Oops, forgot one thing. Is the problem that the installers are literally 64 bit? Would it be that much of a problem to make it 32 compatible? If it's worth it.

watcher13,

Hi Watcher, sorry to hear about your computer woes. Are you still using XP becasue your old machine is too old to run newer operating systems, or is is a hard drive space issue; just curious?

Nice to see you still around.

watcher13, I also still use WinXP on my desktop (dare I admit that it still dual-boots with Win98SE...!) because I have a Win10 laptop as well and wanted to keep XP because I still enjoy using it, especially for all my older games (and Win98SE for REALLY older games). And I have the same problem as you sometimes, installing software from GOTD that is stated to be XP compatible. The problem in this and similar cases may be that the compiler used to create the setup program is later than XP can handle, eg. if it was compiled using NET 4.5. So the message doesn't necessarily mean it's x64 only.

And sometimes you will find (particularly with a lot of Toomky games) that the installation runs fine but the installed program throws up the error, which means that although the installer was created with an XP compatible compiler, the actual .exe file that runs the program was not.

Such is the lot of we XP dinosaurs...! It's just a shame that whoever creates these installations for GOTD obviously doesn't test them on XP before including it in the system requirements, even though the original game or program does run on XP.

Howwwwdy Whabbit! :D I'd like to convert to Linux. I've got a hard drive with Mint 17 Cinnamon on it, for 1 option, but this bios is so old that it doesn't recognize the drive size! *rollseyes* Was going to resize, but this thing is running so badly that I'm afraid that it might fail and muck up the drive. Same issue if I wipe an old, smaller drive. Runs so slow now, that I can't run hardly play any game's that I install or had installed before. Took me about 6 months of thrashing around to start to suspect it's the ancient CPU. It's either 1. I had a power supply that burned out (fortunately had another) but I'm suspecting that maybe it set a throttling flag. The simplest task - except downloading, lol, drives the CPU to 100%. I partly suspect it may be throttled because, even at full bore, it doesn't generate much heat. So I'm trying to find software to check for, and hopefully, remove any throttle commands. Or 2. I've read Celerons don't age well, so this one may be well beyond the expiration date!
I've got a bunch of old machines that need repaired, and I'm an ex-military electronics guy, a communications guy like you, and I'm pretty hard headed about it. A machine I can't fix is a lesson I haven't learned, but this one is about a lost cause. Practically all the others need parts, and I would like to have at least 2, 1 as a backup, and maybe I'd use that 1 to archive things off the TV. I definitely want to station an archiver by the TV. I have a large collection of documentaries and music programs already on video tape. I'd like to archive those with that machine. VCRs and tapes are getting harder and harder to find, and are obsolete quality wise, anyway. I have a decent capture card, if I could get one of the machines that can utilize it working. But, like I said before, I'm almost an obsessive researcher, not usually an impulse buyer, and this molasses machine means that things that should take seconds often take minutes. And it hangs a lot! And I need to get a new phone, a new auto, new cabinetry for my apartment, maybe take a last crack at a short career as I become a senior citizen, work on accessing some free - and some very low cost - classical music sources I know of (not to mention a free game site I seem to have heard of. `;) ), and on, and on.
Much more than you wanted to know I'm sure! *laugh* With all that, I'm only working on this problem sporadically. My real problem is that all my life I've wanted to be a Renaissance Man, but we live in a world of specialists. Meaning, I've got sooooooooo many interests that I sometimes flit around between them like a butterfly! Oh well, rather have too little time in a day than have days that are so boring that they seem interminable! That will NEVER be MY problem. :P
BTW, I'm sorry, I don't manage to come everyday. Has the bunny babysitting problem improved? Or are condolences in order? Hope not, but you have them from me if the unfortunate has happened. :(

watcher13, hi .
I am exactly were you are with the problems installing the weekday
games .
I get the same error as you do .

The only difference between you and me, (about using Windows XP) ,
is that I choose to use Windows XP .
In fact I am like a stubborn mule that refuses to move .... :-)
I refuse to abandon Windows XP .

About the weekend games almost never had a problem ( 99% ) .
When a problem occur , I boot from my Windows 7 installation ,
install the game , boot back to Windows XP and play the game .
Until now never had a problem with that trick .
The 64bit installer is truly a problem that I would love to see it fixed

I've never used the trick with itch.io , so I can't say anything about it .
On the other hand whenever a game needs Windows 7 to work , here
at GameGOTD is the same case at the itch.io page of the game .
I've never have seen different specs at the itch.io page of the game .
But I am not visiting itch.io as I 've used to .

As for the functionality of the "antiquated" Windows XP , the only
problem that I have is that I can't find a decent , functional Browser ....

I have 5 of them and no one is working 100% .
I have to switch between 2 or 3 of them to get the job done .
I am so angry that I'm seriously thinking to throw Windows out of the
window and go Linux ...

I don't think that this would be much of a problem
All I do with my PC is Internet Surfing and play games .
Linux has excellent emulators that I can use to install and play most
if not all of my games ...
So...there you have it ...


P.S. I wish you good luck with your online search .

JEDIGEG, which browsers are you using? I used MyPal for a while after Firefox stopped XP updates, and it worked ok apart from having to repeatedly try to load some pages, but it recently stopped being developed too. So I tried K-Meleon Goanna which I really liked but there were some page glitches, and I then discovered Serpent, which I haven't had any problems with so far, especially after using the FoxPep preferences patch, so I highly recommend it. If you do a search for "skipster - Getting updates and software for Old Windows versions" you'll find a really handy resource.

