I just purchased Starship v1.00.42b, which assures the gamer on the coversleeve that it is "Windows XP compatible". This pleased me, as I am an XP user.

After installing the game it told me that audio compression is not enabled on my system, before proceeding to talk me step-by-step through the audio compression enabling process........ for Win95!

It turns out the two systems have totally different setup options, and I can't for the life of me find how to 'enable audio compression' in XP.

The game runs, but it's eerily quite, speech works door sounds and the like don't. Has anyone got any idea what I should do??? Please help.

for I don't have XP.
SSTitanic was 'made ' for Win95 only, thought it runs quite nice with Win98.. anyway..
For getting it run under XP you should activate the ... what shall I say here is a link which explaines more:
http://members.tripod.com/sstWordSmith2/sst/sst-hint/win2000.htm

You are right, there should be sound with it...
Really I have no clue.. a last chance might be this indeo 5 codec to install.. from here:
http://www.soft-ware.net/multimedia/video/kompression/p00660.asp

Good luck with it, I'm afraid, I'm no great help for you.

greetz Capt. Ed

long time since I played it (last computer) and I now have XP on this one. If I ever get my copy back from Morgaine I might load it again! One suggestion:

Have you tried using the compatibility option in XP? Right click on the game icon and select the right tab, compatibility, there you should find the compatibility mode dialogue.

Good luck starshipmate

I have an extra copy of the game. Meet me somewhere between the moon and New York City and it's yours!

that's a lot of cafes! and of course, a hamburger in each!

I tried both the compatibility wizard (Win95), the indeov5 download and have searched for apcompat.exe on both the XP Home edition disc and my hard drive (with no luck) and nothing seems to work...

Thanks for your suggestions guys, but no joy. I just can't believe such blatant false advertising by Select Soft, and what's annoying me even more is that no one else in all of www land seems to have had the same problem. Could it be that the American version of XP will run the game but not the Australian version I use? Maybe XP Pro will run it? I wish I could call Select Soft and abuse them without running up a phone bill the length of my arm.

I've posted a query with http://support.selectsoftusa.com, who promise "24 hour web support" for the game - with no reply thus far. I suppose all I can do is wait...

The apcompat.exe should be found on Windows2000/Support, not sure if similiar exists on a WinXP Disc.
Please tell us when there happens any changes at your place to positiv.. it might help other xp victims.

greetz Capt.Ed

I originally had Win 95, then 98 then XP Home edition. The game installed and played fine on all of these (I think I had it on 95?) including XP.

But what dor sounds are you talking about? I have NEVER had door sounds! There is plenty of music and speech.

Anyone else got door sounds?

no soz cant help there

Okay, when I said door sounds I meant the sounds of the door closing in the 1st cut scene in which the doorbot invites you to enter the ship, you climb the extendable stairs, and both end up in the elevator thing.

Since then I've discovered that every cut scene is completely silent.

The help desk at SelectSoft told me pretty much what I expect they tell every user having trouble, and gave me a link

http://support.selectsoftusa.com/customer40/ViewCase.asp?Casenum=279&ReturnPage=Search

which told me to enable Win95 compatibility mode on installation, rather than just when I go to play the game.

Right, so I tried this and the computer gave me another error:

Fraunhofer MPEG Layer-3 codec (decode-only)
Error loading W95INF32.DLL

...as well as the usual 'Enabling Audio Compression In Win95' help menu (that so handily keeps popping up).

I'm at my wit's end, I must play this game. Gaaahh!

Hi Chris, I found W95INF32.DLL on my Win98 work machine so have emailed you with it. It may only be one of many files required, such is the nature of the beast we call Windows! It was in my system folder. Further explanation in email.
Good luck starshipmate

But I've now discovered that I only get that...

Fraunhofer MPEG Layer-3 codec (decode-only)
Error loading W95INF32.DLL

...error when I install with Windows95 Compatibility mode.

My case has swapped hands and the new dude seems much more competent, so here's hoping!

sorry you didn't get the email Chris - I'll look into it tomorrow. Please keep us informed of progress - our user base of problems and solutions is ever-widening!
Good luck

The support staff have now told me that "apparently" their (Windows XP Compatible!) game does not run on some XP machines.
They've told me to return the game for a refund. How bloody annoying!!! I really want this game, but I want to play it the way it was meant to be experienced - with all the sounds!

Aargh.

I was in that boat with Microsoft's Combat Flight Sim 3. I had a recent processor, recent ATI graphics with drivers updated almost weekly but still the blessed thing refused to run.

I was going to ask if you'd got an earlier OS like 98 but I guess a multiple boot OS is a bit overboard for just the one game
mebbe keep an eye out for a second-hand base unit - just a thought

Sound problems can be nasty. I never got sound to work in any form for Ultima Underworld. It was so quiet when I played...

