Spider Solitaire in Win8 x64

[gaz_l]

Sorry to bother you with this.

My Mrs. is addicted to Spider Solitaire as supplied with Win XP, Vista, 7 etc. I've just bought her a new laptop as her old one is knackered and it came with 8.1 - no Spider Solitaire. You would think the sky had fallen in.

I've looked at various solutions online but does anyone have a trusted method of porting the executable across to Win 8? It would be most appreciated..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[moonloops]

Spider Solitaire Collection Free app for Windows in the Windows Store

 

[gaz_l]

Spider Solitaire Collection Free app for Windows in the Windows Store

I've tried installing that, apparently it's "not the same"..

She has literally worn out the mouse buttons on her old laptop playing the old version..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[John]

You could try copying the whole folder it lives in from a Windows 7 machine:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\SpiderSolitaire

...and stick it in the same location on the destination machine.

If C:\Program Files doesn't exist, create it.

I would imagine it is not tied version-wise.

You could then create a shortcut and stick it on the desktop.

 

[John]

Actually, I just copied the SpiderSolitaire.exe file to my desktop and it runs - so you might be able to get away with just copying that to the Desktop...

 

[gaz_l]

Thanks JEB, tried that with no joy. Think the problem is that old machine (Vista) is 32 bit and new machine (8.1) is 64 bit. I honestly wish I'd never started this..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[st13phil]

This is of no help whatsoever, but as my wife is totally hooked on the iPad version of Spider Solitaire (to the point where you'd think it was a life support system) I quite understand the trauma you're going through...

 

[John]

Thanks JEB, tried that with no joy. Think the problem is that old machine (Vista) is 32 bit and new machine (8.1) is 64 bit. I honestly wish I'd never started this..

Cheers,

Gaz

I think it will be a version-tied issue (i.e. it is tied to Vista).

May be fruitless but if you want - PM your email address - I have an idea.

It maybe the version needs editing if that is possible these days.

In the old days on MS-DOS, you could use SETVER!

 

[gaz_l]

@phil:

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[gaz_l]

I think it will be a version-tied issue (i.e. it is tied to Vista).

May be fruitless but if you want - PM your email address - I have an idea.

It maybe the version needs editing if that is possible these days.

In the old days on MS-DOS, you could use SETVER!

Hi John,

PM sent.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[gaz_l]

John, thanks for the email. The executable got blocked by hotmail though.

Well everyone, tonights approach has been to strip 8 off and try and install Vista on the new machine - I know I'm probably letting myself in for all sorts of driver grief, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I can always reinstall 8 off the recovery disk if needed.

The Vista install disk first spat its dummy out as apparently the disk "is of the GPT partition style". No problem, I'll delete the partitions. This doesn't scare me.

Tried again, still no joy. I then decided to go medieval and delete all the partitions with a Gparted bootable CD, and I've tried deleting/formatting the partitions with this, and also deleting the partitions with Gparted and trying to create them in the Vista install. Neither works. As I've been out of IT for 4 years now - a lifetime in real terms- I guess things have moved on, is this some kind of hardware limitation?

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[John]

I doubt Vista supports UEFI (which replaces the old BIOS) so you might need to disable UEFI in the CMOS before it will work.

You still want to delete the old partitions and it will create the reserved one as required.

If you go back to 8, I can change the extension to see if that gets passed it (works with Outlook and Exchange).

 

[Jeff666]

Subject to the size of your new machine you could look at virtualisation and dumping Vista on that... Then just wind up the virtual machine when you want to play....

 

[gaz_l]

I doubt Vista supports UEFI (which replaces the old BIOS) so you might need to disable UEFI in the CMOS before it will work.

You still want to delete the old partitions and it will create the reserved one as required.

If you go back to 8, I can change the extension to see if that gets passed it (works with Outlook and Exchange).

Top advice. I disabled the UEFI and Vista then went ahead and installed. A bit of dicking about with graphics drivers and it's a fully functioning machine for playing spider solitaire and, ermm, that's about it at the moment. The audio also works but that's your lot.

But the Mrs is made up and I can sort the rest out in slow time, I've had plenty of practise.

Owe you one John.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[John]

No worries fella. Glad she is happy!

I would echo Jeff666's advice though at some stage as support for Vista will be dropping April 2017.

Don't forget to re-enable UEFI though and then with 8 on it, you can install Vista as a virtual image (just remove everything including IE to keep it secure at that stage) using the key you used unless you are using OEM media which doesn't require one.

Best of all worlds then!

PS: I think the .exe file needs editing to run on 8 or 8.1 so I don't think it will work anyway.