Does the Wii still corrupt 1019 GameCube memory cards?

Question

I just bought Eternal Darkness and intend to play it on my Wii.

I apparently need a GameCube controller and memory card, so I've done some shopping for a Wavebird (man, they're expensive!) and memory card. A quick search reveals that many people have seen their Wii corrupt all their data stored on 1019 GameCube memory cards.

Is this still the case? Should I just buy a 251 memory card and call it a wrap?

Answer

If the corruption problem was caused by the hardware, then the Wii will still corrupt those specific GameCube memory cards today, as there have not been any substantial hardware changes to the Wii since release - and the hardware changes that have occurred were primarily to prevent hacking the Wii.

If the corruption problem was caused by software, we don't know if it is fixed or not, as Nintendo has never acknowledged the issue, nor specifically said that a new version of the OS has fixed it.

If you are concerned about it, just buy a different card.

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Why does RollerCoaster Tycoon (original) on a Windows 7 64-bit VM display a black screen on launch?

Question

I'm currently trying to avoid Windows XP mode since the Windows 7 installation itself is a VM (running on a Mac Mini). Regardless, here's my description of the problem.

The game successfully launches, but displays a black screen. You can hear the music play on the title world. I end up using ALT-TAB to switch out of full screen mode so I can quit. I know that once I get the game into windowed mode it'll work fine, however I've tried numerous command line switches to no avail.

I have the following compatibility options currently set:

• Compatibility mode: Windows XP SP2 (also have tried Windows 98/ME and Windows 95)
• Disable visual themes (at least required for the save dialog to appear)
• Disable desktop composition
• Run this program as Administrator (otherwise I know the game cannot save)

I have also tried (no success):

• Run in 256 colors. I've also switched to the Windows 7 Basic theme and 800x600 resolution.
• Run in 640x480 resolution.
• Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.

I've tried the original game, with and without Corkscrew Follies installed, and with and without all known available patches.

So I'm looking to get the display working, regardless of method. If there's a command-line switch I can use to force a windowed mode (I've tried -w, -win, -window, -windowed) that would be just as fine.

Answer

I've been able to run the game under Wine, so you may have better luck with that then in your Windows VM.

Instructions for installing Wine on your Mac are here.

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How to get old 16-bit Windows games to work on 64-bit Windows?

Question

Trying to play some old Windows 95 games on Windows 7 64-bit, I'm getting the following error:

The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.

Trying to run the application in compatibility mode has no effect. I'm guessing these games somehow rely on 32-bit dlls which are missing from my system, and I would like to know if anyone else has encountered a similar problem and is able to give insight as to possible solutions or work-arounds.

Notes:

• I've checked this question but it discusses system requirements and not actual application invocation.
• The games in questions are Metal Marines and Fire Fight, but I'm sure many more might be affected.
• The error message above is not game-specific, it comes directly from Windows itself.

Answer

It's actually quite likely that these games are relying on old 16-bit DLLs. A lot of early 32-bit software relied on old 16-bit DLLs for some functions, as they did the job, they weren't used in a performance critical part of the software and there was no need to look for 32-bit versions. (for example until fairly recently the install software was often 16-bit, so much so that Win7 actually detects that and silently replaces with it's own 64-bit version of the old DLL).

Have you looked at Windows 7's XP Mode? This runs an entire copy of 32-bit Windows XP within your Windows 7, letting old programs run within XP without the program knowing it's on a 64-bit Win7 machine at all, and as it's all integrated you will hardly notice that it's running in XP.

Windows 7's XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it's for

Check more discussion of this question.

How do get old 16-bit Windows games to work on 64-bit Windows?

Question

Trying to play some old Windows 95 games on Windows 7 64-bit, I'm getting the following error:

The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.

Trying to run the application in compatibility mode has no effect. I'm guessing these games somehow rely on 32-bit dlls which are missing from my system, and I would like to know if anyone else has encountered a similar problem and is able to give insight as to possible solutions or work-arounds.

Notes:

• I've checked this question but it discusses system requirements and not actual application invocation.
• The games in questions are Metal Marines and Fire Fight, but I'm sure many more might be affected.
• The error message above is not game-specific, it comes directly from Windows itself.

Answer

It's actually quite likely that these games are relying on old 16-bit DLLs. A lot of early 32-bit software relied on old 16-bit DLLs for some functions, as they did the job, they weren't used in a performance critical part of the software and there was no need to look for 32-bit versions. (for example until fairly recently the install software was often 16-bit, so much so that Win7 actually detects that and silently replaces with it's own 64-bit version of the old DLL).

Have you looked at Windows 7's XP Mode? This runs an entire copy of 32-bit Windows XP within your Windows 7, letting old programs run within XP without the program knowing it's on a 64-bit Win7 machine at all, and as it's all integrated you will hardly notice that it's running in XP.

Windows 7's XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it's for

Check more discussion of this question.

Why do my old 16-bit Windows games not work on 64-bit Windows?

Question

Trying to play some old Windows 95 games on Windows 7 64-bit, I'm getting the following error:

The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.

Trying to run the application in compatibility mode has no effect. I'm guessing these games somehow rely on 32-bit dlls which are missing from my system, and I would like to know if anyone else has encountered a similar problem and is able to give insight as to possible solutions or work-arounds.

Notes:

• I've checked this question but it discusses system requirements and not actual application invocation.
• The games in questions are Metal Marines and Fire Fight, but I'm sure many more might be affected.
• The error message above is not game-specific, it comes directly from Windows itself.

Answer

It's actually quite likely that these games are relying on old 16-bit DLLs. A lot of early 32-bit software relied on old 16-bit DLLs for some functions, as they did the job, they weren't used in a performance critical part of the software and there was no need to look for 32-bit versions. (for example until fairly recently the install software was often 16-bit, so much so that Win7 actually detects that and silently replaces with it's own 64-bit version of the old DLL).

Have you looked at Windows 7's XP Mode? This runs an entire copy of 32-bit Windows XP within your Windows 7, letting old programs run within XP without the program knowing it's on a 64-bit Win7 machine at all, and as it's all integrated you will hardly notice that it's running in XP.

Windows 7's XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it's for

Check more discussion of this question.