[SOLVED] Can I trick an app to run on Windows XP?

[Cosmin415215]

I want to run Growtopia on a Windows XP pc, but it is no longer supported.
The only reason I think that this might be possible is the fact that the game didn't receive any updates at all outside bug fixes/new items and the developers might not have had enough attention to add new components that require default windows 7+ libraries, the servers being down at least a quarter for the past two years.

The game lost it's Windows XP support when it was bought by Ubisoft, so I believe it was a policy issue or it needed one or two default Windows 7 packages that I think can be easily installed on Windows XP.

I am thinking that it could run the game if I tricked it into just thinking that it is running on a newer Windows, or in the worst case installing some libraries.

The error message is:
"C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Local Settngs\Application Data\Growtopia.exe is not a valid Win32 application"

I have unzipped the installer and tried running both the 32bit and 64bit games, and both of them display the same error.

And finally, please don't tell me that the file is corrupt / switch to Windows 10 / use virtualbox.

 

[SkyNetRising]

The error message is:
"C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Local Settngs\Application Data\Growtopia.exe is not a valid Win32 application"
And finally, please don't tell me that the file is corrupt / switch to Windows 10 / use virtualbox.

It could be 64bit application. Then it won't run on 32bit windows XP.

 

[Cosmin415215]

It could be 64bit application. Then it won't run on 32bit windows XP.

I have just made a virtual machine to try windows xp 64 bit, but Growtopia doesn't work here either.

https://im.ge/i/FDwlbh

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Growtopia requires resources that are not available or compatible below Windows 7. You won't get it to run in XP.

 

[Davide_24]

You can! You just need a Hex editor. To do it you need to find the series "06 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 00 00 00 00 00 00" (which should be around the offset / address 140-160) and change it to "05 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 05 00 01 00 00 00 00 00" for 32-bit apps and "05 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 05 00 02 00 00 00 00 00" for 64-bit apps! Note that 64-bit apps only work on WinXP 64-bit edition

If the series is not present in the file then it isn't possible to convert to windows XP at all. This works because WinXP only supports 05 00 01! Later windows versions accept all formats.

If you have issues with missing DLLs then you can get them from newer windows versions and put them in the same folder as the exe. Programms tend to check their own folder before System32

 

[USAFRet]

You can!

You can, for various levels of "What I write has little connection with anything even a little bit relevant."

Where might that hex string be found?
Is it specific to the particular application in question, or Windows XP 32bit in general?
Or whatever...

 

[TerryLaze]

Just get the latest version of bluestacks that still runs on windows XP and download the android version of it, bluestacks supports keyboard and mouse as well as gamepads.
If you have hardware virtualization it will run fine.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

You can! You just need a Hex editor. To do it you need to find the series "06 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 00 00 00 00 00 00 00" (which should be around the offset / address 140-160) and change it to "05 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 05 00 01 00 00 00 00 00" for 32-bit apps and "05 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 05 00 02 00 00 00 00 00" for 64-bit apps! Note that 64-bit apps only work on WinXP 64-bit edition

If the series is not present in the file then it isn't possible to convert to windows XP at all. This works because WinXP only supports 05 00 01! Later windows versions accept all formats.

If you have issues with missing DLLs then you can get them from newer windows versions and put them in the same folder as the exe. Programms tend to check their own folder before System32

Please don’t post garbage. This is absolute garbage and totally not true