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Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Sun, 01 May 2005 11:38

wildcard

Crewman 2nd Class

Messages: 18
Registered: May 2005

Anyone know how to play Stars on Windows XP Service Pack 2? I'm getting "Win 16 sub system has insufficient resources to continue" error messages. Do I have to play Stars! on a Win98 box or something?

I've tried the different "compatibility modes" and I get the same message.

I could've sworn I've played it on XP before (couple years ago). I think that may have been Service Pack 1 though.

Im using Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Any ideas?

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Sun, 01 May 2005 12:29

m.a@stars

Commander

Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004
Location: Third star to the left

Hi,

wildcard wrote on Sun, 01 May 2005 17:38

I've run Stars on Win2000 and several flavors of XP, including SP1 & 2 w/out a hitch.

Quote:

Any ideas?

Nope, yet. You can try Wine, or WMware... Sherlock

So many Stars, so few Missiles!

In space no one can hear you scheme! Deal

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Sun, 01 May 2005 19:28

Kotk

Commander

Messages: 1227
Registered: May 2003

As lot i have seen XP service pack 2 is running stars OK. Nod

Stars does not run directly under windows XP. Instead there is that ntvdm/wowexec sub system under what it runs. Message you got indicates that this sub system does not have enough resources to run stars. Confused

I have never had such message under windows XP. Wild guess is... It may be because that some app is heavily fragmenting your computers memory so 16 bit subsystem gets it in too little pieces or that something is using up all file handles there or something like that. Some 16 bit viruses or other strange soft your running there? Surprised

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Tue, 03 May 2005 13:05

wildcard

Crewman 2nd Class

Messages: 18
Registered: May 2005

It looks like my computer just needed a reboot. Once I rebooted the computer stars! seems to run fine. WOW seems to cause weird windows draw problems, so I'll usually kill it manually once I close stars! (as it doesnt terminate automatically for me).

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Sun, 15 May 2005 19:54

Hilton

Crewman 1st Class

Messages: 28
Registered: February 2005
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada

For the future reference of all people here, I have fixed this problem for two of my friends using a simply amazing tool.

The tool is called Google. Copy the error message recieved and paste it into Google - several dozen links will pop up detailing the fixes (including one directly to MSDN). There are two routes (the Easy Fix, and the Oh Crap Easy Didn't Work Fix)... but they do work.

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Sun, 15 May 2005 22:24

Ron

Commander
Forum Administrator
Stars! AutoHost Administrator

Messages: 1231
Registered: October 2002
Location: Collegedale, TN

Hilton wrote on Sun, 15 May 2005 19:54

Please post links, as when I pasted it into Google, I didn't see much at all, and not MSDN links.

Ron Miller
Stars! AutoHost

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Mon, 16 May 2005 06:46

Dogthinkers

Commander

Messages: 1316
Registered: August 2003
Location: Hiding from Meklar

hmmm... I searched msdn for both sub system insufficient resources and subsystem insufficient resources and got nothing even close to relevant, so I'm seriously skeptical there's anything in MSDN referring directly to the error. I'd love to be proven wrong as I've experienced this problem myself in the past. Sad

On the bright side I did manage to find one potential solution for you guys (using google.) It was for Windows 2000 but I've modified it to apply to XP. No idea if this will work, but it's quick and easy to try so please give it go:
1) Start > Run > regsvr32 slayerxp.dll
2) Right-click on the executable for your application and click Properties
3) Click on the Compatibility tab, and choose to run the app under Windows 95 Compatibility

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Mon, 16 May 2005 13:50

multilis

Lt. Commander

Messages: 789
Registered: October 2003
Location: Edmonton, Canada

windows 16 bit had a 64K resource stack that got used up if programs had resource leaks (used stuff but then not give back). Even bad device drivers could cause this problem.

I suggest:
get some sort of resource meter program for 16 bit that lists how much resources still free, and keep an eye on it. (watch what makes it go down and not back up, for example perhaps starting then exiting stars)

run msconfig, believe exists in winXP again (disappeared in win2000), look for what other stuff is running. (win.ini, system.ini may have clues, check those tabs)

As previously suggested, sometimes viruses/spyware can cause such problems. The gator family of spyware including the weather checker (what is weather like in your area) seem to be bad in regular 32 bit world of spyware, I fixed several computers just by removing the beasts.

One clue you gave is wow (windows 16 bit-on-windows 32 bit) stays open after which may mean some beast is still running in 16 bit mode and perhaps causing trouble.

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Mon, 16 May 2005 18:42

Dogthinkers

Commander

Messages: 1316
Registered: August 2003
Location: Hiding from Meklar

As Multilis says, drivers and spyware that might be running in 16-bit mode are a very good thing to check out. One easy way to see if this is a possible cause is to see if wowexec is running BEFORE you open Stars - if it is then you know there is at least one other item using wow.

Don't worry about wowexec staying open after you exit Stars - this behavior is by design. The Win 16 subsystem is loaded the first time it is needed, but then remains open even if you close the application that originally required it. This is for performance reasons - the developers of NT assumed that if you opened one 16 bit app you were likely to open more.

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Tue, 17 May 2005 21:41

Hilton

Crewman 1st Class

Messages: 28
Registered: February 2005
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada

I went through my IM history and found a conversation I had with a friend who had this problem with Stars...

You need to copy and paste the full error message into Google, like so: http://www.google.ca/search?q=16+Bit+Windows+Subsystem+%3E+C %3A%5CWINDOWS%5CSYSTEM32%5CAUTOEXEC.NT.+The+system+file+is+n ot+suitable+for+running+MS-DOS+and+Microsoft+Windows+applica tions.

This is the URL I gave him, which was something like the 4th link that came up in Google at the time, and was also referred to by most of the top 10.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;3247 67

Maybe that link should be added to the Stars Troubleshooting FAQ on the forums, if one exists...

[Updated on: Tue, 17 May 2005 21:42]

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Re: Playing Stars! on Windows XP

Tue, 17 May 2005 23:16

Dogthinkers

Commander

Messages: 1316
Registered: August 2003
Location: Hiding from Meklar

Hilton wrote on Wed, 18 May 2005 11:41

You need to copy and paste the full error message into Google, like so: http://www.google.ca/search?q=16+Bit+Windows+Subsystem+%3E+C %3A%5CWINDOWS%5CSYSTEM32%5CAUTOEXEC.NT.+The+system+file+is+n ot+suitable+for+running+MS-DOS+and+Microsoft+Windows+applica tions.

This is not the same error message that the original post is reporting... Which I have seen myself in the past.

If we are lucky then the solution will be common to both errors...

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