Older Games not working

Some Guyy · Dec 25, 2023

When I uninstalled a browser(~1 GB) I restarted my computer and went about my day as normal. When I returned, however, my PC said I had ~80 GB free (I had 20 GB free before). I noticed this effect a bit later when 3 older games (around 2001-2004 ish) did not launch at all. I was wondering if this had some kind of fix. It seemed very strange so I would understand if no one else was encountering the issue too. It could just be a virus but I decided to check here first. Thanks.

A few more details:

I had no prior downloads of above 60 GB

There was this virus called Win32/Trojan/ Doplik but whenever I quarantined or removed it, it just disappeared on Windows Security.

I had used a command to scan system files and repair them but they still would not start even after that.

Games that were a bit newer work

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it.

What's funny is that when I installed one of the games after this space free-up, it worked, but when I deleted it and reinstalled it, it stopped launching.

:)

ngocphi

Did you get the files.from.a reputable source like ms or steam.or epic?

If so.the. Don't touch the files.wirh a virus scanmer

If you modified the files with a third patty program then you need to.reinstall.the program

If you used.ware well.the problem .would.be the source it is the risk you take

Kirito - MSFT

We appreciate your feedback!

The virus I'm talking about is a possibility, as I can't be sure which one it is I can't give a more precise answer, you can try to contact the operator of the game in question and maybe you'll find an answer!

Other than that, I wish you a Merry Christmas.

Kirito|Microsoft Technical Support Specialist

Some Guyy

Hey there!

I tried running the games in compatibility mode, but they did nothing.

The games I mentioned above were the original GTA trilogy composed of GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas.

When I ran the game as it said in the manual and online (run as admin) it was loading because my cursor just turned into a loading icon.

Note that I have a monitor set up and my main display, so any game I launch would launch on my monitor.

I was unable to click anything when said cursor popped up.

For GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas however, running them in compatibility mode had the loading cursor, then nothing happened.

I tried multiple fixes for these games yet nothing worked.

I have Direct X installed as well and that was the only other thing these games needed to run yet they still don't work.

Doing a full scan of my computer revealed two Trojan viruses and one Adware virus which I was quick to remove.

The virus could have removed a system file or a file under This PC/ My OS which could cause older applications to not run.

As for the question about the viruses, could you elaborate?

I had Windows 11 earlier when the game was running and it ran perfectly until the change in space, So I'm pretty sure it is compatible with Win 11.

Thank you for being attentive to my problem (It is really scary having space randomly removed and not knowing what it was) and I hope you have a good rest of your day.

Some Guyy

I fixed the issue lol.

Turns out I didn't have DirectX after all

I remember installing it earlier but I wonder why?

Kirito - MSFT

Hello and welcome to Microsoft Community

According to your feedback, your old game can't run normally, you can check whether the old game is still under maintenance, if not, the old game may not be compatible with win10/win11, which causes your game can't run normally.

In addition, I don't understand the virus problem of your computer, can you explain it in detail? So that I can help you solve the problem more accurately!

I hope the above methods will help you

Kirito|Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Older Games not working