[Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

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narse-t
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Post by narse-t » Fri, 22. Jun 18, 04:37

Following the instructions for removing window border did not work for X-BTF on Windows 10 release 1803.

Knowing that the downloaded .sdb files were Application Compatibility Database entries I just used the Compatibility Database Installer Tool (sdbinst.exe) on each file from an Administrator command prompt. It worked perfectly.

This is the correct method to install app compatibility updates on Windows, not writing directly to the registry.

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by hhr » Thu, 11. Oct 18, 17:29

Windows 10.0.17134.345 (1803).
XBTF, X2 from Steam, XBTF from GOG run and work as expected. Еven if I delete all the compatibility and sdb-base settings, the games will still run, albeit with the window title instead of full-screen mode. XT from Steam and GOG crashes after displaying the initial logo.

Installing/removing compatibility mode and using SDB databases does not solve the problem. I note that at startup no sections and parameters are created in the registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\EgoSoftware\X-TENSION). This summer, the game still worked, but after what kind of Windows update it stopped working — I didn’t watch.

p.s.
I think I found a solution.

XT does not want to run in resolutions other than 4:3 or 5:4. However, if you change the monitor resolution to any of 4:3 or 5:4 before starting (1920x1440 in my case), the main menu is appears in which you can already call up the settings and change the resolution. After that full screen or windowed option can be selected with any resolution and 32 color bits.

You can also set the compatibility parameter "640x480" through the properties of X-TENSION.exe, start the game, configure, exit and add the "-noabout" command line key so that the resolution does not change anymore during the launch.

and the third option is to add the "Force640x480" key through the Application Compatibility Toolkit to the {4d1bfc5b-4da0-4117-aef7-55ef8ee427b9}.sdb file from the first post.

p.p.s.
Unfortunately, widescreen resolutions result in a lower vertical viewing angle. Also, I could not manage to launch the game in my native resolution of 2560x1440, so I use 1920x1440 in fullscreen.

MarcelloCarlos
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by MarcelloCarlos » Tue, 4. Dec 18, 13:26

I have X-Tension on STEAM running in Fullscreen mode WIN10 res1920x1080 but the title bar and windows border are displayed.
i tried the downloadfile and it does not help.

any tips?

Hartax
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Re:

Post by Hartax » Sun, 23. Dec 18, 13:02

narse-t wrote:
Fri, 22. Jun 18, 04:37
Following the instructions for removing window border did not work for X-BTF on Windows 10 release 1803.

Knowing that the downloaded .sdb files were Application Compatibility Database entries I just used the Compatibility Database Installer Tool (sdbinst.exe) on each file from an Administrator command prompt. It worked perfectly.

This is the correct method to install app compatibility updates on Windows, not writing directly to the registry.
Can you explain step by step how to do this?
Thank you

jaspericus
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by jaspericus » Thu, 13. Jun 19, 21:26

just tried to instal x3 reunion from my old disk version (all my others are steam thank gawd) and it completely screwed my windows 10 installation causing repair / fix/ repair/ fix loop, only way to stop the issue was to roll back to restore point. Had something to do with the securom drm I think, pity as loved reunion, cant buy it again as saving for x4. Any work around for this?

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by X2-Illuminatus » Thu, 13. Jun 19, 21:30

The DRM software used by X3R is StarForce. To prevent its installation, update to version 2.5 using the complete patch directly after the installation of the game and before starting X3R for the very first time.
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AelonKiru
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by AelonKiru » Thu, 29. Oct 20, 20:49

"XBTF, XT, X2 - Windows 10_compat.zip" fix not working :(

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by Alan Phipps » Thu, 29. Oct 20, 21:25

Not working in what way? The files download and extract correctly for me.

Have you followed the instructions in the opening post for removing unwanted title bar and borders and have you changed the Windows directory path if necessary?

"Running the game (XBTF, XT, X2) in Fullscreen mode, the title bar and windows border are displayed.
To fix this, please do as follows:
1. Download the "XBTF, XT, X2 - Windows 10_compat.zip" file from the download link below and extract it to an empty folder.
2. Copy the three *.sdb files from that folder to C:\Windows\AppPatch\Custom\
3. Double click the .reg file (which adds registry keys referencing these 3 files).

Note: This assumes Windows is installed on C:\windows (if not, you need to edit the .reg file and change the paths to your dedicated Windows directory).
Please note: This fix is not required for the GOG version of those games, where these registry settings are set by default."
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AelonKiru
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by AelonKiru » Thu, 29. Oct 20, 21:34

Alan Phipps wrote:
Thu, 29. Oct 20, 21:25
Not working in what way? The files download and extract correctly for me.

