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Hi all,

I wrote the below to help someone install Warlords 3 ROC & Warlords 3 DLR in Win 7 64bit but thought I would post it here as the theory can be applied to many games from the win95 or win98 era and I see people saying they cant install these older games all the time.


* Hi,
*
* I had a quick look at my version and as you are probably aware the problem is that while the game is 32bit the
* installer is 16bit and therefore you cant install the game on any 64bit OS. The file causing the issue is located on
* your cd in the setup folder and is called IS_SETUP
*
* To get around this issue all you need to do is identify the version of install shield used (in this case version 3) and
* replace the file with a 32bit version of the required release of installshield. You can find one for installshield 3 by
* doing a google search for Is3Engine and going to the toastytech site. I would have put a link here but the GOG
* forum is removing it along with all filename extensions for some reason.
*
* To install the game copy the contents of the game cd to a folder on your hard drive, delete the original IS_SETUP in
* the setup folder of the copy you just created on your HD, extract the above zip file you downloaded from toastytech
* into the setup folder, and rename the file you extracted to IS_SETUP . EXE (without the spaces, as I said GOG
* forum keeps removing file extensions from my post).

* You can now run this new exe and have the game proceed with install. This will work with both W3 ROC and DLR
* and any other game that has a 16bit installer that uses version 3 of installshield. I havnt tested any further than
* getting the install to run but as any issues past this point are game related they are another story all together.

* One thing to note is that some modern system process can hang the installer, one example being logitechs
* khalscroll. If this is the case you will see the installer in your task manager but nothing will be happening. Just kill
* the conflicting process and the installer will proceed.

* This procedure will also work with games that use a 16bit installshield version 5 but you will need the other zip file
* from toastytech.


The install file isnt always called IS_SETUP so depending on the game you may need to figure out which exe is the actual installer. You can identify the installshield version by right clicking on IS_SETUP or its equivalent, viewing its properties and selecting the details tab. It should say Installshield Engine under file description which confirms it as the file you are looking for and under version it shows whether its 3 xx xxx x, 5 xx xxx x or something else.

Some games may have trouble if you installed them from a hard disk folder instead of the CD so if this is the case you may be best to burn the fixed game folder from your HD onto a CD for the purpose of installation switching back to your original for actual gameplay. If you do this remember that to install you will need to directly run IS_SETUP from the setup folder on the new CD.

This wont work with everything but I have found the majority of older games can be made to install doing this.

Hope this helps someone out there.
Interesting. Might try this with some old Lucasarts games.

Usually you can just move the files where they need to go anyway though.
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StingingVelvet: Interesting. Might try this with some old Lucasarts games.

Usually you can just move the files where they need to go anyway though.
I used a similar method to get Indiana Jones & the Infernal Machine working on Win7 64-bit(But it involved using a modder's modded installer file and not a different version of InstallShield.). It worked wonders, and I can now play that game again.
This sounds interesting, as I usually just move directory structures over, but stupidly deleted my Wizardry Gold install prior to popping in a lesser capacity ssd. Forgot all about the installer being 16 bit, until I attempted to put it on the slower hdd.

Thanks op.
I had an even better idea(for the last step or so)....: Put the folder with the game data/subfolders & new installer on a flash drive and install from there. That way one doesn't have to re-burn their discs before installing their games.
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GameRager: I had an even better idea(for the last step or so)....: Put the folder with the game data/subfolders & new installer on a flash drive and install from there. That way one doesn't have to re-burn their discs before installing their games.
That will probably work with most games but for those that put a cd drive path in the registry or a config file they will have the wrong drive letter. You will just need to make sure to change the drive letter for those games back to your cd drive for play.
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GameRager: I had an even better idea(for the last step or so)....: Put the folder with the game data/subfolders & new installer on a flash drive and install from there. That way one doesn't have to re-burn their discs before installing their games.
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Python1980: That will probably work with most games but for those that put a cd drive path in the registry or a config file they will have the wrong drive letter. You will just need to make sure to change the drive letter for those games back to your cd drive for play.
Iirc some of those games(that need the cd in the drive to play) just use it as a sort of authentication, and one can bypass the need to keep a cd in the drive(or a flash drive in the usb port) by just using a cracked exe.

