I cannot get games to run on Vista

[Lotus49]

I've tried 'running it as an administrator', combined w/ "compatibility mode" for XP/ME/98, etc. The game opens a little window saying an error occurred, and it won't run outside of a list of operating systems which includes EVERY OTHER Windows operating system except Vista.

This one game I've been struggling with today is from 2003. It's not ancient. I'm having serious problems getting Vista to run PC games. I just bought a new computer, and had no choice but to get Vista home premium. I do not readily own any other operating system. Nor should I F$&%$& have to.

Maybe I'll try the game's sequel from 2005... see if it works. Doubt it.

Btw, like I said this is a brand new computer that paid several thousand dollars for... and it runs SLOW AS HELL. Maybe... because VISTA is the biggest hog of an operating system the world has ever seen...

 

[Zelig]

There's nothing wrong with Vista, if you're computer's slow, you've got other problems. I don't even bother compatibility mode, and have minimal problems with older games.

What games specifically are you trying?

Have you updated drivers for your video card?

 

[Reno]

It might be a hardware malfunction of some sort. Some games, even relatively old ones, have an error log, that it automatically keeps, which might tell you why the error occured in the first place. This happened to me with regards to some games under Vista due to the game not being compatible with my laptop monitor.

 

[Fetus4188]

My Vista computer runs fast and all my games work. Instead of cussing at it why don't you tell us some specifics so we can try to help?

 

[GrandAdmiral]

What kind of computer did you buy, what are the stats and what games are you talking about? That's basic information and there isn't much point to your post without it.

BTW you can get Ubuntu or XP preloaded on a Dell.

 

[Lotus49]

There's nothing wrong with Vista, if you're computer's slow, you've got other problems. I don't even bother compatibility mode, and have minimal problems with older games.

What games specifically are you trying?

Have you updated drivers for your video card?

I payed up and got THE best processor, several gig's of RAM, etc. Vista apparently likes to anitipate what you're going to do, so it builds up a giant cache of files related to recent/common applications. I've watched it - in the system resource monitor... I've seen it toy endlessly with all kinds of files, spinning that HDD right 'round, like a record baby. Plus half the time, I don't even know why it's computing... I can't figure it out. The HDD is going crazy, but for no apparent reason. Maybe some kind of indexing/organizing/defragmenting. Heck if I know - and that's the point, I don't like an OS that messes around behind my back. I like 100% positive control/knowledge.

Granted I've got a couple of active anti-virus shields, which slow things a little bit. But the thing takes much longer to boot up than it should. Vista basically has a mind of it's own, and runs through a checklist of ~10 billion operations everytime it boots up... everything from checking for Windows Defender updates, checking the local weather with Google desktop, getting Dell service updates, sending my personal information to various comany(ies), updating Windows, putting about 400 million processes in the all-user cache, scanning everything just to make sure it's nice and tidy, testing all the hardware 1/2 dozen times... just to make sure, etc.

Of course I have the latest drivers, man. My system is totally up to spec. But point is; games that are looking for specific aspects of 98/ME/2000/XP are not finding what they're looking for, and there's nothing I can do about it.

I got the 2005 sequel to work, but only after crawling all over the 'net (actually what seemed to be a wild goose chase) to plugin/install/update/blah BLAH all kinds of crap, but apparently the 2003 game is not smart enough to figure out what the problem is, in order to give me directions on rectifying the situation. Actually, it was Vista that told me how to fix the 2005 game, after restarting and not (automatically) loading properly as designed. I had to download some latest program that enabled the game to ensure the CD wasn't ripped off, then I had to go get some special DirectX option/extra/accessory so that it could function graphically... THEN I had to get this other plugin thing. Btw, getting 'DirectX' stuff ain't the simple process it used to be. I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to verify I had a 'genuine' copy of Windows, then... etc.--- whatever I don't wanna talk about it.

Anyway, I'm playing a 18+ rating game, imported from Germany. (oh, yeah - baby!) ...<Snip>...

Whatever, my problem with Vista is that it has a mind of it's own. I liked computers back in the era when the old adage applied: "computers don't do what you want them to do, they do what you tell them to do". But nowadays, this Vista thing is running it's own show, and I feel like I'm out of the loop. It just sits there and comes up with new stuff to present me with, at time(s) of it's own choosing.

We're one step closer to the holographic hot chick computer, that nags you as much as a real wife would (ref: The 6th Day w/ Ahhnold).

DOS 6.22 man. That was the last, best hope. Ever since I got Windows 3.0, it's all been downhill.

Thankyou for your assistance, but as you can see the masterful wizzard supreme AI Vista has solved it's the game's problems FOR it, but the original ('03) game just isn't intelligent enough for Vista to even want to communicate w/ it. I think Vista can detect unsophisticated software, and gives it the cold shoulder. Sort of like the T-X (from Terminator 3) being hit on by a T-101 at a bar... heck no, man... she ain't havin' none of that crap... "he's an obsolete design"... pfft, I'm not even going to hold his hand through the installation process.

