As someone in this thread tried to explain earlier, there's really no such thing as "unmodified" version, unless you have direct access to source code.

A very simple example: some games used to do CD checks as a form of DRM. Let's assume the developer who made that game is no longer existing.

GOG's options:
1) To modify the game files and patch out DRM
2) Release the game as is, which really isn't how it was developed, but how it was published, keeping all the DRM in and not following their own DRM-free guidelines
3) Create a wrapper or some kind virtual drive that keeps fooling the game to think that it's running from a CD drive.

In the first option, no matter what GOG does, the game files are not unmodified.
In the second option, GOG would not only be violating their own DRM-free policy, but forcing all buyers to take care of all issues themselves.
The third option, which might seem ideal, can be problematic in unexpected ways. If memory serves, there was some game that refused to run on computers, which didn't have a CD drive, even if the game didn't use it and was a downloadable file (this also may have been some other store, not GOG, but in any case the example is a good one).

The practical option, with no source code available, would be to patch the game file with some no-cd crack. That way most customers would get the game running without any major problems. For those who like to tweak things themselves, options 2 and 3 might be better, but most customers either don't want to be bothered with doing that, or don't have enough technical skills to do that.

Now this example was only about DRM, but I guess you see the problem with old games here?
If you add compatibility issues with old technology to the mix, that makes it even clearer why patching the game and making it modified is the best option.
Of course in some cases, like with ScummVM, GOG more or less gets a free lunch, so to speak, as they can completely forget about original exes and possible copy protections* and just use a third party software that already exists.


* = All kinds of manual checks are a special form of DRM that neither ScummVM nor GOG actually patches out, but it can be argued that those are also puzzles in the game. In any case, that has nothing to do with the point here.

If you are referring to the game installation containing also e.g. the original game as a disc image, then many GOG games provide that too. If I recall right, quite often the disc image has the filetype ".gog", maybe. You just need to change that to the correct filetype like .iso or something. Sometimes it is the "original" game CD image, sometimes it has only the CD audio in it (which the GOG version plays) etc.

So, wow, GOG already does what you propose! Grrrrrreat! You can mark my message as the solution to your problem.

And as I responded to them earlier - I'm not looking for raw disc images. When I say "unmodified" I don't mean I want them to burn the retail CD image and upload it as is. I mean I want them to upload the game after the DRM has been removed but before they start applying compatibility patches designed to make the game run on modern Windows.

Option 1 is what I am looking for. But without them making further modifications beyond removing the DRM.

I haven't read through this thread so this may have already been mentioned. One of the main reasons GOG probably doesn't want to supply unmodified versions of games is because people who use this site may get confused and run those versions (or not know what to do) and add more work for Support to handle. Plus it's even more work all around legally and to upload to the site and whatnot for a very small percentage of people to use. Etc.

I wouldn't feel bad or anything like that about just getting the original game especially since there are often cracks to patch out DRM online or you can find CD keys. Don't get your hopes up for GOG doing what you want anytime soon, sorry.

Why would they do that when modern Windows is their target market?

You are masking it sound less complicated than it actually is in many cases.
-GOG gets a contract to distribute old game.
-GOG may or may not receive any files. They may get a copy without DRM from the rights holder that THEY downloaded from a torrent site.
-GOG tests the game on their rigs.
-GOG includes fixes to make it run on their test rigs with modern systems.
-More testing occurs.
-GOG uploads that package.

All right, I don't feel like arguing or discussing tbh. Bottom line is there's nothing any of us non-"blue text" folks on the forum can do since we don't work for GOG.

You're gonna want to message Support, but again don't get your hopes up for any changes.

The OP is omitting an equally-problematic yet highly similar issue: GOG also oftentimes forces customers to use only the latest official patch of a game, which in many cases contain game-breaking bugs and/or other changes that are not welcome.

It would make no sense for GOG to fix the issue described in the OP, but leave the sister-issue intact.

The customer needs to have full choice about what, if any, patches they apply. GOG should make every unpatched & patched version of every game available to all its customers who own them.

Are you joking? I stopped counting the number of reports about Win10 making problems on classic games. Even GOG does not offer Win10 compatibility for every classic game. In fact that is THE main reason I am still running WIn7.

As for the question of the OP. I am pretty sure you overestimate what GOG does. In many cases they don't even have the source code for those classic games. They will be provided a DRM-free version of a game or are trying ti remove it themselves. Then they add some settings and maype one or more wrappers and basically that's it. Of couse they also offer their installer to let this all happen out of the box but I am pretty sure they really rarely are modifying the original files much.

You said that the game is running fine when you are using a pirated copy ... which means you already are using a modified version of the game. An interesting thing imo would be if the original unmodified executable, the one with DRM, would still be runnable on your system since that is exactly what you are asking for: unmodified files - even if optional.

