Yes, you've read it right. Here's how I got the installation running on Windows XP. After trying various things with the InstallShield package (and Windows 98 emulation software), I found a much easier way to install BC 3000ad 2.0.9 on WinXP.
(You'll need a cab-archive uncompresser, like winRAR, to extract some files, so go find that first. WindowsXP might be able to extract cab files by itself, so if it can, ignore winRAR.)
Okay, it's very simple. The install program runs a secondary windows installer (msi) program, to continue with the installation. For this reason, the compatibility mode in XP doesn't work on the BC install file, as it doesn't affect the file that does the installing. Unfortunately, you can't use compatibility modes on programs in the winxp/system32 folder, so the msi installer will always run without any compatibility mode.
Fortunately, all the needed files are actually in the 130+ meg version you've downloaded - just rename it to the extention .cab, and extract all the files in it (with winRar or similar), to the same directory you've places the downloaded BC file (for some reason, only msi-relevant files are available in the archieve). Then, rename the BC file back to the .exe extention, set compatibility mode to Windows 95/98 for *both* the BC exe and the newly created file named "msiexec.exe". This file will hopefully be used to perform the install, rather than the one in your system32 dir.
Then run the BC setup, and it should work.
If it does, you can stop reading.
To be really exact, I put my BC file in D:, and the msi files from it, in D: aswell. If it doesn't work for you, you could try renaming the msiexec.exe in the windowsxp/system32 folder, to something else (fx. msiexec.forgetaboutit), so it isn't found by windows, and furthermore, you could try copying the files from the BC cab into the windowsxp/ dir, and setting compatibility mode on msiexec.exe again.
Alternativily than extracting from the BC (cab) file, you can manually locate the needed files for the msi installer, and copy them to the same directory. (In case you have a special release of the msi installer, or something) - these files are (as far as i know):
cabinet.dll, imagehlp.dll, instmsi.msi, msi.dll, msiexec.exe, msihnd.dll, msiinst.exe (might not be needed), msimsg.dll, msls31.dll, mspatcha.dll, riched20.dll, shfolder.dll and usp10.dll
Oh, and by the way, if it is the case that installation on windows xp has been disabled by Mr. Smart, due to the game destroying hardware and software when run on XP, please ignore this post.
[ 05-20-2005, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]
