Wrong disc inserted...

[Deltarno]

It's interesting how the old security systems of the past manage to screw us over in the present. I first tried to play the game, and nothing happened. No error, no crash, just a brief moment of loading and then a few minutes of staring at my desk top, waiting for something to happen. So I look around online, and find out that steam does not always update to 1.02, so I download the patch. Load it up, run it, and now the game tells me that it cannot play because the game does not have an internet access. While I am online. Looking around some more, it turns out that this is due to the securerom of the day, a DRM that was useless then and is actively evil now. So I find that the solution is to is to look in the binaries folder and rename the file 'paul' to 'oldpaul', which should bypass the online need. Which sort of worked, because now it is saying that it needs the disc inserted in order to run.
...if there any way to play with on Windows 7, or should I download a custom save for my Mass Effect 2 game?

[GrimAquatic]

Originally posted by Another Mook:

So I look around online, and find out that steam does not always update to 1.02

Whoever told you that played a cruel joke on you, a very cruel joke, indeed.

Steam doesn't work the way you seem to think it does. It doesn't install the game and then all the patches for it, it downloads already upgraded versions of the files.

You should try to validate integrity cache via Steam, then delete game cache via Mass Effect launcher, then delete entire BioWare folder from My Documents, open the launcher and make it scan your system.

[Deltarno]

Well, a cruel joke tends to be all I get when trying to run old games that are not run by gog. :P
I think I've played too much Skyrim, modding and altering files doesn't raise any eyebrows anymore, but I have to remember that not all companies are bethesda.
I tried to follow your instuctions, and the validate cache brought my system back to where it was before (not running with no errors), but I have no idea what you mean by launcher. I press start, either on the shortcut or the steam library, a little pop-up asks if I want to play the game or view a decades old support webpage, then fails to do either. Does Mass effect 1 have a launcher? Is my system screwing up before the software equivilent of the pre-game? Yeesh...

[Deltarno]

Ah, found the solution, I needed to go into the binaries folder and set the exe file to windows xp compatability. Thank you for the help.

[GrimAquatic]

Originally posted by Another Mook:

Ah, found the solution, I needed to go into the binaries folder and set the exe file to windows xp compatability. Thank you for the help.

I'm glad you managed to fix your issue.

Originally posted by Another Mook:

Does Mass effect 1 have a launcher?

All Mass Effect games have launchers, Steam just ignores them. They are loacated in the main game directories and I'm pretty sure have word "launcher" in their name.

[irishedge216]

i set all .exe files in binaries and the launcher to a windows 7 compatability and then also set it to run the program as an administrator and that solved the start up issue