Question Cannot run game installer due to 'compatibility issues'

[MaLeK97]

[Mod edit: cross posted on Reddit, see post #2]

So I've been trying to install another old game from my childhood Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essentials, and the CD file structure looks like this. Now, whenever I run the "SETUP.EXE" file, I receive an error that the file is not compatible with my current version of Windows, which is Windows 7 x64.

So far, this is the only game that does this, the other Rainbow Six games, and other much older games were able to install just fine and without any problems. I'm wondering, but is it possible to solve this issue without having to go through complex workarounds (like setting up a VM for example)?

Would it be possible to install the game through programs like DOSBOX, or something else, if conventional methods don't work?

Can anyone help me out with this? I have no idea what to do, and no matter how much googling I do, I can't find anything that helps.

Cheers!

 

[Brian Boru]

First thing to try is copy the whole CD folders & files to your hard drive—make sure they go into their own folder, don't mix in with anything else. See if it works from there—it may not if there's DRM on the CD, and Ubi haven't released a 'no-CD' patch.

Second thing—and maybe much better thing—is to check out the Rainbow Six Black Ops 2.0 mod, which includes your game and a whole lot more. Here's PCG's article about it:
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six...-56-missions-together-into-one-huge-campaign/

It's bad form to 'cross post' in multiple places without mentioning it. Please let us know if you get better answers on Reddit.

Btw why didn't you post that in a R6 subreddit?

 

[MaLeK97]

First thing to try is copy the whole CD folders & files to your hard drive—make sure they go into their own folder, don't mix in with anything else. See if it works from there—it may not if there's DRM on the CD, and Ubi haven't released a 'no-CD' patch.

Second thing—and maybe much better thing—is to check out the Rainbow Six Black Ops 2.0 mod, which includes your game and a whole lot more. Here's PCG's article about it:
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six...-56-missions-together-into-one-huge-campaign/

Thanks for the help Brian, the copying of the whole CD onto HDD did not work, so I guess I don't have many options when it comes to installing the game

I'll try a couple of more methods, then I guess I'll check out the Black Ops mod you've mentioned.

It's bad form to 'cross post' in multiple places without mentioning it. Please let us know if you get better answers on Reddit.

Btw why didn't you post that in a R6 subreddit?

I didn't post it in a R6 sub because they don't allow tech support threads, and this is more of a troubleshooting issue than a game-specific issue.

Also, why is it bad form to 'cross post' as you say? Not all users who browse Reddit browse this forum, and vice versa, so I thought it would be best to ask in a couple of places where such threads would be appropriate, and then if someone does manage to give a solution to my problem, I simply post in those threads, in case someone googling comes across the same issue.

Anyway, thanks again for the assistance, I'll try a couple of more options to try and solve this, and if nothing works, go with Black Ops mod (assuming it's not illegal to use it).

 

[Brian Boru]

why is it bad form to 'cross post'

In short, it's the probability of wasting the time of members trying to help you. Example: if you already had got a solution on Reddit, my time answering you was wasted—or of course vice versa.

I personally don't mind cross posting if it's made clear—what I objected to was…

without mentioning it

…which is what leads to time wasting.

But don't worry about it, I understand your reasoning and that you meant no harm

Some more info:

Internet forum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Crossposting - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Black Ops mod (assuming it's not illegal to use it)

Not a lawyer, but there have been many hundreds of thousands of mods over the years—I've used many for over 20 years. Apart from my linked mod site, the other main one is Nexus which currently hosts nearly 350,000 mods—and of course the main retailer Steam has a whole modding section on site, the Workshop.

Many game devs actively support modding their games. Here are some recent discussions we had here on the topic:

Mods & Modding—Resources and Tips, newbie-friendly

A top reason I've always gamed on PC is the wonderful modding community which develops around so many games. For those of you new to all this: Mod = Modification—change(s) made to the game by fans; Modder = fan who makes, or contributes to, a Mod; Modding = changing your game, selecting and...

forums.pcgamer.com

Mods—Nexus, ModDB, Steam Workshop, other?

I haven't got into the habit of checking Steam Workshop yet—I guess it doesn't include non-Steam games?—and I didn't know Epic had started… altho the game which twigged me to that, Total War Troy, isn't listed in that search result?? Links to Nexus and ModDB and ModDB offshoot IndieDB. Anyway...

forums.pcgamer.com

When do you mod a game?

