A real long shot - Getting Mr. Driller (released in 2000) to work on windows 7

Spudgun

Spudgun

Spudgun

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This is a real long shot!

My wife plays Mr. Driller on her laptop a lot, however, her laptop is very nearly dead and so I have bought her a new laptop for Christmas.

Mr Driller installs absolutely fine on the new laptop running windows home premium x64 and I have transferred her high scores etc. across to the new machine. The problem is that every time the game starts it asks you to input the CD Key.

You put the CD key in and the game starts and everything works exactly as it should, however, the next time you start the game it asks you to put the CD key in again :( this is all a bit annoying as it obviously isn't setting a flag somewhere that the CD key has been entered and is valid.

This is what I have tried so far to fix this;

1) E-mailed the publisher (Namco) - no response after 2 weeks
2) E-mailed the developer (Midas interactive) - no response after 2 weeks
3) Tried running the exe file in all of the compatability modes that windows 7 offers
4) Tried running the exe file as an administrator
5) Imported the registry settings that are specific to this game from the XP laptop to see if it was something stored in the registry
6) Tried googling the problem and only thing that comes up with is naughty download sites and it appears that the pirate version has the same issues (so at least on this occasion the people who bought the software are getting the same experience as the freeloaders!)
7) tried to install dosbox - but this is a windows only exe

All produce (apart from number 6, obviously) exactly the same, the game will run when you input the CD key, but then asks you again for it next time you run the program.

Windows 7 home premium doesn't have the XP mode that I can try either :(

So, does anyone have any suggestions for things that I might have overlooked or something else I can try?

I don't suppose anyone else out there is still playing this 10 year old game are they?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Spudgun
 
Windows Virtual machine should sort it... you can boot into normal windows and then have a virtual PC. I know XP works well, but you may even be able to do 95/98.

Another method to go down is looking into if the game was release on an old machine and getting a windows emulator for that.
 
Thank you very much for your speedy response, however, I didn't think the virtual machine was available for home premium windows 7 and that it was only on professional and ultimate?
 
Just an update on this - after hunting around you can't install virtual machine on home premium officially - so that option is out.

Anyone else got any suggestions?
 
Try installing it to a different location that isn't in Program Files? It may be trying to write to the Program Files directory, but its not allowed to, so it fails.
 
try 'run as administrator' to see if it is a permissions error...

Failing that, try looking for a NoCD - that way it won't care about your cd key as it won't be asking for one :)
 
iviv said:
Try installing it to a different location that isn't in Program Files? It may be trying to write to the Program Files directory, but its not allowed to, so it fails.
Click to expand...

A nice thought - thank you. Tried installing it to c:\driller and still the same
 
EniGmA1981 said:
try 'run as administrator' to see if it is a permissions error...

Failing that, try looking for a NoCD - that way it won't care about your cd key as it won't be asking for one :)
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your reply. Unfortunately, I have tried both of those I'm afraid (and ashamed to say about the 'dodgy' one) and still the same
 
Spudgun said:
Interesting - however, both of these would be alien to me and my current level of understanding - could you enlighten me please?
Click to expand...

Just applications much like the official Microsoft ones that allow you to virtually run a different OS.
 
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