Red Alert 2 Disc will not Install
Hi. I recently dug up an old copy of Red Alert 2 and tried to install it on my Windows 7 laptop. I have tried changing the compatability mode and also the screen resolution, and it won't begin the in...
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Did that. Same exact problem.
Hello,
I find it strange that you cannot get Red Alert 2 to work on WIndows 7, if it is really a 32-bit operating system, because, as I recall, Red Alert 2 was written for a 32-bit OS. I have two computers; one has Windows 10 installed and the other Windows XP Home Edition, for playing my older games. Red Alert 2 loads and plays fine on Windows XP Home Edition. If you are absolutely sure you want to use Windows 7 on your computer, you could try Dual Booting, which involves dividing your main partition into two, then installing Windows XP Home Edition on the 1st partition, then Windows 7 again on the other one. I'd be glad to give you full instructions if you need it.
Are you talking about the original CD version, or about the Ultimate Collection?
32-bit and 64-bit has no influence on whether the game runs; 64-bit OSes can run 32-bit programs just fine. There are, however, a lot of peripheral Windows systems (like DirectX and such) that have changed since then, and those could give issues.
The games have all been upgraded with community-created unofficial patches that fix a lot of their bugs and compatibility problems, though. You can find them here:
Command & Conquer 1:
- Nyerguds' C&C95 v1.06c revision 3 patch (which also adds bonus missions originally exclusive to the Playstation and Nintendo 64 versions of the game)
Note that this patch fixes two quite common and completely fatal game crashes (top-of-map reconnaissance crash, stealth crash), so installing it is strongly advised.
Red Alert 1:
- Funkyfr3sh's automatic Red Alert 1 patcher/installer (The thread also has briefing videos for the expansion missions, converted from the Playstation version of the game)
- Nyerguds' main.mix cleanup for TFD/TUC (Not really needed, but cleans up about a gigabyte of unnecessary files in the RA1 folder. Unpack in the game folder, run "patch_main.bat", let it finish, and then delete the files you extracted.)
Tiberian Sun:
Red Alert 2:
- The graphics system patch DDWrapper is known to solve a multitude of graphics problems, including the "black screen" issue.
Download the zip file and extract "ddraw.dll" and "aqrit.cfg" into your game folder. Then, open the configuration file "aqrit.cfg" in Notepad, change the "ForceDirectDrawEmulation" option to 1, save the file, and try running the game again. - If you still have problems with RA2 even after this, I advise installing the CnCNet online play installer for RA2/YR. Even if you're not interested in online play, it comes with a bunch of automatic fixes, and has a configuration tool which offers more choices in graphics fixes than just DDWrapper, so if one doesn't work you can just try if some of the other options do the trick.
- Nyerguds' C&C95 v1.06c revision 3 patch (which also adds bonus missions originally exclusive to the Playstation and Nintendo 64 versions of the game)
