Dark Earth on Virtualbox Windows 7 problem
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Hello,
I'm having problem with Microprose game: Dark Earth.
I installed it on a VirtualBox Windows 7 Virtual Machine.
When I launch the game, there is a problem with graphics - too many colour. The game work smoothly/fluently (I don't know English well, sorry), i mean there is no lag, but this colours are horrible. Please help me. I want to play this old game.
Below I present a photo showing problem and Virtual Machine computer settings.
Last edit: gho 2017-08-24
I fixed your post, now the pictures are visible.
VM seems configured with no acceleration, maybe this is a problem.
May I ask on what native OS you are running the VirtualBox and why you're not running the game from there?
Thank you for your respond gho.
Can you tell me how to configured VM with acceleration? My native OS is Windows 10, and I have original game with my language so I installed it.
If you mean Direct3D Acceleration, I just installed it. Now is even worse than before, because when I try to launch Dark Earth, appears problem "Fatal Error 9" and game turns off. Any other ideas ?
install & run on native window 10 os with dxwnd, it should run better
Last edit: gho 2017-08-24
But i can't install on my windows 10 because it's 64 bit and game need 32 bit.
I did...
Please tell me how you did that step by step.
Here I am.
First of all, I apologize for the very untalkative style but that's only because I was writing from my (not too smart) smart-phone. Now I'm at my laptop, much better off.
As I said, I did and better than my memory there's the full story here: https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/e71009b9/#bc37
In short words, Dark Earth is a 32bit game and a 64bit OS can perfectly run a 32bit program, but the trouble comes from the game installer, that is a 16bit only program and can't run on a 64bit OS.
The thread tell the whole story about how I copied files to and fro and made it, but since you have the game properly installed on VirtualBox, you have a simpler option: copy the game folder from the virtual host to the real file system. For this purpose usually one uses either a network folder shared between the virtual and real host, or copies the files on an external USB device, I'm pretty sure you already did somethig like that either way.
In effect this is actually what I did (see https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/e71009b9/#8547 ) and you can follow these directions, only you won't need any DxWnd patch using a more recent version and applying the exported configuration "Dark Earth.dxw" that you will find in dxwnd/export folder.
In case you may encounter further problems don't hesitate to write again.
Last edit: gho 2017-08-24
Thanks for your respond ! :)
I try this solution and inform you about resut .
Ok, so I copied all files from Virtual machine to my native computer, I download DxWnd program. Now, when I give the path to the game and run a game, apperas problem "Fatal Error 7". Do I skipped some step? And what i must do next.
You shouldn't simply give the path because I think the game doesn't run with default settings. You'd better import a proper configuration (File->Import, point to dxwnd/export folder and select "Dark Earth.dxw" configuration file). Once done that, you'll have to enter the actual path again, since export files point to a meaningless folder (actually, they point to the right folder on MY machine).
As a further precaution, be sure that DxWnd runs with administrative privileges, they are sometimes necessary.
Now try running the game, and if the problem is always there (sadly, it's perfetly possible!), read this thread https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/6e4aa579/#01c2 to collect some meaningful logs and post them here.
Sorry, but I mast warn you that life of game patchers has never been easy ;)
I import Dark Earth.dxw and add the actual path again, run administrative privileges and still Fatal Error 7 appers. :( I must read about this logs, then i write again.
Oh, I forgot .... maybe the game doesn't start because it is protected by an unsupported copy protection, so you may have to download and use a game crack even if you own and used your own purcheased pair of CD-roms. If this is the problem, you should get the Fatal Error 7 also without DxWnd running. Cracks are easily found by googling "dark earth crack".
It's not that easy, I can not find it anywhere. By the way, where can I find expert mode in DxWnd?
options -> expert mode
ok, i found that
Here is my log, i try to found crack anyway.
my smartphone can't read log files, I'll do that later
Ok, no problem :)
I read the logs, but there's absolutely no evidence of any error. Reading the past thread about Dark Earth I recall that the game needs the CD-Rom mounted on first CD driver: is it the case? You may have, for instance, a virtual CD-Rom before the one with the game CD. In this case, unmount / empty all CD drives before the one with the game.
Does the game start without DxWnd or it gives the same error?
Another possibility is that you may have copied the game files in a protected folder like below the desktop or something alike. You could try to move the whole game folder to "My documents".
I'm sorry, but it's difficult to guess the problem this way, and unfortunately (as I wrote in my recent post) I'm about to be offline next week.
The game is mounted on first Cd driver, when I start game without DxWnd is's the same problem "Fatal Error 7". Copy to "my documents" not help - it's the same :(. Maybe i should try with crack as you mentioned erlier? But I can't find this. Does he exist at all?
Last edit: Marian Kowalski 2017-08-24
http://www.oldpcgaming.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/darkearth_crack.zip
untested...
I wonder if files were correctly copied from vbox , error 7 could be a corrupted executable !
I think I copied the files in a right way, there were no problems
Now, when I copied crack to game folder , this problem appears : " LS_ERROR:7 DDRAW Error ReleasePaletteSystem".
This is the same problem, you describe in this topic: https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/e71009b9/#25a5