Tested Win11 loader on Win10, also works, so should also work with SecureBoot enabled with most recent ntvdmx64 which offers this possibility of installation on a system with Secure Boot enabled.
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Do you have NTVDMx64 patch already compiled? Because my blood is flooding when I try to compile it (I can't run the mktools.cmd file because I miss the buildlocaltools.cmd file)
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For instance, one thing that I have left in my drawer of unimplemented things is a general purpose patcher doing pretty much what he did on PCHESS.EXE but configurable (in a DxWnd "Patcher" configuration tab) and working on the fly without changing the executable file. How does it sound?
Looks very feasible. If possible it is better to implement this. Let me test PowerChess 98 it seems it will work too.
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It works. Requires Windows XP compatibility again. @leecher01 you can check if there's anything you need to change, something may go wrong in the process because file wasn't patched but until now it's alright
The two games are different. I mean you could check if any further modification is required for PowerChess98. Till now it worked fine. If everything works fine than it should be enough for both games. And also PCHESS98's PCHESS.EXE doesn't get patched so will it cause any problem, considering PCHESS96's PCHESS.EXE was patched?
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2021-11-23
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@leecher
I've tried it now in my VirtualXP and it's incredible how nice it works, including intro video, good job!
One problem I came across: after saving the game, the name save file is not called .gam, but .26. E.g. MySave.26. Then I have to rename the file to MySave.gam for the game to find it. I don't know why he does it.
Update:
Strange, I run game again and the saving works fine.
Mystery.
Last edit: huh 2021-11-23
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If PCHESS98 was installed while PCHESS96 was also previously installed, this line was RETAINED in the .INI
[SierraDirs]C:\SIERRA=
This line was for the previous installation of PCHESS96. Every other line of PCHES96's installation was deleted. However the game worked without this line, even Autorun could find the game.
I see on old-games that both the games have patches available that fixes something?
PCHESS96's one seem more important as it talks about save game crashing n-moves later. Those updated files still get patched by the patcher.exe
However PCHESS98's ones seem minor fixes, and the README states it's for a problem under Windows 98. The patching application takes a lot of time, it is stuck at 0% for the most time and after installing this patch and your patch, the game gets an abnormal termination error from VC++. I don't know if I should update the game, and how to resolve the VC++ issue from the update, and if it will resolve any issues
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Tried PCHESS98 patch in Win98, it doesn't fix your savegame-issue, so I guess Save works as it works by design (you can change main line to last move anyway in windowthat contains all moves and it also seems to be by design that a saved game cannot be continued against the opponent, it just saves the move history).
Anyway, regarding PCHESS98 patch: My Patcher fails for byte pattern patch for CreateProcess call, but it's not a big problem, as CreateProcess flags in patched version changed so that it works without my patch : DOS window will appear for a short time on startup and NTVDM complains that there is no process on the other end of the pipe, but these are non-issues imho. I could patch it anyway, if needed.
I can use the patched version normally. I only get the abnormal Program Termination error, if my RUN386.EXE wrapper is not in place (=RUN386.EXE is original DOS application), so basically on version that wasn't patched using my patcher.
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I can use the patched version normally. I only get the abnormal Program Termination error, if my RUN386.EXE wrapper is not in place (=RUN386.EXE is original DOS application), so basically on version that wasn't patched using my patcher.
By ''patched version'' do you mean Sierra's patch or your patch? Your patch is fine on original version of the game, it is only when I install Sierra's patch and try to apply your patch, it doesn't recognise the signature of the new executable and fails to patch the newer executable. If this is the case, you may want to update the patcher to one last version, one that recognises the updated executables.
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1) Restore original .exe from CD
2) Apply Sierra's patch
3) Apply my patch, it will fail on patching the executable, but as long as the RUN386.EXE from my patch is correctly in place, it still works. DETACHES_PROCESS flag is present then, but RUN386.EXE is not a DOS process, it is a Win32 process launching a DOS process as subprocess, so it's not a big deal that patching PCHESS.EXE fails.