As an employee of Selectsoft Publishing, I wanted to mention that there have been only a couple of cases where a customer has been requested to select a different title in exchange for Starship Titanic. Without having christopher's case number or full name, I don't know the details of this particular instance, and I wouldn't be at liberty to divulge the details in any case.

However, the FAQ page he mentions: http://support.selectsoftusa.com/customer40/ViewCase.asp?Casenum=279&ReturnPage=Search does, in fact, say to make sure you install the MPEG Layer-3 component. (At the time of this posting, it was last updated 08Jul03, just before he posted here. So, the information was there... *shrug*)

The information on that page comes from various sources: our personal experiences with the game on 2000 and XP (I've always managed to get it installed while following these directions), the results of our tech support cases, and some info from around the web (including this site ).

Hopefully, reading this thread hasn't turned anyone off from either this game or from purchasing it from one of the retailers that carries our products. It is still a fairly popular game, and I feel that everyone should get a chance to at least see it even if they don't appreciate more than the eye candy.

Our support web site is, in fact, available 24 hours a day. We do our best to respond to all open cases either the same business day or the next if the case was opened too late in the business day. Since we don't have enough support issues with our titles to justify someone sitting in front of a web browser 24 hours a day, this is about the best we can do. We have also learned that we provide more rapid (free) support than just about any software publisher.

Now, back to annoying that parrot...

Great to have an 'expert' on this pages.
I hope Chris could get his sound problem managed.

In the meantime I've added the help page you mentioned to my own tec-faq page.
this file

I've tried the first method (I'm w2k-user) to get ssTitanic runnig, but I hadn't updated my windows to service pack (now 4), and of course failed.

Nowadays I'm able to play the game after I'd choosen method 2. It is pretty good working!

SST is a great game and I feel sorry for all gamers who missed it playing.

greetz Capt.Ed *also sorry for my 'German' English*

Your English is fine. At least, I've never had a problem with it.

I hope we got Chris all figured out, as well. Considering how few failures we have had, we probably did in the end. And, I'm no expert. But, I am persistent.

I include both methods for Win2K because sometimes one works and the other doesn't. I have no clue why (blame Microsoft), but I generally prefer the compatibility tab, myself. Thanks for putting up a link to it. We'll modify the instructions if something new ever comes to light, so a link is preferable.

And I, too, feel bad for everyone who's given up. It's seeing things like this unresolved that would make me think twice. I hope everyone gives this game a chance. It only gets better once you get your bed set up...

--Matt

... always said "It only gets better once you get your bed set up..." ooouuppss.. you meant the game-bed...

Oh, I forgot: as a 'member of the 'inner sst circle' I welcome you at the sst forums.

greetz ed

Woo! An official welcome! I've been lurking about here for a year or two now. Never had a need to post before (and I don't often look in the SGT forums... I don't want the parrot back!), but since I was looking for something else and came across this thread...

Anyway, I'm done bastardizing this thread. Carry on.

If it's any consolation, you're not the only one who can't get things to run on XP. Mine also says it wants my '95 disk to install from.
When the game starts I get, somewhat spookily, to see Douglas on the television, ranting at me - with sound. The computer whirrs and bleeps. The spaceship crashes. The robot appears, but then silence, and the game freezes. I have to ctrl-alt-del to do anything else. If anyone can say "THIS is how to get XP to run the game" please speak now - or just write on the game box that it is NOT XP compatible.

Hi there.. I IS possible to run Titanic under XP. I know some xp-people who did the game.
Have you set the sst.exe to Win98 compatibillity yet? Rightclick, Properties, check, save.

   greetz Ed

I didn't know about that! I tried it - setting it to 95, 98, ME, 2000 - nothing works...

Boo hoo!!

But thanks for trying though, it's appreciated!

Matt.

Hmm, i just installed the version i bought back in '98, and it works fine on my computer (XP home) :S

just lucky, i guess :D

I have the similar problems with Windows 2000. I get the game installed and it starts up just fine. I can see the TV, the video of the guy ranting "get on with it" in the yellow jacket. But when I turn twords the other part of the room the cursor disappears and I can not interact with the program any more. Though I do still hear the music, There the game sits until I Control ESC back to the desktop and force quit from the task manager.

I'm surpirsed they would be allowed to put Windows 95/98/2000/XP on the box and the CD's when it it doesn't seem to work reliably on half of those.

I have version b (as shown on the loading screen) and it works absolutely fine on Windows XP... Hurrah!

Not sure why other poeple are having problems, but rest assured it IS possible to play this game on Windows XP Home (SP1)!

Good luck to those who are having difficulties!

I bought v1.00.42 and it loads first time onto my Windows XP machine. I just ignored the instalation bit about Audio compression as I guessed XP would just sort it out for me and it did. I have no sound issues at all. My only gripe is that my set of disks, bought from Amazon, didn't have the outer packaging - just the triple CD box and as we all know, that packaging is quite useful.

This is the most useful picture on the back of the game box.