Older Windows 98 "games"

[Qwazert]

I have VB 6.1 installed, along with Windows XP and the required guest packages.

Trying to run an older Windows 95 game that uses DirectX, but it will not render properly on the VM. Sound is choppy...no music...and the game is relegated to a small black and white window in the upper left corner of my display...

Any suggestions?

[motoryzen]

Although I realize you're trying to accomplish this via VM of Virtualbox.... I couldn't help but notice you didn't follow Forum rules...how to get help, step 5, 2nd dot aka bulletin point that shows you how to post your system details.

1. Always good to know what we're working with under the hood
2. What is the name of the game you're trying to run?

A. Have you not simply tried to run that via Wine? If so..possibly supplemented by Lutris ( usually where one gets stuck in a mental dead end with Wine...Lutris provides an easier path to the goal in setting certain settings..etc ). Then there is also Bottles.... Thus if you could accomplish that goal using one or two of those methods...no need for the VM.

I have found I can play a lot of windows 98 games directly in Wine OR via Lutris and even some 95 games such as Warcraft II

Dosbox ( specifically the staging Flathub aka flatpak version) might be right up your alley as far as a reasonably happen medium if Wine or Lutris ends up in a dead end. , but I have yet to need that save for games as old as Dragonsphere or Beneath a Steel Sky.

Bottom line = we need more details

[Qwazert]

My bad....

Code: Select all

System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-170-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.4.0 
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The game I am trying to play is Doom...specifically, the Doom 95 version made for Windows. I already have DosBox installed and I use it for some MUCH older games.
Out of frustration with VM, I took an old hdd and tried to install Windows XP (the last decent version of Windows) on it but it would fail repeatedly at the install stage. That's when I realized that those earlier versions of Windows won't run with more than 4 Gb of RAM...so that idea got shelved.
I've also thought of building another Windows box strictly for Gaming (note that MY definition of "gaming" is probably different than yours...I'm not a Halo or Call of Duty type of guy...don't play on-line at all. Just my old favorites like Duke Nukem, Doom, Quake, One Must Fall, etc.).
I've installed WINE on other Linux installs of mine but never liked how it "worked"...and the fact that this Doom95 game needs DirectX for graphics support, suggest to me that it wouldn't run in WINE either...

[motoryzen]

.and the fact that this Doom95 game needs DirectX for graphics support, suggest to me that it wouldn't run in WINE either..

I have tons of Windows native games in age ranging from the 90's to today that require DirectX versions since easily 7 and newer that work in Wine or Wine+Lutris

Doom95 may be a tricky one to get working though. I'll have to do some deep digging to have more room to talk or more fine tuned suggestions

[MikeNovember]

Hi,

You can install VMware workstation player for Linux on your computer, then install Windows 98 from an ISO as a virtual machine.

Regards,

MN

[kkycool]

Hi

Why don't you try some port software?
Few years ago I tried Jdoom and it was really good. It would rework the graphics at the resolution you like. (no just a simple pixel upscale) It was so good I did the whole game , and because the engine is compatible with Hexen and Heretic, well I replayed them both too.
Apparently JDoom is no more active, this one is :
https://dengine.net/
it looks promising and should install easily having ppa for Ubuntu.

For Duke Nukem, there was Eduke32 that was nice too.

Enjoy.

[kkycool]

Also as MikeNovember says above, VMware Player was better with Direct-X and other handling, I recall however that every kernel upgrade I had to recompile some nvidia drivers (back in the days of Debian6) and that only a WMplayer was free for private use.

I assume you are running also the Guest Additions.
What version of VirtualBox are you running ?
Be also aware that there was some major changes at the release of v6.1:
"Virtualbox had the 'VboxVGA' video card that they have used for years. The 3D acceleration for this card had a security hole wide enough to march a parade through.

So starting in 6.0.x the devs released two new 'video cards', VboxSVGA for Windows, and VMSVGA for Linux, etc. In 6.1.x the 3D acceleration system was changed to only work on the VboxSVGA and VMSVGA, not the old VboxVGA anymore. And the 6.1.x 3D acceleration drivers in Guest Additions will only work on Windows 7 or greater.

So to have 3D acceleration in XP you must run 6.0.x or earlier, using the VboxVGA card (note no S). And run the same version of Guest Additions for maximum 3D compatibility. (You might have to go back to 5.2.x)"

[found that on https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=98113]

[BG405]

So to have 3D acceleration in XP you must run 6.0.x or earlier, using the VboxVGA card (note no S).

That explains things .. I'd tried running a couple of games in an xp VM some time back. I'm currently running 7.0.14