Not counting potential QoL or bug fixes, do you play a game through once before modding it, or while you are downloading the game for the first time do you think, "You know, the Improved Barmaid Mounts with Deadly Firebreath" mod would fun... For me, I tend to just start playing the game...

forums.pcgamer.com

 

[MaLeK97]

Not a lawyer, but there have been many hundreds of thousands of mods over the years—I've used many for over 20 years. Apart from my linked mod site, the other main one is Nexus which currently hosts nearly 350,000 mods—and of course the main retailer Steam has a whole modding section on site, the Workshop.

Many game devs actively support modding their games. Here are some recent discussions we had here on the topic:

Mods & Modding—Resources and Tips, newbie-friendly

A top reason I've always gamed on PC is the wonderful modding community which develops around so many games. For those of you new to all this: Mod = Modification—change(s) made to the game by fans; Modder = fan who makes, or contributes to, a Mod; Modding = changing your game, selecting and...

forums.pcgamer.com

Mods—Nexus, ModDB, Steam Workshop, other?

I haven't got into the habit of checking Steam Workshop yet—I guess it doesn't include non-Steam games?—and I didn't know Epic had started… altho the game which twigged me to that, Total War Troy, isn't listed in that search result?? Links to Nexus and ModDB and ModDB offshoot IndieDB. Anyway...

forums.pcgamer.com

When do you mod a game?

Not counting potential QoL or bug fixes, do you play a game through once before modding it, or while you are downloading the game for the first time do you think, "You know, the Improved Barmaid Mounts with Deadly Firebreath" mod would fun... For me, I tend to just start playing the game...

forums.pcgamer.com

Thanks for the explanation, both for modding and cross-post meaning

Anyway, my research to install this game has so far led me to this thread back from 2012, which did explain well how you can install 32-bit games, packed with 16-bit installers, which did work, but then I came across an issue where the game was crashing upon startup or refusing to start or requiring a CD check (!!), all in random order.

So, eventually, I just gave up and went with the Black Ops mod which is currently installing as I'm typing this.

Thanks for the assistance on this, and the mod recommendation. I guess it's not worth it to go waste time like this just to relive some childhood nostalgia.

Since we did mention mods, I do have one last off-topic question, and that is: how could I get into the modding scene, and what tools and knowledge would I need?

Aside from R6 games, right now, I'm playing Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Battlefield 2, and while I'm primarily looking to mod these two games, there are plenty of other games I would like to try fiddling with as well since modding was honestly always something that I wanted to do, I just lacked any motivation/goals to do that, since I didn't know what exactly I wanted to accomplish, but overall I always liked the community and creativity around it, so I'm looking for someplace to start.

I have no prior modding experience, so I have no idea where to start from, but I figured an old Ubisoft or EA title which looks moddable might be a good idea.

I do have programming experience, but mostly with high-level programming languages. I work in an IT company as a Junior Software Developer and do have some experience, but low-level programming like Assembly, OllyDbg, WinDbg, IDA, etc. is something that I have no experience or idea how to work with.

Any suggestions from where I can start, and what tools would I need?

Thanks again for the assistance!

EDIT: BTW, how do I like a comment, when I try to upvote somebody's comment it tells that I do not hav epermission to do that, and the like button doesn't even exist, only the report button.

 

[Brian Boru]

Black Ops mod which is currently installing

Cool, please let us know how that goes.

how could I get into the modding scene, and what tools and knowledge would I need?
…
I have no prior modding experience
…
I do have programming experience, but mostly with high-level programming languages

The most I've ever done is modded a few INI or XML files, so calling @mainer @ZedClampet and anyone ese to provide some guidance—but please, in a separate thread, it's an important topic which should be easily findable for future readers.

how do I like a comment

Wait a while longer and you'll gain that ability. We get hundreds of spammers thru here daily, and spamming Likes was one of their tricks—which we didn't like, ha ha —so we restricted it.

 

[ZedClampet]

Cool, please let us know how that goes.


The most I've ever done is modded a few INI or XML files, so calling @mainer @ZedClampet and anyone ese to provide some guidance—but please, in a separate thread, it's an important topic which should be easily findable for future readers.

I'll consider the possibility of making a beginner's guide to making mods, but that's going to be a lot of work, so I don't know when that will happen. The reason you probably can't find one already is because you mod every game differently, so the guide would probably be something like "go to Google..."

And that's really the quick answer to @MaLeK97 Each game is different, and since you are just starting out, you'll probably want to follow in someone else's footsteps. The best thing for you to do would be to go to Google and type, "How do I make mods for Battlefield 2" and see what comes up. I glanced over this Battlefield 2 Modding Tutorial and it seems pretty good if you want to check it out.