Running X-COM under Windows XP/2k

Only the Collector's Edition (CE) of X-COM 1 & 2 will work properly under Window
s XP/2000/ME (WinXP) Even with the Collector's Edition, most people will still h
ave video problems when they try to run the game. For others, the music or sound
will not come out right. This is because of the DirectDraw and DirectSound driv
ers the CE uses to create compatibility with WinXP. Unfortunately, the programme
rs did not get it quite right, hence the "garbled" video error when the game tri
es to initialize DirectDraw on the latest OSes. You can bypass this problem by r
unning dxdiag.exe and disabling DirectDraw manually, but this is tedious and doe
sn't fix all of the problems. There is a file that actually fixes the conflict c
aused by DirectDraw by correcting the pitch that the game is sent to the video c
ard with, in addition to fixing the sound/click delays in the game. It was writt
en by a feller xcommer who goes by the name of F0dder. The file for UFO Defense
is called xcom1fix.exe (or ldr_xcom1.exe) Run the fix file instead of "UFO Defen
se.exe" or "Terror From the Deep" to start the game.
Problems with xcom1fix.exe ("Couldn't CreateProcess")
(Note: All of these problems can apply to xcom2fix.exe and all the names of the
files can be substituted to match "Terror From the Deep.exe" etc.)
Several people have emailed me with the error "Couldn't CreateProcess" that they
get when they try to run xcom1fix.exe. This can be caused by several things. Th
e most common is that people are trying to use the patch with a version of xcom
other than the collector's ed. The patch will only work with the collector's ed.
and the patch must be placed in the main directory of the game (i.e. wherever "
UFO Defense.exe" is).
The next problem could be that somehow the "UFO Defense.exe" file has been renam
ed to a slightly different name. The executable file MUST be named exactly as fo
llows: "UFO Defense" with the extension of an executable file, or application, a
s Windows classifies it under the Type category. If the name is different, the p
atch cannot find the file and returns the "Couldn't CreateProcess" error.
Another source of this error is when you try to run the patch from a shortcut cr
eated on your desktop or startmenu. Running the patch (and game) in this way is
usually successful, but there have been reports and I have had the same problem
of getting the "Couldn't CreateProcess" error. This source of this error has bee
n remedied by either going running the patch directly via Windows Explorer or re
starting the computer.
For any other problems, you might be able to get help from the author of the pat
ch at http://f0dder.has.it/
FakeCD Installation
In order to cause the CD-checking program to believe you have the X-COM CD in yo
ur CD-ROM drive, you will need to use the FakeCD program included in the xcom14c
d.zip file. After decompressing the .zip file with the "pkunzip xcom14cd.zip -d"
syntax, edit the xcom.bat file. The batch file, by default, makes the assumptio
n that you have put the game in the c:\xcom directory. If this is not the case,
in the first command line in xcom.bat, that says "fakecd c:\xcom /l:z" delete th
e "xcom" part and insert your own directory (i.e. c:\games\xcom) Now run xcom.ba
t and it will load fakecd.exe into memory and make the desired directory into a
logical drive letter, Z. You can also edit xcom.bat to change the letter Z to an
y drive of your choice. The batch file is very straightforward and simple to man
ipulate.