I cannot patch the PCHESS.EXE from Sierra's PCHESS98 patch, because PUSH 8 instruction only is 2 bytes, not 4 bytes, so I cannot add the flag to hide the console window, but it will close itself anyway after a short time.
I could patch it by JMPing to the NOP-slide after the function and placing the PUSH there, but as said, it's not worth it, because it has no practical impact other than not having to see a console Window for a few seconds and clicking away a NTVDM-complaint after exit.
Last edit: leecher 2021-11-27
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I did as you wrote, i.e. I uploaded a Sierra patch and then yours and the game now asks me for a CD, even though it is mounted as an ISO image. How can I fix it?
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Sorry guys, but could any of you give some directions on how to get PChess96 to run on modern Win? Here's what I did>
Installed it and patched it with the official sierra patch
Patched it with leecher's patch. The console window gave me 2 OKs, (for both pchess.exe and run386.exe), no errors
If I try to run the game in Win8.1 via pchess.exe, the game asks for wing32.dll. I copied wing32.dll from my Win95 VM, but if I try to run it with it, the game gives me an error (application was unable to start correctly 0xc0000042). I probably need a different wing32.dll, but not sure which.
If I try to run the game via run386.exe, Windows gives me an error about 16bit applications not supported. I've got ntvdmx64 installed and it works, played with it Darklands and Betrayal at Krondor, so I don't think that it's installed incorrectly. Still, ntvdmx64 is not started. Should I start the game via pchess.exe? Or run386.exe?
tl;dr what to do? :)
edit: I got the game and leecher's patch from old-games.ru
Last edit: jigby 2022-02-06
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The DxWnd package comes with a emulated wing32.dll that should work on all OS versions. I wonder if using that dll could eliminate the need for the WinXP compatibility.
If you are happy with the current settings, better not leave the safe path for something insecure, but if you want to make a try do not forget to take a safe copy of your current game setting.
note: the wing32.dll is the file in the same folder where DxWnd.exe is located. There is another version in the proxy folder, but that is a different thing!
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I'm talking about Win10
Tested Win11 loader on Win10, also works, so should also work with SecureBoot enabled with most recent ntvdmx64 which offers this possibility of installation on a system with Secure Boot enabled.
Do you have NTVDMx64 patch already compiled? Because my blood is flooding when I try to compile it (I can't run the mktools.cmd file because I miss the buildlocaltools.cmd file)
Okay, I managed it somehow. I'm about to install NTVDMx64 and the Power Chess patch and we'll see if it works
Btw.: In case setup.exe crashes for you, I now updated NTVDMx64 to fix this issue.
Looks very feasible. If possible it is better to implement this. Let me test PowerChess 98 it seems it will work too.
It works. Requires Windows XP compatibility again.
@leecher01 you can check if there's anything you need to change, something may go wrong in the process because file wasn't patched but until now it's alright
I don't quite understand, what do you mean that I should check?
The two games are different. I mean you could check if any further modification is required for PowerChess98. Till now it worked fine. If everything works fine than it should be enough for both games. And also PCHESS98's PCHESS.EXE doesn't get patched so will it cause any problem, considering PCHESS96's PCHESS.EXE was patched?
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2021-11-23
Updated patcher to now also patch PowerChess 98 executable, runs fine on Windows 11
@leecher
I've tried it now in my VirtualXP and it's incredible how nice it works, including intro video, good job!
One problem I came across: after saving the game, the name save file is not called .gam, but .26. E.g. MySave.26. Then I have to rename the file to MySave.gam for the game to find it. I don't know why he does it.
Update:
Strange, I run game again and the saving works fine.
Mystery.
Last edit: huh 2021-11-23
Configuration files for those who need:
If PCHESS98 was installed while PCHESS96 was also previously installed, this line was RETAINED in the .INI
This line was for the previous installation of PCHESS96. Every other line of PCHES96's installation was deleted. However the game worked without this line, even Autorun could find the game.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2021-11-24
Issues: Game gets saved, but when you load the save you still restore to a previous state of that save.