(Or one could do as you said and change the install media path in the game's config file to point to the location of the flash drive.)
Post edited February 18, 2013 by GameRager
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Python1980: That will probably work with most games but for those that put a cd drive path in the registry or a config file they will have the wrong drive letter. You will just need to make sure to change the drive letter for those games back to your cd drive for play.
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GameRager: Iirc some of those games(that need the cd in the drive to play) just use it as a sort of authentication, and one can bypass the need to keep a cd in the drive(or a flash drive in the usb port) by just using a cracked exe.
I agree, for most games that will work. For a few though the game needs to access the cd as the install doesnt copy big files like videos over to the HD to save space.

Another method to use instead of either a CD or a flash drive is to create a CD image containing the fixed game data with Nero or another burning program then mount that with Demon tools or some other mounting software. You then have a CD image that will work as per the original as far as the game is concerned from your mounted drive letter, though you will probably still need a cracked exe.

(Saw your edit just after I posted this. Yes you could just modify the path to look at the flash drive as well.)

Edit: Though if you use a flash drive this can cause issues with those older games that are mixed mode (have both data and cd audio tracks) which alot at that time were. The CD image or burn to disc would be the best bet then. In this case you would also have to extract the audio tracks from the original as well as the data and then burn the CD/Image as a mixed mode disc with your fixed setup and the audio tracks. Unless you dont care about the game music of course.
Post edited February 18, 2013 by Python1980
Great!!! Thanks! This sounds easy enough that I can do too :-)

Some problems with using a cracked executive, besides from it being illegal, are:
-- It is usually not the latest version.
-- It might very well come with nasty bits of code tacked on (malware).
So, avoid it since there are better ways :-)
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Themken: Great!!! Thanks! This sounds easy enough that I can do too :-)

Some problems with using a cracked executive, besides from it being illegal, are:
-- It is usually not the latest version.
-- It might very well come with nasty bits of code tacked on (malware).
So, avoid it since there are better ways :-)
I wouldnt say using a cracked exe is illegal as long as you own the software, more a grey area. But you are right they can sometimes come with other nasty bits. But if you have the original disc then as my first post said your best bet is to burn of the game files with the fixed setup to a disc for purpose of install and then switch back to the original disc for play. My discussion with GameRager is for those who cant or dont want to burn of a CD
Post edited February 18, 2013 by Python1980
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Themken: Great!!! Thanks! This sounds easy enough that I can do too :-)

Some problems with using a cracked executive, besides from it being illegal, are:
-- It is usually not the latest version.
-- It might very well come with nasty bits of code tacked on (malware).
So, avoid it since there are better ways :-)
It's not necessarily illegal in all countries........also not all cracks have malware in them.

(Did you know GOG uses some of those very same cracks to get some of it's games to run on Modern OSs and/or to remove the game's original DRM?)
I concede it might not be illegal, if you own a legal copy of a program, to use a crack for it. About it being illegal was a side note of mine. My two more interesting points followed beneath that.

I am now going through the dusty piles of old games to see which ones to try this on.

And yes, I knew GOG uses cracks sometimes.
Post edited February 18, 2013 by Themken
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Themken: I concede it might not be illegal, if you own a legal copy of a program, to use a crack for it. About it being illegal was a side note of mine. My two more interesting points followed beneath that.
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I am now going through the dusty piles of old games to see which ones to try this on.
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And yes, I knew GOG uses cracks sometimes.
And I believe I addressed at least one of them.

The other is moot as well(imo), since many game's cracks come in multiple "flavors"(for most of the game's patch versions/levels).
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Ah, the dusting off of long forgotten childhood memories & revisiting one's youth. I love doing this every so often as well. :)
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I used that more as a point to counter your point about cracks containing malware than anything else.
Post edited February 18, 2013 by GameRager
Bumping to avoid the archiving process. There's some good info in this thread.