At this point my bottleneck in development is trying to convince my Athlon XP machine to detect my graphics card in Windows NT 4. Specifically on this steaming pile of cheap garbage: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-k7vta3-6.0
This is copy and paste from GitHub (no other posts are planned as I'm too busy already. as I am trying to rework or port every educational game down to NT 4 and windows 11 today.
This game is in Direct3d 7 for nt 4. I'm showing proof that it does indeed work. this is without any wrappers or FunkyFr3sh / cnc-ddraw. according to the Scooby phantom debug logs
[scooby.log](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/208 … 5757/scooby.log)
(0x63) 734 : Creating Game Renderer Direct3D 7
However, they are a despite if it's really Direct3d 7, same are saying it's direct3d (software rendering) (whish I'm not sure if it's real)
although Microsoft does clam Direct8a does have Direct3d software rendering? so unknown.
old comment from github
[DxDiag.txt](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/208 … 3119/DxDiag.txt)
That is interesting I didn't realize there was another community for NT 4. [NT4dx9.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/204 … 3844/NT4dx9.zip) This is 95% are native ports from Windows XP or 2000, it is modern DirectX except for d3d8.dll and d3d9.dll which I used SwiftShader (although someone as ported it and now sure how it's down). An abandoned old version 2.01. not the Google version., The last was Wack0 for the ddraw.dll from DirectX 7 I did not use d3dim700.dll from Wack0 due to computability issues with Scooby-doo the glowing Bugman by TLC it is native Direct3d 7 fully working without wrappers or emulators even others. Other than that, it was fully backported, even DXdiag, which helped me hint down native DirectX. I need to find a way how to make an installer, as I got many emails, even yesterday, that my method is really difficult. I will need to investigate.
Modern DirectX up to 8, that is fully not a lie, I have to compromise with some wrappers at the end, but 95% are modern DirectX.
I even added native DirectX 9 except d3d9.dll due to compromises. dxdx9_24 to 32 are all fully native. Under Windows NT 4.
By any means, please improve my code or use it again I am not a programmer, but I did get a lot of help, if I had known 4 years ago that the Vogens community existed, I would come to your forums other than or myself being self-taught, for that thinks for the tip.
This will be my last response for a while, I'm on my mouth vacation, although I'm still getting emails that I'm reading.
Windows 9x ME in my opinion is the most stable, however, it is not Windows NT 4. https://github.com/FunkyFr3sh/cnc-ddraw/issue … ment-2527306699. This link is dated however it explains my stance with nt 4. even other things.
MicahMoo11 wrote on 2025-06-24, 05:31:This is copy and paste from GitHub (no other posts are planned as I'm too busy already. as I am trying to rework or port every e […]
This is copy and paste from GitHub (no other posts are planned as I'm too busy already. as I am trying to rework or port every educational game down to NT 4 and windows 11 today.
This game is in Direct3d 7 for nt 4. I'm showing proof that it does indeed work. this is without any wrappers or FunkyFr3sh / cnc-ddraw. according to the Scooby phantom debug logs
[scooby.log](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/208 … 5757/scooby.log)
(0x63) 734 : Creating Game Renderer Direct3D 7
However, they are a despite if it's really Direct3d 7, same are saying it's direct3d (software rendering) (whish I'm not sure if it's real)
although Microsoft does clam Direct8a does have Direct3d software rendering? so unknown.old comment from github
[DxDiag.txt](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/208 … 3119/DxDiag.txt)
That is interesting I didn't realize there was another community for NT 4. [NT4dx9.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/204 … 3844/NT4dx9.zip) This is 95% are native ports from Windows XP or 2000, it is modern DirectX except for d3d8.dll and d3d9.dll which I used SwiftShader (although someone as ported it and now sure how it's down). An abandoned old version 2.01. not the Google version., The last was Wack0 for the ddraw.dll from DirectX 7 I did not use d3dim700.dll from Wack0 due to computability issues with Scooby-doo the glowing Bugman by TLC it is native Direct3d 7 fully working without wrappers or emulators even others. Other than that, it was fully backported, even DXdiag, which helped me hint down native DirectX. I need to find a way how to make an installer, as I got many emails, even yesterday, that my method is really difficult. I will need to investigate.
Modern DirectX up to 8, that is fully not a lie, I have to compromise with some wrappers at the end, but 95% are modern DirectX.
I even added native DirectX 9 except d3d9.dll due to compromises. dxdx9_24 to 32 are all fully native. Under Windows NT 4.By any means, please improve my code or use it again I am not a programmer, but I did get a lot of help, if I had known 4 years ago that the Vogens community existed, I would come to your forums other than or myself being self-taught, for that thinks for the tip.
This will be my last response for a while, I'm on my mouth vacation, although I'm still getting emails that I'm reading.