Interesting for me would also be why you (more or less) seem to be the only one that is having problems getting the GOG version to run as I am sure many still do use Win7 and DK is a well known game. I would have tried it myself but it's just not my kind of game so I don't own it. You say you know how to get older games to run on your PC - then I am sure you should be able to figure out which additional setting/wrapper/fix has broken this and all the other games four you ... or you might even be able to figure out what you did to your machine to break compatibility. As I said - you have problems others don't - so it's far more likely the problem is on your end. While it MIGHT help you to get the original files of the game in THIS case it still might not help you in all cases ... this imo is merely a temporary fix until you haven't figured out what distinguishes your Win7 OS from the many others out there.

I am also pretty sure that GOG will not give any answer to this request since the installations are working on most machines (and it's nearly impossible to make a game running on EVERY machine given the countless hardware/software combinations). The fact that even them are unable to give a 100% guarantee that every game will run on every machine is the reason for their money back guarantee.

So in the end I agree to what has been said here already: contact support and figure out the culprit of your problem. So far you only know a pirated version works for you and the GOG version does not. For the problem to be fixed you NEED to know the exact "location" of the problem.
Maybe because Steam support never bothered to help people getting their games to run at all? They don'rt run - refund it and if yoiu tried too long ... well bad luck. Steam and support - those two just don't fit.
...for you ... not for me and most of the community. So far the only probs I had with GOG games to run were fixable by using a different wrapper or setting. There is exactly ZERO game in my library that does not run at all.

That must be nice. I have a few that don't run at all for me under Windows 7 or 10.

I'm aware they don't modify the original files much. I'm only trying to get the games before they "add some settings and maybe one or more wrappers." Actually I don't even really care if the wrappers are included or not, since those can be easily updated or removed. It's the other little tweaks and hacks they make that I'd like the option not to use. As it is now I have to use them, even when they cause more problems than they solve.

I'm not asking for unmodified files. I'm asking for files that don't have the tweaks and hacks I mentioned above.

The pirated version I downloaded a couple of days ago was an exact iso burn of the original U.S. (or possibly U.K.) retail disc, identical in every way. It even still had the Safedisc DRM on it. I know it is the same disc because earlier today I dug out my old retail copy and compared it to the one I downloaded.

That version runs fine, with the 1.8 unofficial patch applied (which removes the DRM), and the latest version of the dgVoodoo wrapper.

In DK2's case, I'm 90% certain the problem is with the custom hardware render patch GOG patched into the game. In Populous 3's case, I'm 100% certain the problem is in the Windows 95 compatibility settings GOG applied to the game (the posts from other users on that game's forum confirm it). When I've run into problems on GOG's builds of other Win 95/98 games, those compatibility settings are almost always what causes problems. When I am able to test my own personal copies of those games using dgVoodoo, nGlide, Alchemy, and/or community-developed patches - they will typically run fine.

I know what the problems are. That's why I made this post.

The only GOG game in my library that doesn't run at all (that I've encountered so far) is DK2. But there are a ton of others that run but with significant problems. Usually these are related to sound and music not playing correctly. Input lag is also a common ocurrance. And you can see posts from other users in those games' forums bringing up the same issues.
Which ones don't run under Windows 7 for you?

I know theres more, but the only one I know off the top of my head (because i'd like to play it) is Requiem: Avenging Angel. Everytime I run it I get a not enough memory error message. I've tried all the fixes that i've found and none work.

Its a shame, but even the non gog version can be fussy to get working as well.

That's one of the few old games I don't own on GOG, but I think the Steam version is identical, since it has the GOG Galaxy dll file in the directory. And sure enough, the Steam version doesn't work for me on Windows 7 either. It crashes as soon as I try to start a new game.

And the cause seems to be the same as with Dungeon Keeper 2 - GOG has modified the game so that the renderer can no longer be adjusted. So there's no way to fix it without a patch from GOG.

To delete some wrapper files should be an easy task for you since you seem to know these things. Same goes for compatibility settings.

You said it: unofficial patch - therefore still modified to get rid of the DRM.

No idea what kind of "custom hardware render patch" you are meaning. Don't even know what this should be. Regarding the compatibility settings. Right click on exe and uncheck all settings ... done. You might as well delete the key in the registry. Should not be much more work than getting the "original" files to run using settings, tweaks and wrappers.

If you know exactly what the problems are why don't you just fix them instead of asking for something that will never ever happen because of what I posted earlier?

And you think that these issues will all disappear when people have the opportunity to get the unmodified installations? I highly doubt it. I also doubt that you will EVER find ANY game that is running for everybody without ANY issues - not even on the OS that the games were developed for. That is just a matter of fact.