Have you followed the instructions in the opening post for removing unwanted title bar and borders and have you changed the Windows directory path if necessary?
Yes, I followed the instructions. No, I don't need to change the path to the Windows directory. I'm sure I did everything right. In a few posts above, people have also reported that it doesn't work for them. Some have found a solution to the problem for themselves, but my knowledge is not enough to repeat their actions without detailed instructions. P.S. sorry for google translator.

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by Alan Phipps » Thu, 29. Oct 20, 21:41

Thanks. I'll try to get you some more detailed advice.
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by X2-Illuminatus » Sat, 31. Oct 20, 12:06

I can confirm that the fix for the display of the title bar and windows border doesn't work anymore. I haven't really figured out why, but here's at least a temporary workaround:
  1. Download the tool "WinExplorer" from here (download link at the bottom of the page) and extract the .zip file (with winexp.exe inside) anywhere you like.
  2. Start the game (XBTF, XT or X2) through Steam.
  3. Press alt+tab to switch from the game to your desktop.
  4. Run winexp.exe.
  5. In the top part of the WinExplorer window you see all the windows you have currently opened. Scroll down to find the icon of the game you're playing: "X [X]" (for XBTF), "X-Tension [X]" (for X-Tension) or "X2 [X]" (for X2: The Threat) and select the icon by clicking on it. (If it isn't listed there, click on the refresh button on the right side of the window, and look again.)
  6. In the bottom part of the WinExplorer window you see several tabs. Click on the "Style" tab. Here you see different Windows styles. Deselect the checkbox infront of "WS_DLGFRAME" and "WS_BORDER" at the bottom left side.
  7. You may close the WinExplorer now.
  8. Press alt+tab again to switch to the game again
  9. The titel and windows border should be gone now.

Unfortunately, you have to do this again every time you start the game.

Please Note: You may have to run winexp.exe with administrator rights (right click on winexp.exe and select "Run as administrator") in order to deselect the mentioned windows styles.
Nun verfügbar! X3: Farnham's Legacy - Ein neues Kapitel für einen alten Favoriten

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Neuauflage der fünf X-Romane als Taschenbuch

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AelonKiru
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by AelonKiru » Sat, 31. Oct 20, 13:26

Thanks for the answer. Yes, it works. But while I was waiting I found Borderless Gaming. It is very easy to use and saves the settings + can be useful for other games. You just need to run it before the game, or even add it to autorun.

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by X2-Illuminatus » Sat, 31. Oct 20, 20:31

AelonKiru wrote:
Sat, 31. Oct 20, 13:26
But while I was waiting I found Borderless Gaming.
This one is indeed better. Thank you for the feedback.
Nun verfügbar! X3: Farnham's Legacy - Ein neues Kapitel für einen alten Favoriten

Die komplette X-Roman-Reihe jetzt als Kindle E-Books! (Farnhams Legende, Nopileos, X3: Yoshiko, X3: Hüter der Tore, X3: Wächter der Erde)

Neuauflage der fünf X-Romane als Taschenbuch

The official X-novels Farnham's Legend, Nopileos, X3: Yoshiko as Kindle e-books!

obbrz
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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by obbrz » Fri, 9. Apr 21, 14:34

I also tried the fix for window borders and it didn't work. I looked into the sdbinst method someone suggested and it's pretty easy.

0. If you already did the install as suggested in the first post you need to remove the files in the apppatch folder and the registry keys (you can see where in the .reg file; right click and select edit) using regedit
1. Run cmd as Admin
2. Use cd to navigate to the folder where the downloaded .sdb files are
3. Use command "sdbinst" followed by a space and the full file name of the corresponding .sdb file for the game you want to run (you can see which one is which in the .reg file; right click and select edit)

After that I finally ran the game without borders.

For 4:3 resolutions using the native vertical resolution of your monitor, you can set a custom resolution with 4:3 ratio in the NVIDIA/AMD control panel. To calculate the horizontal resolution, take the vertical resolution of your monitor, multiply by 4 and divide by 3.
For example: For 1920*1080 it will be 1080x4/3=1440. So the 4:3 resolution for a 1080p monitor is 1440x1080. This way the image will be crisp with black a pillarbox.

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Re: [Windows 10] Compatibility Notes

Post by Scoob » Fri, 7. Oct 22, 22:09

Hi,

I have the original game on CD - the EUR/AUS version - and the installer fails with the message:

The wizard was interrupted before X2 - The Threat could be completely installed.

I've tried copying the files from the first CD and running setup.exe in various compatibility modes, but no luck. Any ideas?

Going to try copying everything from scratch again, in case I screwed something up...

... that did the trick, I must have done something wrong. To summarise, I ended up copying the various files from CD to the game folder I created. I then applied the updates in order, along with the AL update.

I notice that during the intro, whenever a character speaks, I get an FPS drop - quite a bad one - to an otherwise perfectly fluid scene. Music does not impact things, only the voice it seems. Perhaps tinkering is needed.

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