Compatibility mode is for WINDOWS PROGRAMS ONLY.

To mount a directory as a CD, you must use "mount d d:\ -t cdrom"

I was refering to http://www.xcomufo.com/x3faq.html
"Running Compatibity Settings for X-COM: Apocalypse in Windows 2000/XP". It says there that it should work but I wasn't sure, just stated that it doesn't so no one would suggest it as a fix.

Is there no one running X-com Apocalypse on Windows 2000 / XP here?

Quick search is your friend.

showthread.php?s=&threadid=1375&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=1351&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=1106&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=1004&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=674&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=19&highlight=xcom
showthread.php?s=&threadid=40&highlight=xcom

none of those threads provided any help beyond a link to that faq at xcomufo that tells me to run it in Windows 95 compatibility with 256 colors which you just stated yourself that isn't posible...

also, of course I've mounted the cdrom as a cdrom and not a HD and it works just fine in DOSBox, the thing is TIE Fighter CD can't detect the
tie.cd file pointing to the tiecd directory through the CD drive for some reason. One user suggested that the I/O config still has some bugs.

Note what you just said

xcomufo

!=

X-Com Apocolypse.

what did I say? The site is http://www.xcomufo.com - it's about all x-com games

Welcome to xcomufo. Here you can find almost everything (useful) related to the first game in the X-COM series: Mythos Games' X-COM: UFO Defense.

...

If you would like information, files, and support for xcom2 and xcom3, click here: http://www.xcomtftd.com and here: http://www.xcomapoc.com

Those are the same site!!! Do you even bother to check the links before you post them? Seems like you are not capable or maybe unwilling of providing any help so I would just be happy if you dropped the case and let someone who actually has some experience of running these games on a NT based system answer my questions.

Originally posted by Whitewashed OK, I have the full retail version of X-com Apocalypse

The beast returns...

and am trying to run it on Windows 2000. I've got the compatibility mode activated but whenever I make a shortcut to the xcomapoc.exe it makes it a DOS-shortcut so I can't set it to Windows 95 compatibility.

Like Snover said, the "Compatibility Mode" settings are actually for Windows executables. While you can trick the OS into using "compatibility mode" for DOS executables by placing them inside a .BAT file, it's rather dubious as to whether or not it actually does anything to make it work (IOW, using the "640x480 screen resolution" only drops the Desktop resolution to 640x480 mode before the program starts...it won't force the game into 640x480 mode).

I've tried running it with VDMS-sound and DOSBox with EMS, VESA mode, MSCDEX and all that but it won't load. I don't want to run a no-CD crack since I've got the CD. I've got the fakecd, mouse2kv, xcom3crk files and all that.

Like the links Snover provided indicate, success with XCOM:A is rare and even then it's finicky.

Second, I'd really like to play TIE Fighter CD on this machine as well. It doesn't work with DOSBox since it doesn't understand the mounted CDROM as a CD-drive although I have mounted it as one, as well as C: with the TIE.CD file pointing to C:\TIECD\

There's a recently discovered issue with the TIE-Fighter CD and DosBox. It was originally thought due to the lack of CD-label support, but even with that in place , it still doesn't work. BTW, have you tried the suggestions in this guide?

To get it to run at acceptable speed I have to run it without VESA mode and it really looks like crap. Even if I do run it in VESA mode the high-res 800x600 mode doesn't work, the screen is all messed up.

Odd, considering the Radeon cards have a good VESA track record in 2000 and XP.

Now, I'm concidering running Windows 98SE on a separate HD to get these to work

A good idea. Difficult to do if you install it after 2000/XP.

...but even if I did that I wouldn't get any sound since there's no DOS drivers for Audigy2.

As I understand it, Audigy2 has some support for DOS programs that run in a command prompt within Win98SE.

I also probably wouldn't be able to run TIE Fighter CD in high-res mode in Windows 98 either anyway since it wouldn't do that with my previous Radeon 8500 card either. It only worked with my Geforce256.

Another oddity. While VESA support for ATI and NVidia is spotty in 2000 and XP, they are almost universally compatible in Win9x. Considering the variation in responses, you might consider running VBEtest with a boot floppy to see what the DOS-level compatibility your Radeon 9700 really has (as mentioned here.

Please tell me it will be at least faster than that on Windows 2000.

Wish we could. As it stands, I can only get X-COM:A running in Win98SE in silence.

Originally posted by Whitewashed Is there no one running X-com Apocalypse on Windows 2000 / XP here?

Properly? No, not really.

Originally posted by Whitewashed [B]none of those threads provided any help beyond a link to that faq at xcomufo

Well those threads pretty much sum up what we have. Simply put, there's no easy all-in-one solution.
[B]

that tells me to run it in Windows 95 compatibility with 256 colors which you just stated yourself that isn't possible...

Not so much impossible, as no real point in it.

