soulgrindr: Hey, can i ask a couple of questions? I've been wondering if VMware or some other virtualization software was the answer to running some 3d windows games that can't cope with vista.
Can you run it on the freeware version of vmware, or do you have to buy it?
Have you tried any other 3d games, how do they hold up on vmware? I was under the impression 3d support was kind of iffy.
Any general advice on how to get started?
I have loads of old 3d games i can't get to work on vista (Outcast, Discworld Noir, Etc..)
Thanks!
The free version of VMWare won't let you create your own virtual machine, you can only use a ready-made one. Perhaps the time-limited trial of the money-cost version will let you create a VM image, I don't know.
And yes, 3D is iffy, at least for anything that requires hardware acceleration. It depends on what virtualization program you use, what the guest OS is, and what 3D API (Direct X or OpenGL) the game uses.
Last I knew, VirtualBox and windows version of VMWare could do hardware accelerated 3D, but only if the guest OS was Windows XP, and probably only DIrect X.
I think the Mac version of VMWare supports it, but I don't know if there are limitations on guest OS or API.
Some linux virtualization programs support it, but only for OpenGL.
If the game has a software renderer, then this won't matter. Of course software rendering won't look as good.
If you need to run a Win9x OS guest on a Windows host, I'd recommend MS Virtual PC. I went through four VM programs trying to get MechWarrior 2 Titanium trilogy working, and found it worked best, with Qemu Manager a close second.
Edit:
Also, depending on the virtualization program, you may not be able to play CD audio either. I know MS Virtual PC and Qemu Manager can't.
