Return Windows 7 back to Windows XP

I have Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit running on my computer. It does not have any problems except that I can't play some games on it. Is it possible or practicable to return the OS back to the original Windows XP? The games worked fine when the OS was Windows XP.

I would like to make this computer for playing games only. It would not need to connect to the Internet. Is this possible?

 

Yes, you would need to format the drive and wipe out 7 completely, then boot from the Win XP cd and install. As long as you aren't using the internet, you should be fine. I would at least spend a few minutes getting your drivers updated before you kill the internet to it.

 

Hi Blez,
Thank you for your quick reply.
I should have mentioned that I don't have a XP installation disk. I was hoping that there might be a system restore on the drive. If I format the drive, I doubt it. I'll have to see if I can get a installation disk.

Thanks again,
Red

 

Thank you for your reply.
You answered my original question that it is indeed possible to return W7 back to WXP. But it is not worth trouble. I will have to be satisfied with what I presently have.

Thanks for all your information.

 

Thank you. One of the games I'm having trouble with is "The Longest Journey ".

It installs alright but when I start the game it crashes with an error message: A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. The games troubleshooter claims that it needs DirectX 6.1 to operate correctly. I have DirectX 11, so I don't think that's the problem. The game comes with four installation disks. I installed the complete and minimum options with the same outcome. I even tried to install the DirectX that came with the installation disks, that failed to install.

I tried the compatibility route with no success. I have two W7 computers, one with 32 Bits and the other, 64 Bits. Neither one worked.

If you have any other suggestions, I would appreciate it.

 

You need to fully patch the DirectX 9.0C files om W7 to be able to play many older games.

The web installer frequently fails so use the full redistributable package to install it: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

 

Hi Plodr & Satrow,

Thanks again. I thought this was the answer I needed to play my old games on W7. Neither of my two computers have a processor for the hardware-assisted virtualization that is required for installing the XP mode.

I also ran the patch for the DirectX files that Satrow suggested. No golden ring. I'm back to square one.

I guess I will have to use my wife's computer that's still WXP for the old games.

Thanks again.
Red

 

Okay, now that you have the full DX9C patch installed, I think that should give you backward compatibility to at least DX7. Assuming you have the game installed (some old games fail because they use an old Macromedia projector to install), you can now modify the properties of the game's .exe file to run it in XP Compatibility mode.

Right-click the .exe file > Properties > Compatibility tab, select XP SP3 and then 640x480 to begin with.

 

For "The Longest Journey":

Adding the following DirectX section to "preferences.ini" file located in "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\The Longest Journey" seems to solve the issue:

[DirectX]
GfxDriver=display
int_BitDepth=32
bool_IsDoubleBuffer=0
bool_UseHardware=0
bool_StartFullscreen=1
bool_ForceSingleBuffer=1


Found from: http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/28785/the-longest-journey-wont-run-on-windows-7

Hope it helps. Also, please list other games with issues.

 

Hi,

Thanks Satrow, Plodr & all concerned. The DX patch did the trick for this game. I hope it will also be good for my other old games to play on Windows 7.

Thanks again
Red

 

Since you have Win 7 Ult, you can download (no cost, included as part of Win 7 Pro & Ult) "XP Mode" from MS: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

"XP Mode" is a virtual machine, pre-confgured with a fully licensed copy of XP Pro. Using XP Mode will allow you to run XP only software right on your Win 7 desktop. However, a virtual machine may have performance issues when trying to run games since it doesn't use your actual video card, cpu or other hardware but instead emulates them in software. Your games should run but you may not be happy with the performance.

 

Hi Strolling,

Thanks for your information. I don't have to use XP mode for W7 anymore. I resolved my problem with the help of MajorGeeks technicians to keep W7 and install a DX patch.

That fixed the problem. Thanks again.

 

Just had to chime in and say AWESOME JOB EVERYONE!!!

:major

 

I have to agree with Mekanic, AWSOME JOB from all, thanks.

For future use I downloaded the Windows 7 XP mode. When I click Start, All programs, the Windows XP mode is not listed. I re-downloaded the file but got a message that it is already downloaded. How can I open it?
I also tried to install the Windows 7 update to eliminate the need for HAV. That didn't work either.
Any suggestion on opening the W7 XP mode?

 

All instructions can be found here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

 

Thanks Adrynalyn.
I had to install Windows Virtual PC update to open the XP Mode. I tried an old game on it and as I was informed, I'm not pleased with it. I'll only use it as a last resort.
Thanks again.