Originally posted by Whitewashed Those are the same site!!!

Actually, they are closely related sites. If they were all the same site, the basic address would remain the same.

Do you even bother to check the links before you post them? Seems like you are not capable or maybe unwilling of providing any help so I would just be happy if you dropped the case and let someone who actually has some experience of running these games on a NT based system answer my questions.

Don't let your frustration with running a title flow over into a presumption that nobody cares. There are good reason we're not walking through this "step-by-step" with you:

1) Your favorite game that you're trying to get running is in competition with everyone else's favorite game that they're trying to get running. We can't guarantee "equal time" for everyone.

2) We've already dealt with this title a number of times and have yet to come across a consistently working solution. It's not that we haven't tried, it's that we have tried and came up short. Unless there's a major event like a source-code release or a re-make, you can expect it to stay that way.

3) The number of people posting here is a lot more than it was a year ago, we have fewer people consistently able and ready to troubleshoot, and we have less time to post than ever before (work and/or other "real world" issues).

The best hope I see for X-Com:A is either the Windows remake (IIRC, this presently only available in the X-Com Collector's Edition ) or through emulation in a "full-PC" emulator like "DosBox" (even in Virtual PC, it runs poorly).

For TIE-Fighter, keep an eye out for the Windows remake available either separately or as part of the Collector's Edition package. Some still prefer the DOS version for it's MIDI music, etc...

Thank you "Not very good", at last I'm getting some constructive respone 😀

The beast returns...

🤣

Like Snover said, the "Compatibility Mode" settings are actually for Windows executables. While you can trick the OS into using "compatibility mode" for DOS executables by placing them inside a .BAT file, it's rather dubious as to whether or not it actually does anything to make it work (IOW, using the "640x480 screen resolution" only drops the Desktop resolution to 640x480 mode before the program starts...it won't force the game into 640x480 mode).

Yeah, I really didn't think it would work since isn't all that compatibility mode does is make the program think that you're running a different Windows version that you are? I was so desperate though that I thought I'd give it a try, and then no one could state that I haven't followed the instructions in that faq.

Like the links Snover provided indicate, success with XCOM:A is rare and even then it's finicky.

I've read some peoples comments that had gotten the game running and were asking about how to get the music and mouse working. Didn't say how they got it running though.

There's a recently discovered issue with the TIE-Fighter CD and DosBox. It was originally thought due to the lack of CD-label support, but even with that in place , it still doesn't work. BTW, have you tried the suggestions in this guide?

I'll look into it

Odd, considering the Radeon cards have a good VESA track record in 2000 and XP.

Well it doesn't seem like the game TIE Fighter knows that

A good idea. Difficult to do if you install it after 2000/XP.

Not really when installing it on a separate HD, if I'd want it on a separate partition then it would be difficult.

As I understand it, Audigy2 has some support for DOS programs that run in a command prompt within Win98SE.

Really? On Creative's support forum they told me there's no chance to get DOS sounds through the Audigy2 other than emulating the soundcard with VDMS and likes

Another oddity. While VESA support for ATI and NVidia is spotty in 2000 and XP, they are almost universally compatible in Win9x. Considering the variation in responses, you might consider running VBEtest with a boot floppy to see what the DOS-level compatibility your Radeon 9700 really has (as mentioned here.

Will do

Originally posted by Whitewashed Yeah, I really didn't think it would work since isn't all that compatibility mode does is make the program think that you're running a different Windows version that you are?

Right. Windows95 is very close to DOS, so I can kind of see how people would try it.

I've read some peoples comments that had gotten the game running and were asking about how to get the music and mouse working. Didn't say how they got it running though.

A lot of times people will bail quickly once they get a title running. It's more fun to play a game than to sit down and carefully document what you did to fix it...apparently. I hardly ever play anymore. Most of my free time involves troubleshooting. From time-to-time, I'll get "pulled into" a title while testing it.

Tried to troubleshoot "Messiah" recently and got into the atmosphere and game mechanics while trying to figure out the numerous bugs it has. Ended up finishing it. Oops.

Odd, considering the Radeon cards have a good VESA track record in 2000 and XP.

Well it doesn't seem like the game TIE Fighter knows that

It happens. Some VESA titles run fine on my GF3, others need NOLFB, others just won't work...

Not really when installing it on a separate HD, if I'd want it on a separate partition then it would be difficult.

Still, Windows can be finicky. If you know what you're doing, go for it.

As I understand it, Audigy2 has some support for DOS programs that run in a command prompt within Win98SE.

Really? On Creative's support forum they told me there's no chance to get DOS sounds through the Audigy2 other than emulating the soundcard with VDMS and likes

Check around. IIRC, there is no "true DOS" (just the command prompt, no Windows) support, but there should be basic support within the command prompt. Having said that, there's no guarantee it will actually work properly.

According to this guy, he only got it working by using the VXD version of the Audigy drivers.