# Final Fantasy 7 on PC + XP Patch



## NeoBix (Mar 20, 2006)

Ok well I bought FF7 and FF8 (PC Versions) off ebay and I just got them today.

So I go ahead and pop the FF7 install disc into my drive and install it and everything seems to be going smooth. But then after I install it and I try to actually play the game, it seems like the game is going to start up but then a completely black screen pops up. Nothing at all, just totally BLACK. So I ALT+TAB out of the black screen and it takes me to my desktop. The name of the black screen window says FF7 - DEFAULT in all caps, so I'm not really sure what to make of this. 

Then I hop on google and find out that there is a Windows XP patch for FF7. I download the FF7 v1.04 patch (which is supposedly the latest and greatest one) for Windows XP and install it and then yet again I try to play FF7, and guess what... it does the EXACT SAME THING!!!

This is extremely frustrating in light of the fact that FF7 is one of my favorite games of all time and now I cannot even play it! Not to mention I dished out some not-so-reasonable bucks to buy the damn thing. I lost my PlayStation copy of the game a loooong time ago and I was hoping this PC version would work for me and I could enjoy the game that I fell in love with all those years ago (like 10 years ago I think???).

If anyone has had any experience with the PC version of FF7 or has experienced problems similar to the ones I've had with the game and you think you might be able to help me out here, I would SOOOO very much appreciate it.

Thanks guys.


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

I thought I saw FF7 for PS on ebay for like $40... 

Anyways, since it's an OLDDDDDD game, have you tried playing the game in Windows 98 Compatibility Mode?


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## NeoBix (Mar 20, 2006)

Hrmmm... how do I put my computer into Windows 98 compatability mode? Please tell me!! I want to try it!!


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

Right click on the shortcut to the game (or go to the .exe file in the game directory) and click properties. Go to the Compatibility Mode tab. Check the Run Program As and select Windows 98/ME.

Usually older games (5-10 years) will need the compatibility mode. If it does not work, we do have a few members that play FF7 on their PCs. They may have a solution.

OOI, are you running Windows XP with Service Pack 2?


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## bkatz540 (Oct 23, 2003)

Yeah, I used to play this game on my PC and I believe I had the exact same problem as you. I found out that I needed some directshow drivers for some reason, and they were included on the install cd. O_O Install them at your own risk, because they could be pretty old, but it worked for me when I played it. I would say back up your computer first. :up:


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## fenixxor (Jul 20, 2007)

I have the exact same problem and no, using compatability mode doesnt help - any tips?


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## pollocknicity2 (Jul 10, 2007)

Don't know if this will help, but it did on my machine (I run Windows XP home SP2 on my laptop). After I installed FF7, I had a hell of a time getting it to run. At first, all I got was a black screen, so I uninstalled and reinstalled. After that, I could actually get into the game, but I had no control, no matter what I did, even after I dled and installed the patch. (I found out that running FF7 on XP is sketchy to start with, and it's supposedly impossible to do at all on a laptop, but I got it running just fine on my laptop, and I've almost beat the game now.) 

Anyway, what I wound up doing was burning .iso files of all 4 disks and saving them to my HD. I got Daemon tools, which lets you mount .iso files as a separate drive. I uninstalled everything (again), then mounted the install .iso file and installed it from there, not from the CD. I know, it sounds kind of strange, but it worked. Before I even tried to play the game, I installed the patch, made sure all my drivers were up to date, and set the compatibility mode for FF7 to Windows 98. Simply running the game from my .iso files seemed to do the trick. I still ran across one glitch that caused the game to crash (when Cloud first goes into the basement of the mansion in Niebleheim), but the part that caused the crash was not essential to playing the game, so after a few tries, I just went ahead with the game without picking up the materia from the basement of the mansion.

There was one other glitch I ran across. Once I was allowed back into the Golden Saucer (when I went to race my own chocobos), the game would stall and crash at the start of the chocobo races. I uninstalled the patch, and it works perfectly now. So you may need to try uninstalling/reinstalling both the game and the patch at various points. Just remember -- if you have a game going, copy the saved game to your desktop (or wherever you want) before you uninstall/reinstall, and you'll be able to pick up where you left off no matter what you do.


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