Can’t install C&C Red Alert

command-and-conquer-red-alert

I can't install C&C Red Alert, I downloaded it from Chip.de (which is the website of a respected german computer magazine), but when I try to start it (after mounting the CD ISOs with Daemon Tools) it says that the application is not supported cause it's a 16-Bit-Version or so, so what should I do? My operating system is Windows 7 64 Bit.

Best Answer

I believe that Red Alert itself is 32-bit (and so should work fine if you can get it installed), however it sounds like the installer you have is 16-bit - 16-bit code simply won't run on 64 bit operating systems.

According to this thread the game content is just dumped in a directory on the CD and so you should be able to bypass the installer by copying these to your destination directory

  1. Create a folder on your hard disk where you want to install the game.
  2. Copy the complete contents of the INSTALL folder of the game's CD (Allied or Soviet, doesn't matter which one) to that folder you made on your hard disk.

Alternatively there is an article here which describes common methods of converting 16-bit installers into 32-bit installers - depending on what sort of installer Red Alert used this method may work.

Finally you could try installing it in a virtual machine running some 32-bit OS (or possibly even DOSBox) and then copying the installation directory off your VM onto your 64-bit machine (or just run it on the VM). If there are components installed outside of the installation directory then this might not work, but its probably still worth a try.

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