Guest Chris (Microsoft):b I'm the editor for the Expert Zone Web site. We'd like to hear your feedback on today's chat. Was this chat helpful? What topics would you like to see in future Expert Zone chats? E-mail your feedback to eztips@microsoft.com
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): ...and your pleasant, but firm Host; Brian Boston :). I am a Community Program Manager.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Here is how it works - Participants are welcome to post their questions for our experts in the lower window during today's chat. The answers will be posted in this window by our experts. We will try and answer as many questions as we can today.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Let's actually begin the chat. You may begin posting your questions in the lower room. Please start your questions with a Q: as this will assist us in quickly identifying your question in the window.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q. I have a workaround involving the Run As... command
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A. This is not a perfect work around. There are cases when applications write to areas that you may not have permissions to write to like your windows directory.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: What is the best workaround for failure of a Limited account to run a game installed by an admin user?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Unfortunately, there's not a great workaround currently as in most cases it would create a security breach. In most cases, game publishers recommend to users that they install, patch, and play as admin. There is a way to "shim" apps and this is provide
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: There is a way to "shim" apps and this is provided in the administrator's toolkit released about a month ago. I think one of us has the link...
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Address for microsoft downloads: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp Under Keyword search Search "Toolkit" OS "WindowsXP" Press Findit Button
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Following up on David's answer, Install the "Windows XP Application Compatibility Toolkit"
Special Guest David (Microsoft):: A: Compatibility Administrator Top fixes to add IgnoreAltTab - Disables Alt-Tab, Windows key, Ctrl-Esc or Alt-Esc Known issue Master of Orion. ProfilesGetFolderPath - Allows all users to access an installed program. Correct FIle Paths - Corrects file path
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: Does Microsoft plan to address better and easier multi-user situations in future operating systems?
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Yes. Unfortunately the future OS development is working on various ideas. The is no good answer for this at this time. Since it is still in the development stage.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: I'm losing my connection while trying to connect to an online game. How do i fix this?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Couple of follow-up questions for you badandy523: 1) Which game? 2) Are you using Internet Connection Sharing 3) Are you behind a router?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : yes i did contact them and got this response, but i was unsure how to do it..: The following ports must be opened: 9896 and 16000-16999 9896 16000-16999
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: It'll depend on your specific router. Most router's are accessed across your LAN in a browser at http://192.168.1.1 and then prompt for login. You are looking for port forwarding info for the machine that you're trying to play on (the IP address)
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : MS_Brian: i tried what you told me and both boxes were unchecked.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Then more than likely it's a port forwarding issue with your router.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: Brian's used Linksys product I see.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Brian runs Linksys at home and has done this before ;)
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : MS_Brian: ok i'm new at this stuff, where can i find info on port forwarding, or is that something i can get help with here?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Without the specifics we probably couldn't help you. The best thing to do is to read the documentation that came with the router. There should be info on forwarding there as that's pretty much what routers do ;)
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : MS_Brian: we didn't get infor with our router, my roomate bought it online and it only had one sheet of paper.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: I'm sure the manufacturers website will have the docs for your specific model of router.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: Brian_MS, (sorry for my bad english). It would be possible to develop a "game launcher" to avoid the restricted user problem in games?
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Use RunAs may work but this feature has not been tested fully. I do not know if it will work in all cases.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): FYI: How to Run Legacy Applications Using Windows XP - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/administration/legacyapps/
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: I'm trying to connect to Magic The Gathering Online. Yes i'm behind a DSL router but i don't know if i'm using Connection sharing.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: I'm not sure if Magic: The Gathering requires you to open up a specific port or not. I'd refer to the FAQ for that game at the Wizards of the Coast website.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: To check to see if you're using ICS, right-click My Network Places, right click the broadband/LAN connection and select Properties, go to the Advanced tab and check to see if ICS is enabled. If it is, uncheck it and try connecting again.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: You also might want to uncheck Internet Connection Firewall if it's enabled and give that a try.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: Compatibility for Kids Games
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A.: Compatibility for most Kids games is Right mouse click the game Icon Select Properties. Press the Compatibility tab. Check the "Run in 256 Colors" and "Run in 640 X 480 screen Resolution." One other issue is that you may need to select Windows 95 or
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Windows 98 Compatibility mode. Should get most of them working as long as they are not 16-bit games
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: Inachu : Q: Is Matrix Reloaded comming out for XP users?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: You mean the game?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: "Enter the Matrix" by Shiny and published by Infogrames/Atari will be released for Windows 5/15.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: ChrisH_MVP : Any possibility of updating Help and Support (via Windows Update) with walk-throughs for installing/running games in Home?