Windows 9x ME in my opinion is the most stable, however, it is not Windows NT 4. https://github.com/FunkyFr3sh/cnc-ddraw/issue … ment-2527306699. This link is dated however it explains my stance with nt 4. even other things.
These are way bater examples for DirectX 7 games working. unlike Scooby phantom they are a despite for it.
Iv been playing this for an hour, again no wrappers or emulates. it just works as is.
Was someone brave enough to test some of these 3 DirectX NT4 projects or its willing to do it in the near future?
We have 2 of 3 authors of these wrappers able to interact in this discussion, there would not be much better situation..
1) NT4dx8 - https://github.com/orgs/LegacyUpdate/discussi … cussion-8290925
2) Reuse of DX NT implementation (its Power PC NT version, its ported to x86) from Windows NT for Gamecube / Wii - DirectX7 port for Windows NT4 - https://github.com/Wack0/entii-for-workcubes/ … ment-2881348902
3) DXGL - backport to Windows NT 4 - https://forum.dxgl.info/viewtopic.php?p=3200#p3200 so far Limited only to OpenGL 2.0, unless someone would be willing back port it to OpenGL 1.x => not yet released it would be released soon
You can test in on :
1) real NT machines - NT can run virtually on everything Pentium 1+, only problems are compatible Videocards - 3Dfx or Nvidia Geforce up to Geforce 6600, Matrox G200 -G450 (or G550), some ATI cards with 3D support under NT (lots of newer ones seems not have Working OpenGL / D3D support, or its somehow bugged, unfinished from my experience). There some workstation 3D modeling ATI cards with proven NT compatibility, for Nvidia there would be probably some Quadros working too, or you can use old trick and install Geforce driver for Quadro - you can find usually through TechpowerPC Videocards specs + GPU-Z and others Geforce cards with same specs, best is simply click on GPU architecture name - you will get list of cards using same chip, like this: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/?archit … sort=generation
Yeah there is problem with sound - im not aware so far any NT4 compatible PCI-E / USB soundcard, so you need some onboard card or PCI one, or old machine with ISA slots.
2) 86Box NT4 machine, with 3Dfx Banshee or Voodoo 3
3) Linux / Unraid / Proxmox /Vmware ESX machine with compatible Videocard (above) KVM passthrough.
4) Last resort - limited, still better than nothing Vmware, Virtualbox and wrappers like SwiftShader..
Why its simple Windows NT is quite nice OS, so far worse from point of modern retro support, but in some ways its superior to Windows 9x, its much more stable and can use multiple CPU / cores and by default its able to use lots of RAM without any unofficial patching, networking is more robust, for some HW exists NT4 drive, but not Win9x etc. Missing DirectX 5+ (Direct3D) support + not existing simple fake Windows version utility - for Windows 9x / 2000, are main major blockers to make it really nice for retro gaming.
In lots of field as Windows enhancing utilities compatibility etc there is lots things to research, is sort of the last of conquered Windows version able to run 3D games (from my point older windows version Win 1.00 to Win 3.11 are obsolete, Dos was usually better for gaming).
Of course if some tester would have some related development skills its always better, so far description of lots these tools functionality and way how to make them working, is quite cryptic at least for me, so if someone could make some fastforwarding guide it would help too.
Im old goal oriented goatman, i care about facts and freedom, not about egos+prejudices. Hoarding=sickness. If you want respect, gain it by your behavior. I hate stupid SW limits, SW=virtual world, everything should be possible if you have enough raw HW.
I have created Google sheet for adding testing results for individual DirectX wrappers:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X7rYB … dit?usp=sharing
You can ask for editing rights through Google docs API, i will get notification on my phone i will try to confirm it as soon as possible.
Im old goal oriented goatman, i care about facts and freedom, not about egos+prejudices. Hoarding=sickness. If you want respect, gain it by your behavior. I hate stupid SW limits, SW=virtual world, everything should be possible if you have enough raw HW.
Some updates:
1) Windows 95 faking utility for NT, to increase games and programs compatibility.
It turns out that as nobody care too much about Windows NT, there is Window 95 fooling utility right from Microsoft on installation CDs, so it means probably that suppport would not be entirely bad - i have to test it, but there is at least report that it can make Virtual Figher 2 demo working . Its called setwin95. and its utility imagecfg.exe utility - its in SUPPORT\DEBUG\I386\ directory. , there SETNT351.cmd too to fake olde NT version. More info: https://web.archive.org/web/20010412103251/ht … s/setwin95.html
2) How enable joystick, probably gamepad too support on Windows NT:
Enable Joystick support for NT4 - https://web.archive.org/web/20010412101307/ht … s/joystick.html
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Im old goal oriented goatman, i care about facts and freedom, not about egos+prejudices. Hoarding=sickness. If you want respect, gain it by your behavior. I hate stupid SW limits, SW=virtual world, everything should be possible if you have enough raw HW.
