X-Com UFO Defense

I just installed an old version of X-Com on my new computer and it's not working. I have a hp, pentium 4 with windows XP. Also I have a Radeon 9700 Pro Vid card. Is there anyway to play this classic? I bought an old X Com Collectors edition with all 3 x com games.

 

Hey green... depending on the problem you are having... try this list of fixes. These came from xcomufo.com a great fan site for the series.


X-COM: UFO Defense (DOS versions 1.2, 1.4, and Windows Collector's Edition) Bug FAQ



Garbled video error while running under Win98se/XP/ME/NT/2000

When attempting to run the Collector's Edition (CE) of UFO Defense under Windows 98se/XP/2000/ME/NT with a modern video card, you will probably get a garbled screen with about four game screen's worth of data squashed together near the top of the screen. This is cause by DirectDraw drivers the Collector's Edition uses to create compatibility with Windows. Unfortunately, the programmers did not take the pitch into consideration. You can bypass this problem manually through dxdiag.exe, but this is tedious, must be reversed to play newer games, and doesn't fix all of the problems. There is a file that actually fixes the conflict caused by DirectDraw by automatically disabling (then re-enabling) the acceleration. It was written by F0dder. The file for UFO Defense is called xcom1fix.exe (or ldr_xcom1.exe) Place the file in the main UFO Defense folder and run the fix file instead of "UFO Defense.exe" to start the game.

If you are still unable to run the game after using f0dder's fix, manually disable DirectDraw acceleration by following these instructions: From the Start Menu, click Run. Type in "dxdiag.exe" and click OK. After the data has finished loading, click the Display tab at the top of DxDiag. Look for the line that reads "DirectDraw Acceleration Enabled" and click Disable. Click EXIT at the bottom and go play. Remember to re-enable it before running application or games that require directx acceleration.


"Couldn't CreateProcess" error with xcom1fix.exe or ldr_xcom1.exe

This error originates with f0dder's fix (ldr_xcom1.exe or xcom1fix.exe) in which the fix can not find the UFO Defense.exe executable. The most common solution for this is to make sure that the UFO Defense executable file is named "UFO Defense" with an .exe extension (making it an application). Also, make sure that the fix (xcom2fix.exe or ldr_xcom2.exe) is in the same directory as the game. If that does not work, consider re-installing the game again.


"Couldn't ReadProcessMemory" error with xcom1fix.exe or ldr_xcom1.exe

This error will present itself if you try to use f0dder's fix with an old DOS version of the game. F0dder's fix only works with the Collector's Edition.


Click-pause sound error

I don't know what causes this problem, but I do know how to fix it. Download this file: musfix.dll and place it in the main UFO Defense folder. Now run the game, and the click-pauses should be eliminated.


Blank screen or "VGA Mode Not Supported"

Using an LCD monitor? Can you hear sound and music? You probably can, but no video? You might get an error message saying "VGA Mode not supported." More than likely, your problem originates in the LCD monitor's current refresh rate. Open dxdiag.exe from the Start Menu, Run box. Click on the "More Help" tab, click on Override, click the dot next to Override Value, and then enter 60. Click okay and do whatever the program tells you to do, then try the game. If 60 doesn't work, try raising or lowering it by increments of 1.


Game picture runs off of the screen

Adjust the controls for horizontal and vertical display/stretching on the front of your monitor. Some monitor's are not designed to and therefore are incapable of displaying xcom's 320x200 screen resolution, so you may be out of luck. Consult your monitor manual for further information.


Game crash, program quits to desktop

There is a bug in UFO Defense that is caused by researching the floater medic. When the research of this alien is completed, the results are shown and when you click any button, the game crashes. Reload your most recent saved game and cancel the floater medic research. Do not research it again (unless you want your game to crash again....)


Game crash, program quits to desktop - random

This is caused by a corrupt saved game. Some time within the past two months (of game time) when you saved your game, the files became corrupted. This is a bug that has been in the game since the beginning and never fixed because it is somewhat unusual. The only way around this bug is to delete the files in the corrupted save's folder, load an older saved game (that hopefully is not corrupted) and save over the now-blank spot. To check to see if an older saved game is corrupted, use the 1 Day button to speed up the game to the time when the crash occurred in the first saved game. If the saved game gets past that designated crash time, the files are good. Two tips to avoid this bug in the future: Save often and in alternating save spots, and DO NOT save while an interception window is minimized.


Game crash while creating first base or when stepping off the skyranger on the first mission

This is most often cause by trying to play an old DOS version in WinXP/ME/2k. Get a hold of the Collector's Edition, or download one of the following saved games that were saved immediately after the first base was placed: Beginner and Superhuman (difficulties). Run the file and tell the program to extract the files into one of your saved game directories (c:\ufo\game_1) Overwrite any files that are there. Start the game and load the saved game.


Game crash on transfers

If you are playing the game in a language other that English (i.e. German) start the game in English and proceed with the transfer.
Remember to re-enable it before running application or games that require directx acceleration.

Game crash with scrolled large font text (typically green), unknown battle results shown or old battlescape game loaded

This is a common DOS-version bug that cannot be worked around. You will need to start a new game and try to save your game often and in alternating save spots. Quit the game and reload your last save game.


Game runs too fast

The first thing to do to try to slow down your computer is to use a program like Turbo. If they do now help enough, and if you're feeling adventurous, boot your computer into CMOS and turn off both "Internal Cache" and "External Cache" in the BIOS settings, then adjust mo'slo or turbo to slow the game down to acceptable levels. Please do not ask me how to disable the caches, as there are many different CMOS' and motherboards that I can't tell you how exactly to do it on your system. Ask your local tech friend or consult the motherboard manual (exciting stuff).


Saved Game Disappears

Make sure that in the xcom directory, there is a folder called "game_1". If it does not, you will need to create a folder with this name. Then create "game_2" .... "game_10" for the rest of the save game folders.

 

hi i just downloaded x com ufo defence and it wont install. it says i have a prob with my widows installer, help me this is a great game and i would love to play it!!

 

Dosbox is also supposed to be an effective solution. I use an older computer with Win98 that I can play in DOS mode instead.