Yeahh man... these computers are actually getting to the point where they're instituting they're own evolutionary process... survival of the fittest. We're totally screwed.

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[Zelig]

Answering each paragraph, without quoting:

Every modern OS uses all it's RAM, take a look at Mac OS Leopard, or any modern Linux distro, any unused ram is simply wasted ram. If you give it a few minutes, it should stop hard drive activity, I disabled the Windows defrag, and only reboot about once per month, so hard drive activity isn't much difference from XP.

Running more than 1 real-time antivirus is generally a bad idea, that's going to hugely slow stuff down. Google desktop and dell programs have nothing to do with Vista, they'd work just as well on XP, disable them if you don't like them. Automatic update settings for Windows are scheduled to happen at 2am or some such, if your computer is turned off at that time, and you don't like it checking on boot, change the schedular to a more conveniant time.

What game are you referring to? If everything is updated properly, you shouldn't need plugins to run a game. Plugins for what are you talking about? If you actually have a genuine copy of Windows, there aren't many hoops to jump through, and no manual downloads of directx are needed on Vista in any case.

You are right in that Vista is more automated than previous versions of Windows, which is a significant step up for inexperienced computer users. It's finally more or less on par with Mac OS for new computer users in usability.

What's the game you're trying to play from 2003?

 

[Fetus4188]

Having multiple anti-viruses, spyware, or firewall tools that fulfill the same role is not only redundant, it's a huge drain on resources and likely to lead to problems. Not to mention it may cause them to not even work at all!

 

[Moss]

What game are you trying to play, anyway?

 

[vbraun]

You do have some control of what Vista does, but I'm sure they're hidden. Vista wasn't made for the computer oriented user, but rather the layman, which is probably the best choice economically. Linux would probably be what you wanted, if it played games well, and if you'd be willing to put some effort into it.

Also giving us a specific game helps us help you a lot more than "All my games don't work!"

 

[Fetus4188]

Vista works just fine for the computer oriented user. Where it may have trouble is in the middle ground between "has no idea and doesn't care" and "knows what one wants and how to do it." Something like "knows there is more that can be done, but frustrated by lack of knowledge."

 

[vbraun]

I guess what I meant, It doesn't work for the lazy computer oriented person, but I think most of everything doesn't work for these kind of people.

 

[zahathustra]

Being slow can be caused by a lot of things, you have a fast running CPU as you said but what about enough RAM. I've seen machines that run Vista on 512 MB Ram which is not enough.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Wow. Your doing so many basic no-nos on your machine that you really shouldn't be making any conclusions. Most of the problems you name were because of 3rd party software.

1) you have a Dell and they install a record breaking set of crapware that will bring any pc to a crawl. My last XPS performed magnitudes better after I cleaned off the Dell junk. If you are running Google desktop then I'm pretty sure you haven't done this basic task.

2) Dell often configures Google desktop side by side with the Vista side bar which is completely ******** and a huge waste of resources as well as desktop space.

3) Since you have Google desktop installed there is a good chance that Google desktop is indexing your machine because thats what it does. Yes it will slow the machine down. Google task do not = Vista.

4) Vista does not check local weather with Google desktop. Google checks local weather with Google desktop. Uninstall Google desktop or turn of indexing.

5) By multiple shields I'm going to assume you have multiple anti-virus apps installed. Running more that one anit-virus suite is a terrible idea that will cause conflicts and performance problems.

6) Dell's often come with Norton. Norton is known to bring computers to a crawl. I have uninstalled Norton and seen a huge startup and performance boost. Nod32 ftw performance wise.

7) Dell software checks for Dell service updates. Again this is not Vista.

The problems here alone are enough to ensure you machine will run like crap. If you had the same setup on XP it would run like crap. Like I mentioned before Dell sells machines loaded with Linux. You can use wine so you aren't forced to go with Vista, but if you are doing the stuff above your not going to have much luck either way.

 

[Lotus49]

Just a quick response for now (I'm busy), but the CPU was the best I could get: Intel 2.4 GHz dual core (Core Duo), and just to be safe I got 3 Gigs of RAM (4 seemed unnecessary - but I'll get 4 for my desktop when I build it in a few months).

Anway the reason 'the crap' is still on there, is because I don't feel I know Vista well enough to FULLY remove it. I.e., I hate it when stuff is half-assedly removed, and you wind up with footprints of junk, and misc files & folders taking up space, and you forget about them. Until I know exactly & fully what/where/why something is, and know how to wipe it out completely, I don't bother messing w/ it.

Plus I'm sort of trusting that Dell is actually putting this stuff on there for a reason... you know... important updates, etc.

As for anti-virus & spyware/malware, I believe in having multiple-redundant protection. One program doesn't cut it. These companies don't talk to eachother, so program XYZ will catch one thing, but company ABC won't, and vice versa with a different potential problem.

