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[hardman]

Various problems have been encountered when trying to run Red Alert 2 on Windows 8. A collective list of possible solutions and temporary workarounds are shown below:

 

First try the following: 

 

Install: http://xwis.net/downloads/Red-Alert-2-Multiplayer.exe

 

add this to your ra2.ini file:

 

[video]

AllowHiResModes=yes

VideoBackBuffer=no

AllowVRAMSidebar=no

ScreenWidth=x (change this to fit your monitor)

ScreenHeight=y (change this to fit your monitor)

StretchMovies=no 

 

To be able to alt tab you will have to run the game in windowed mode. To do this, create a shortcut to Red Alert 2.exe. Then right click shortcut and click properties, append -win to the target such that it's "C:\Program Files (x86)\Red Alert 2\Red Alert 2.exe" -win. When starting the game, use the newly created shortcut.

 

Go to Properties > Compatibility > Settings > Reduced color mode > 16-bit(65536) color

 

Run as admin and in XP compatibility mode. Start the game.

 

If the above method does not work, install this version of the game: https://xwis.net/temp/Red_Alert-2-0.0.0.exe and follow the ra2.ini and compatibility instructions above. This download will not allow you to use the XWIS red alert 2 with new maps and auto SS, however the game should run properly.

 

If the above does not work, the following walkthrough has been successful for some players when using alternative (non XWIS download) versions of the game:

 

This was created to be used on the full game version and not the XWIS download, however some stages may be transferrable:

1. Copy the directory Red Alert 2 (Typically found in C:\Program Files (x86)) to somewhere outside of Program Files
2. Download the graphics patch from http://www.stuffhost.de/files/cnc/ and extract it into the directory that you just moved
3. Rename Yuri's Revenge to gamemd.exe, then run the patch to patch the game (likewise for ra2, rename to game.exe)
4. Download http://bitpatch.com/ddwrapper.html zip file and extract the files to the directory that you've patched the game in
5. Edit aqrit.cfg in notepad and change these two settings to 1 as in below:
6. NoVideoMemory = 1
7. forcedirectdrawemulation = 1
8. Create a shortcut to the game and move it to your desktop
9. Go to properties and in 'Target' add at the end after " add -win
10. example Target: "C:\Users\Roberto\Desktop\Red Alert 2\gamemd.exe" -win
11. note the space between gamemd.exe" and -win
12. In the same Properties Tab:
13. Compatibility Win Xp Service pack 2 (Seems to be most stable)
14. Reduced colour mode : 16bit
15. Run as Administrator

Alternative solutions:

 

Virtual machine (credit: ImNewButOld). Note you will need a copy of or downloaded version of windows 7 for this to work.

1. Download VMware Workstation Player (free version), go to http://www.vmware.com/products/player/and install it
2.  Open VMware
3. Click on Create new virtual machine
4. Select load iso from disk and select a Windows 7 iso. Note: you dont need a serial, you can add it later on your own. If you dont have a Windows 7 .iso file you can download it via torrents Note: this is not illegal! You can add the serial later.
5. Change some settings for the virtual machine when installing it. Read the install carefully! I suggest you use the following settings (Disk ~30GB, RAM memory ~2GB, Cores 2). Please note that Windows 7 32bit needs at least 15GB diskspace and 64bit 20GB. When your virtual machine doesnt need more than 4GB RAM I suggest you stay on 32bit since it takes less space than 64bit. 
6. Start the installation of Windows 7 and run it, I think 99% of us have installed it once before so it isnt a problem for you ;-)
7. Your virtual machine boots up and works fine. Install an internet browser and download and install Red Alert 2 or Yuris Revenge, following the guidelines here

* Make sure you close some applications to lower the amount of RAM used on your system before starting your virtual machine. Check via crtl+alt+del.

* If you maximize the virtual machine you will notice that its very small (800x600 default). Change to resolution inside Windows 7 to the same resolution as your physical machine.  

 

Note some may experience lag when playing online. An alternative is to use dual boot and fully install an older version of windows, the process for doing this is explained here.

 

Useful link: http://xwis.net/forums/index.php/topic/176699-windows-8-trial-and-error-topic-post-your-bugs/

Edited by hardman, 02 March 2015 - 03:08 PM.