BleepingComputer.com: 32-bit games on a 64-bit Vista comp

I have a computer which runs 64-bit Windows Vista. I was wondering how I could get some of my 32-bit game (Star Trek Away Team for one) running on this devilish machine? I've heard of Virtual Machines but I don't know how to work them. I went to a site for one once, but the manual was way too long to read and comprehend. Is there a simple solution? Or maybe someone who could guide me through the process?

Thanks!
-OS51

I assume you've tried simply running the program without success. Have you tried running as administrator or in a compatibility mode? Virtual machines are limited and are not a good option for most games. If nothing works and the virtual machine is too slow, you could run a dual OS setup, but that can be expensive.

Compatibility mode? The only compatibility mode I know is supposed to simulate other operating systems, not other bitrates, and even the OS compatibility is usually a failure.

-OS51

You can't simulate different platforms in a compatibility mode, WoW64 should be able to handle the 32-bit just fine. The game could be having issues with the operating system itself and not the platform, that is why I suggested trying the compatibility mode or as an admin. Away Team is about eight years old and not even designed for Vista to begin with. Are any error messages coming up that lists any problems, or does the game simply not start?

It comes up and says it cannot run on a 64-bit system, and to see if the developer has a 64-bit version of the program. What's WoW64? I never heard of it.

-OS51

OS51, on Dec 28 2009, 11:40 AM, said:

It's the subsystem in 64 bit Windows that runs 32 bit software - "Windows on Windows 64".

Bump... any more suggestions? XD

-OS51

I have never heard of any game that does not run like that.
Maybe the problem is the os or you need to run in dosbox or on a different os. It is 9 years old or something and not designed for vista.
One of the main reasons I always have a dual boot setup including xp on any game setup.

Most games are compatible with 64-bit operating systems. Generally, my experience with getting older games to run on such an OS is tricky if the game is very old. Usually, the DRM has a habit of blocking the games from starting since they usually require drivers. Some older games also like to make deep-level calls to parts of the OS, or memory, that are rendered unusable in such an environment. From what I can tell while reading the net, Away Team is an exception. Searching for 64-bit specifically, in relation to Away Team, yielded few results, but those I did find are having problems like yours. I went and checked Reflexive's website and, given the game's age, was only able to find a single post of any kind on Away Team. You could try posting there and seeing what happens, but Reflexive has pulled back from making boxed retail games, now focusing on the casual market. Activision's site was also empty of Away Team content. The oldest game I could find there, that I recognized, was Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, which is an amazing game that does work with 64-bit. Away Team was designed to run in Windows XP or earlier, so you may have to run a dual boot system.

hi i did have the same problem i have windows 7 with 64bit
what you need to do is

1 click start then computer
2 rigth click your dvd/cd drive
3 then click open to go inside the cd
4 then go in to setup folder
5 rigth click setup then click on properties
6 click on compatibility
7 tick run this progam in compatibility mode for
8 select window 98/windows Me
9 tick run this program as an adminstrator
10 the last thing is press Apply then press ok

this works because there was no 64bit windows98 or Me

i hope this work for you marcus

Aaaahhhh, it's a 16-bit program. I just saw where it said 16-bit incompatability. Is there a way around this problem?

-OS51

Unfortunately, Windows 64-bit cannot help with a 16-bit game. WoW64 can only work with 32-bit programs. Keep in mind that the majority of the game itself could be 32-bit, but if the launcher or some other small part of the program is 16-bit, then the game still will not start. Only 32-bit Windows will work with 16-bit applications. There may be another option, Windows 7 Professional has a 32-bit Windows XP virtual PC included. In such an environment, the program may work, however, it may not perform well since hardware is usually limited in a virtualized environment.