I also have 2 firewalls... the one that comes w/ Vista plus McAfee. Windows SAYS 'there could be potential conflicts', but in practice whenever a known/trusted progam needs clearance through the firewall(s) I just get 2 pop-ups, one from Vista the other from McAfee, and I tell 'em both to proceed. Thus, there's no problem. By my reckoning, 2 are better than one, so long as you can get the stuff you want to work.

Google desktop I usually close right after startup. Anyway it's a laptop... I've got all kinds of anti-theft software etc. that's running/testing/communicating w/ the mother ship, etc. But the main 'delay' seems to be something else. It's obvious to me that the 'bottleneck' is the HDD. I could only get the 5.4k rpm option, but it's not that entirely... it's because Vista seems to be doing some kind of super-mega-cache operation. I dunno. If you go into system resource monitor, then actually look at what the HDD is doing/processing, it's always up to some massive operation. Like it's trying to defrag & virus scan all at the same time.

Once it clears it's head and gets settled, yeah - it's fast. But I swear this Vista Aero / home premium blah blah thing is too demanding. I mean, you can alt-tab and actually see You-tube or other media playing in the little mini-windows. Then press the Window (right next to left Alt) plus Tab, and then it gives you some gorgeous 3D scrolling thing of all open windows.

WAY too much eye candy. That's got to be part of the 'drain' on system resources. Plus, I'm glad I got 3 Gigs of RAM. I did my research, look like it paid off. 2 would not have been enough - and 4 would have been totally not necessary. I can see that Vista (and company: extra software) always occupies ~1.2 GB of RAM, minimum.

Alright, so this wasn't so short.

 

[Fetus4188]

If you just close google desktop at startup you should configure to not load on startup to begin with.

Control Panel -> Programs -> Change Startup Programs will allow you to "disable" a lot of that junk that starts up which you won't be using. Don't go disabling everything though. Only disable something if you know what it is and that you don't need it.

That "crazy HDD behavior" on start up is called super-fetch. It makes your system faster by "pre-loading" your most commonly used programs. So your computer will take a bit longer to start up but whenever you launch an application it will launch more quickly.

If your bottleneck is occurring well after startup then I would like to insist that the problem is caused by the redundant security. A single virus scan is a very intensive use of resources; unnecessarily doing it twice is foolish.

 

[MarineCorps]

Windows SAYS 'there could be potential conflicts'

Windows doesn't say that for kicks and giggles. It says that for a reason.....

I had a friend who installed two AV programs on his computer, it locked up on him and took about an hour to remove them.

 

[BadKharma]

Plus I'm sort of trusting that Dell is actually putting this stuff on there for a reason... you know... important updates, etc.

Thats your first mistake

As for anti-virus & spyware/malware, I believe in having multiple-redundant protection. One program doesn't cut it. These companies don't talk to eachother, so program XYZ will catch one thing, but company ABC won't, and vice versa with a different potential problem.

Thats your second mistake

I also have 2 firewalls... the one that comes w/ Vista plus McAfee. Windows SAYS 'there could be potential conflicts', but in practice whenever a known/trusted progam needs clearance through the firewall(s) I just get 2 pop-ups, one from Vista the other from McAfee, and I tell 'em both to proceed. Thus, there's no problem. By my reckoning, 2 are better than one, so long as you can get the stuff you want to work.

Thats your third mistake.

Do you have any idea how much you are draining your system by doing needless things?

Once it clears it's head and gets settled, yeah - it's fast. But I swear this Vista Aero / home premium blah blah thing is too demanding. I mean, you can alt-tab and actually see You-tube or other media playing in the little mini-windows. Then press the Window (right next to left Alt) plus Tab, and then it gives you some gorgeous 3D scrolling thing of all open windows.

WAY too much eye candy. That's got to be part of the 'drain' on system resources.

You have the ability to disable alot of the eye candy and features to save resources. However having to load 2 anti-virus programs one of them being one of the most demanding on system resources doesnt help.

 

[Ghost Ranger]

Lotus49, open the task manager, click on the "process" tab, and then take a screenshot of the window and post it here.

(oh, and btw, McAfee sucks)

 

[Zelig]

Once it clears it's head and gets settled, yeah - it's fast. But I swear this Vista Aero / home premium blah blah thing is too demanding. I mean, you can alt-tab and actually see You-tube or other media playing in the little mini-windows. Then press the Window (right next to left Alt) plus Tab, and then it gives you some gorgeous 3D scrolling thing of all open windows.

WAY too much eye candy. That's got to be part of the 'drain' on system resources. Plus, I'm glad I got 3 Gigs of RAM. I did my research, look like it paid off. 2 would not have been enough - and 4 would have been totally not necessary. I can see that Vista (and company: extra software) always occupies ~1.2 GB of RAM, minimum.

Less drain than you might think, it uses VGA acceleration. If you don't like it, turn it off.