Topic.

I downloaded the game last night on Windows 7 64 bit, I've just tried to run it, clicked the shortcut on the Desktop and it just goes to a black screen as if it's loading, and then straight back to the Desktop!

I want my $5.99 back!

Oh come on, you haven't even tried to get it running yet. There are quite a number of reasons why a game may not run and you haven't given us any details of what you've tried to do, nor what your system specifications are.

So firstly, contact GOG support if you haven't already done so.
Secondly, what are your system specifications?

Then onto the usual fixes:

1) Have you tried running as admin (even if your account is an administrator account)?
2) Tried different compatibility modes and disabling visual themes via the game shortcut?
3) Where is the game installed to? If it is Program Files (x86) then uninstall and re-install to an unprotected folder such as C:\Games\...
4) Being a DOS game it uses DOSBox. So try using different graphical settings such as Overlay, Surface, DDraw, etc (should be available in the GOG setup shortcut for the game).

Although number 4 may well be the solution here I still recommend the previous ones as modern Windows OSes (Vista onwards, especially 64-bit) are a pain with old applications and games when installed into Program Files unless you disable all the built in security like UAC and DEP.

I've tried compatibility mode and it still doesn't work.

WTF?!

Game does work on windows 7 64 bit. Have you tried re-downloading?

Also, try downloading dosbox separately and running the executable through the emulator.

Have you tried the rest of the suggestions I made?

Hmm, it works on my Dad''s PC, which is on the same OS but its a slower system! Very strange.

Do other dosbox games work on your system? (If you haven't bought any from gog, download dosbox separately and try something from the mid 1990s - you should be able to legally download some shareware games if you don't have anything)

It could be his graphics setup which is why his Dad's machine may be working fine, in which case playing with the graphical option for DOSBox might resolve it as I mentioned in point 4.

4) Being a DOS game it uses DOSBox. So try using different graphical settings such as Overlay, Surface, DDraw, etc (should be available in the GOG setup shortcut for the game).

Also (not knowing how PC savvy he or his Dad is) his Dad's PC may have all UAC and DEP security turned off, in which case it may not matter where he has installed to, but I don't recommend using Program Files for old games. In fact, I don't use it for any games at all.

Until RichAllen tells us his full system specs and what he's actually tried to do to get it running, the community won't be able to offer much in the way of help.


As a completely different alternative, you can use innounp on the GOG installer to extract the game files from it so that you can use them with your own DOSBox setup, though this isn't really needed as they would extract on installing anyway so you could just copy and paste them to your own DOSBox installation. Or you could use WinROTT instead.

Hi RichAllen

Try this:

When you double click the icon to launch the game, you'll see a little dos window pop up, as if the game is going to load, as soon as this pops up and goes into fullscreen, hit ALT + ENTER and bring the game back into windowed mode. Let me know if this helps. If it does work, you're free to put it back into fullscreen once the game has loaded and you're at the menu.

I've noticed it happens on a lot of the older games (ie Redneck Rampage) and they just crash to the desktop.

Unfortunately, it appears more could be done to fine-tune these games for use on Windows 7, I had issues with the Tex Murphy series on 7 and just could not get them to load unfortunately.