Not related to patch, same behaviour under plain Win98.
I see on old-games that both the games have patches available that fixes something?
PCHESS96's one seem more important as it talks about save game crashing n-moves later. Those updated files still get patched by the patcher.exe
However PCHESS98's ones seem minor fixes, and the README states it's for a problem under Windows 98. The patching application takes a lot of time, it is stuck at 0% for the most time and after installing this patch and your patch, the game gets an abnormal termination error from VC++. I don't know if I should update the game, and how to resolve the VC++ issue from the update, and if it will resolve any issues
Tried PCHESS98 patch in Win98, it doesn't fix your savegame-issue, so I guess Save works as it works by design (you can change main line to last move anyway in windowthat contains all moves and it also seems to be by design that a saved game cannot be continued against the opponent, it just saves the move history).
Anyway, regarding PCHESS98 patch: My Patcher fails for byte pattern patch for CreateProcess call, but it's not a big problem, as CreateProcess flags in patched version changed so that it works without my patch : DOS window will appear for a short time on startup and NTVDM complains that there is no process on the other end of the pipe, but these are non-issues imho. I could patch it anyway, if needed.
I can use the patched version normally. I only get the abnormal Program Termination error, if my RUN386.EXE wrapper is not in place (=RUN386.EXE is original DOS application), so basically on version that wasn't patched using my patcher.
By ''patched version'' do you mean Sierra's patch or your patch? Your patch is fine on original version of the game, it is only when I install Sierra's patch and try to apply your patch, it doesn't recognise the signature of the new executable and fails to patch the newer executable. If this is the case, you may want to update the patcher to one last version, one that recognises the updated executables.
To apply Sierra's patch:
1) Restore original .exe from CD
2) Apply Sierra's patch
3) Apply my patch, it will fail on patching the executable, but as long as the RUN386.EXE from my patch is correctly in place, it still works. DETACHES_PROCESS flag is present then, but RUN386.EXE is not a DOS process, it is a Win32 process launching a DOS process as subprocess, so it's not a big deal that patching PCHESS.EXE fails.
I cannot patch the PCHESS.EXE from Sierra's PCHESS98 patch, because PUSH 8 instruction only is 2 bytes, not 4 bytes, so I cannot add the flag to hide the console window, but it will close itself anyway after a short time.
I could patch it by JMPing to the NOP-slide after the function and placing the PUSH there, but as said, it's not worth it, because it has no practical impact other than not having to see a console Window for a few seconds and clicking away a NTVDM-complaint after exit.
Last edit: leecher 2021-11-27
I did as you wrote, i.e. I uploaded a Sierra patch and then yours and the game now asks me for a CD, even though it is mounted as an ISO image. How can I fix it?
@mrpepka @leecher01
Sorry guys, but could any of you give some directions on how to get PChess96 to run on modern Win? Here's what I did>
tl;dr what to do? :)
edit: I got the game and leecher's patch from old-games.ru
Last edit: jigby 2022-02-06
Ok, taking it back. Switching on WinXP compatibility flag fixed it and now it works.
You need the NTVDMx64 program to restore NTVDM support on 64-bit systems. You can download it from github - https://github.com/leecher1337/ntvdmx64
Last edit: MrPepka 2022-02-06
I have ntvdmx64, but apparently I missed turning on the compatibility flag... Still, thanks for the prompt reply.
The DxWnd package comes with a emulated wing32.dll that should work on all OS versions. I wonder if using that dll could eliminate the need for the WinXP compatibility.
If you are happy with the current settings, better not leave the safe path for something insecure, but if you want to make a try do not forget to take a safe copy of your current game setting.
note: the wing32.dll is the file in the same folder where DxWnd.exe is located. There is another version in the proxy folder, but that is a different thing!