Spore won't start on a Windows XP vm
Hi, I have a Windows XP SP3 32 bit virtual machine running. Fresh install, no programs except for Google Chrome. I put in my Spore disc and installed it as normal, then once it was installed I tried to open it. I tried the desktop shortcut, and I also tried using the Sporebin/sporeapp.exe apps in both the EA/Spore location and on the Sporebin folder on the disc. Yet every time I try to open it I get the same message:
The game can not start
The game needs access to the internet in order to verify the ownership of this game. Please ensure that your computer is online and try again.
I have verified that my host PC is connected, and the virtual bridge from the host to the guest is intact and working. I was able to connect to the internet and download Google Chrome. I don't have any firewall or antivirus enabled. This is really bugging me, as I was going to use it as an example that Spore runs better on 32 bit systems than 64 bit systems. How do I fix this?
Sorry if I'm a bit late to the table. If you're using VirtualBox for this VM, you may want to consider trying VMWare Player instead. I've had tons of issues with the game in VirtualBox (including probably-SecuROM-related stuff, not unlike like this issue if my memory serves me), but since switching to VMWare, I've had no such further issues. Performance is often better, too. The only catch is that VMWare Player doesn't support a macOS host OS (or atleast didn't last I checked), but if you're on Windows (or Linux, probably?), it should be fine...there is VMWare Fusion for macOS, but it's quite expensive (for comparison, Player is free for non-commercial use), and I have no idea if it behaves at all the same as VMWare Player does with regards to Spore.