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Great Idea I will pass it on.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Q: Re my question on the error "WIN Subsystem was unable to enter protected mode DOSX.exe must be in your Autoexe.NT and present in your path" Is this a 'legacy' issue (Compat Mode) or actually a Path problem?
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): A: Likely this is a legacy problem as DOSX was the Windows 3.1 component that managed protected mode for 286 processors. It was also part of the MSDOS 5-6 Dosshell. That memory mode historically hasn't played cooperatively with others.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: ChrisH_MVP : The question was, did I have problems running games from restricted (Limited) accounts. Limited accounts cannot manipulate files on the hard drive.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: The LUA account can write to its Documents & Settings directory. So if a program is designed properly any game can run on a LUA account. All game files most be stored in the users Document and Settings directory.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: Inachu: is there any compelling reason to upgrade to Direct X 9 on my 400Mhz computer?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Absolutely! Even if your video card doesn't support all of the DirectX 9 features (e.g. pixel/vertex shaders 2.0) there's still a bunch of work we've done.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: Most games shipping from now on will ship with DirectX9 even if they don't use all of it's new interfaces. Expect to see a bunch of DirectX 9 titles hit the market in the next few months.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: ChrisH_MVP : Q: David, the problem is games which don't do a "smart" install, that is just install for the Administrator account.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Need to apply a shim or Compatibility mode to the program using the Compatibility Administrator tool found in the Compatibility Toolkit. Adding in Either the ProfilesSetup and LUA Compatibility modes should make more programs work properly.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : MS_Brian: i have another question pertaining to Direct X 9. i downloaded and installed it for a different game and it restarted my computer but the game still doesn't work.
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: You might want to get DirectX9.0a and see if this fixes your problem http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A19BED22-0B25-4E5D-A584-6389D8A3DAD0&displaylang=en. What game is it?
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Q: badandy523 : MS_Brian, i already have Direct X 9 but after i installed it, the game still won't run. Game: Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): A: I'd check for patches to HOMM3 at http://www.3do.com.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Q: MS_Brian: i have another question pertaining to Direct X 9. i downloaded and installed it for a different game and it restarted my computer but the game still doesn't work.
Special Guest David (Microsoft): A: Safedisc's driver secdrv.sys is by default set to start on demand. Under XP you can't have a driver do this unless you are an admin (as you all probably know). We put up a fix on our web site that corrects this setting (http://www.microsoft.com/downlo
Special Guest David (Microsoft): (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=eae20f0f-c41c-44fe-84ce-1df707d7a2e9&DisplayLang=en, you have to be an admin to run it), which set's the driver to start on boot.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): I like to thank Dave, Steve, and Brian from the Windows Gaming Team for joining us today for this Windows Expert Zone Chat Microsoft Community Chat.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): ...and the rest of you for your questions and comments.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): If you would like further information on Windows XP as a gaming platform, check out Expert Zone's "Focus On: Gaming and Windows XP" section at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/focuson/games.asp.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Our next Windows Expert Zone chat will be next Monday, April 28th, at this same time (4:00pm Pacific/7:00pm Eastern) in this same location. The topic will be Smart Displays and Windows XP.
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): More information is available on http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/default.mspx. Hope to see you there!
Special Guest David (Microsoft): Good bye It's been fun
Special Guest Brian (Microsoft): Thanks again!
Special Guest Steve (Microsoft): Thanks for coming and keep on gaming
Moderator Brian_B (Microsoft): Thanks for your interest and feedback! We are going to leave now. You are welcome to continue chatting in the lower window. This is a place for anyone in the Expert Zone community to connect with each other. We encourage you to use it anytime we are not doing a scheduled chat.
