Game won't run on one XP Laptop, but will on another.

[Griswald1982]

I am trying to get this game running on two old laptops.

Both have Windows XP Home Edition for Operating Systems; both have 256MB RAM.

The Sony VAIO is a 2001 laptop with an Intel Integrated chip. Which DirectX it has is not 100% certain; DXDIAG indicates DirectX 9 but another information page indicates 8.1. "Sid Meier's Pirates! 2K" claims DirectX 9 is not installed, but doing so with the built-in file accomplishes nothing. "Pirates!" will not run without 3D-Analyze or SwiftShader 2.1, this is true for other games as well. It has a Pentium 3 800MHz processor. Usually set at 16-Bit color, 24-Bit maximum. Service Packs 1 & 3 installed. "Card City Nights" will not even fire up. The error message is "C000001D."


Now, I'm also testing a 2002 Dell. It has a Pentium 4 1.6GHz processor and a GeForce2 Mobile graphics chip. Service Pack 2 installed. The game runs on it, in fact a number of games run on it that will not even start on the Sony, including "Undertale" (although it does need SwiftShader 2.1 to run the game properly.

What is the Sony missing? I am especially interested in Net Compact Framework.



Note: 3D-Analyze is an application from the early 2000s that gets games running by fooling them into thinking the computer has certain features it does not. It also does grant certain real abilities, such as boosting DirectX up a notch- so 8.1 becomes 9.


SwiftShader 2.1 is actually three files you copy into the game folder: "d3d8.dll," "d3d9.dll," and "SwiftShader 2.1.ini." It intercepts a game's rendering calls and handles them itself. This has gotten a number of games running on the Sony.