I want to play some old games. I would like to build several retro computers but am a bit confused as to what version of a given operating system to buy (my terminology is bad so bear with me).

I suppose I could buy a retail version of Win 7 and XP but how many times can they be transferred to a new computer?

...or,.. would it be better to buy a number of OEM versions and just keep them for later use. I could buy six or seven of them, AT LEAST, for the cost of the retail version. The OEM are supposedly tied to one motherboard, though.

Then, there is the issue of all the fakes and pirated copies being offered for sale.

... or am I off base entirely? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Have you tried using DOSBox for your old games? No need for a whole new (old?) rig.

There's also GoG.com should you wish to re-buy your old games, recajiggered to work on modern systems.

quote:

Originally posted by White Phosphorus:
I want to play some old games. I would like to build several retro computers but am a bit confused as to what version of a given operating system to buy (my terminology is bad so bear with me).

I suppose I could buy a retail version of Win 7 and XP but how many times can they be transferred to a new computer?

...or,.. would it be better to buy a number of OEM versions and just keep them for later use. I could buy six or seven of them, AT LEAST, for the cost of the retail version. The OEM are supposedly tied to one motherboard, though.

Then, there is the issue of all the fakes and pirated copies being offered for sale.

... or am I off base entirely? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

You could install a free Linux as the base OS on the host PC. Or just install any legal Windows you currently have.

Then install one (or several) of the free Microsoft Virtual Machines in VirtualBox or VMWare. You won't find an official XP machine, but there are official machines for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. A web search will probably yield unofficial VM builds for Win95, Win98, and WinXP.

The VMs don't need licensing in the traditional sense. They will "expire" after 90 days, but you can snapshot the VM prior and then just roll back.

Go to the link below for Virtual Machines:

Developer - Microsoft Virtual Machines

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy:
... recajiggered to work on modern systems.

I would look at Virtual Machines - I have used an XP virtual machine (via Virtualbox on Win7) to play an older Dune game that was originally for Win95 - it wouldn't run in Win7 at all. Linux & KVM are VERY good at virtualization - at home, my 'daily use' PC is a Win10 VM sitting on top of my UnRAID home server. It acts like bare metal - 2 video cards, DVD drives, etc passed through. The only thing you notice is that if you forget & plug a USB device into a port that isn't passed through, nothing happens in the VM.... It was kind of a pain int he ass to set up initially (I'm not a linux guy), but now it is fairly painless. UnRAID is improving the usability/setup for non-techheads like me all the time.

I have spun up win95 & win98se VMs on my unraid server, just to play around. I used torrented/downloaded .isos for each, I don't remember if I even activated them or if I even had cracks to do so. I realize you want to go 'legal', but I'm not sure you CAN do what you are wanting legally. Since all before win7 are completely unsupported, I doubt microsoft would want to screw with transferring a license, assuming you could get a hold of someone that even had a clue what to do. Plenty of ways to get around that, but again, that whole 'terms of use' thing. I feel like if something is unsupported & you aren't going to use it commercially, do whatever you want. It's not hurting Microsoft in any way shape or form. That's my rationalization, at least.

quote:

Originally posted by striker1:

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy:
... recajiggered to work on modern systems.

Ouch! That's going to be true for a lot of the obscure W95 stuff I have in a box somewhere. Anyone ever heard of People's General? I'd like to keep that sort of thing running on the original OS in the hope of avoiding instability.

GOG is great. They've already drained my wallet to a great degree. All of the games I've bought run well on a Win 10 machine. It's the older and more obscure titles that I'm interested in building a retro machine for. It'll be built, loaded and just kept in a corner for use. A legacy system, so to speak.

V.

Somewhere I've got a copy of People's General, I so wanted to play it, but when I got it my machine just wouldn't run it. I should dig it out, see if I can't make it go...

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm very interested in Linux and VM but having the time to LEARN this stuff is a whole different subject.

I'm definitely "gung-ho" to give Microsoft the slip. There's far too much BS involved in dealing with this company and their products. I can't believe people pay money to be tortured like this.

As for the old games; darn it, I bought them YEARS ago and I'm going to at least LOOK at them once.

I do think this can be done legally. Older operating systems, still in the wrap, with a proper key, should work,.... yes or no?

V.

quote:

Originally posted by White Phosphorus:
Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm very interested in Linux and VM but having the time to LEARN this stuff is a whole different subject.

I'm definitely "gung-ho" to give Microsoft the slip. There's far too much BS involved in dealing with this company and their products. I can't believe people pay money to be tortured like this.

As for the old games; darn it, I bought them YEARS ago and I'm going to at least LOOK at them once.

I do think this can be done legally. Older operating systems, still in the wrap, with a proper key, should work,.... yes or no?

V.

A Linux install is a breeze. Something like Mint, you’ll be surprised how simple it is. Once running, install a VM client like VMWare or VirtualBox.

Then, in the VM program, add in your virtual machine images.

- - -


You will probably have a tough time getting XP to validate.

Older than that, you’ll have trouble finding old PCs to run 95, 98, ME/2000.

What games are you looking for? PC games, console games? Look for emulators that you can run on your current PC. I have used DOSbox in the past. So basically you install the emulator and then find the ROMS(games) you want to play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSBox

If you are looking for specific PC games look on Steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/

They have ported a lot of older games to function on a modern PC. Good luck!

My Windows 7 Ultimate has compatibility modes that you use to run programs in various pre-Win7 OSes.

To use this, you fire up Window Explorer, right click the 'exe' file for the game, and then click on the "Properties" tab in the window that pops up. The "Properties" window has a "Compatibility" tab where you can select various earlier MS environments going back to Win95, set the color/resolution modes, etc.

Given game programmers' penchant for cutting corners in the pursuit of performance, there are probably games that won't work this way (or in other emulators, either) but if your Windows system has this capability, give it a whack - maybe you won't need a new OS.

Or you could go with a Raspberry Pie.

quote:

I'm definitely "gung-ho" to give Microsoft the slip. There's far too much BS involved in dealing with this company and their products. I can't believe people pay money to be tortured like this.

^^

Windows 7 actually has an "XP mode" that will run a version of XP (free - no license required) if that version helps.
Your hardware just needs to support vitalization.
You also can run many other virtualized OS's on Windows 10 if you have the software by enabling Hyper-V.
You can also run other OS's on VM's too with VMWare (free version) if that is what you want.

XP mode only applies to Win 7 Pro, btw.

You can also install a free version of VMWare on Windows, as long as the PC supports virtualization.