Thanks Min! I should have thought of NET 4.5. Doh! I'd say that's highly likely the issue. Glad you said something, because that was part of the reason I've posted on this. Since I'm not keeping XP voluntarily - though I certainly don't hate it - it's not really fair for me to complain about it. But I was wondering if GGOTD may be missing a small but significant amount of potential downloads from those who do love it.

I've never had any problems with a weekend download. I've been unnaturally lucky that way. But practically nothing works on the weekdays, which, of course, have a different installer. As you no doubt realize, it's the setup program which my system can't handle, and I think you divined the reason. The one thing that I don't understand is why a different installer is even used on the weekdays, since the system used on the weekends has worked fine for years. Why not just use that installer? Hopefully GGOTD will consider that.

JEDIGEG, well, that was mainly why I said that GGOTD might want to look at this problem, because some are still championing XP. Of course, to be fair, you can always boot to 7 when you have an issue. I prefer 7 myself, but I'll likely go the Linux route. The issue isn't really whether some should leave XP, it's that Microsoft left it behind many years ago. As they did 7, for that matter. It's like with a vintage auto. Sooner or later you run out of replacement parts for a fix. Then you do without, fabricate, or move on. But, eventually, they're may be a point of no return. More importantly, most software developers move on. Browsers are a case in point. I'm having the same issues as you. As to the browser, see below, as I have a response for Min, too. And I believe Min above has identified the mostly likely real problem with the installer. Thanks for the reply!

Or Min ABOVE on browsers, JED, as the case may be. LOL. Seems that these posts are moving around on me, depending on what browser I'm using. :P

Min, thanks alot for that. Am traveling in the same boat. Will give Serpent a look. I, too, got good use out of MyPal. It wasn't perfect for me, but it got the job done. A real shame about it's development stopping. It borrowed code from Palemoon, though the code was public and publicly available. Some, or maybe only someone at Palemoon, frankly in a fit of pique imo, used an obscure point on attribution of code source - one in which it's debatable that the MyPal developer even violated - to pressure the MyPal developer to stop. Shame on Palemoon! They had stopped developing for XP at least a couple of years ago, so what possible harm was the MyPal developer doing? But, if it weren't for childish ego, the world would be a lot closer to a paradise. Attribution is important, but looking at this developer's complaint against MyPal it seemed like a web of tissue paper. Even if there was a violation, it just seemed a misunderstanding - the MyPal developer is an English is a second language speaker and the complaintant speaks fluid, even occasionally convoluted English, and it didn't seem that this "violation" would likely encourage a flood of code pilfering. And, frankly, those who pilfer code don't even pay attention to the ethics of it! IMO, the whole thing was a tempest in a teapot, but it resulted in a good piece of software being lost.
K-Meleon is a good project, but I see it more as a hobby for developers. Made to faciltate the development of writing your own scripts/modules that act like extensions. Which is fine. And these hobbyists make those available for others, to their credit. But as I see it as not the kind of browser for those who are uncomfortable customizing or peeking under the hood (or bonnet, if your from the east side of the Atlantic. :) ) And I have found it glitchy also, and somewhat crashy, but that could also be related to my struggling CPU.
Part of the problem with abandoned browsers - and OS's! - is not just the security updates, but the lack of scripting updates. Unfortunately, the many years that the internet community have embraced the mediocre - and significantly vulnerable - java scripting means that everytime someone writes a new java script, you run into the potential problem that the browser, and/or, the "virtual machine" module(s) in your Windows (your no longer updated XP, Vista, 7 Windows) can't handle the script and a page function, or even a whole page, will "break". What many do, to the often apoplectic frustration of others, is install the significantly security vulnerable Java package - which isn't the same as java script, but contains the latest Java tools to handle those scripts. But for XP users it's moot. The Java package is no longer updated for XP. So, an out of development browser will get glitchier and glitchier by default.
Please forgive all of that opinionated verbiage, but I do have something useful to contribute. I know of 1 other XP browser, Otter. An attempt to bring back the original version of Opera when it was using the QT engine. Somewhat crude, but has potential, and more polished in some ways than K-Meleon. Not specifically for XP. Does regular update frequently on the current OS's, but only an XP update every few months. The front page is just a version history. You need to put XP into a search on that page and it will take you to the latest XP zip package. Latest was last month (I need to update, :P ). Not sure auto update will work with it, because it's not part of the main development. Had it off, need to experiment. If not, you'll have to check back on their homepage, say, once a quarter. XP package is only a portable - the others will not install on XP from what I can gather. I love portables! Really, that only means you unpack it where you want - Program Files, Shared Documents, My Documents - I made a seperate Portables folder in Shared - wherever you want, and make a shortcut for your desktop. You get a new package, you can make a new folder, and jettison the old 1 when you find that the new one works and isn't glitchier, or just unpack it into your original destination and it will overright the files. You can still download the old 1 again if the new one's not up to snuff, or save the old zip for awhile. Main flaw is no add-on development by anyone, though it does have a built-in adblocker - don't think it works if you don't select lists though, it has no default lists - and a scripting module as the only thing under add-ons. No access under the hood or to replace that scripting module, so you've got to hope bugs fixed on the next update. Developer seems a bit overwhelmed in his version histories, lost of issues listed. Went to his page now with the 1 version out of date browser from the fall and got a certificate is out of date security error. Same with the download page on SourceForge. (Don't worry, problem is in the browser and may be corrected in the latest version). May not be getting enough help from the community, but you could say that about K-Meleon - which is community based - too. Hope at least this last paragraph helps, folks. Thanks again for Serpent suggestion, Min.

JED/Min, one more post that will hopefully be useful. Min, that Skipster site is VERY interesting. And pertinent to the game site, too, as it has more than 1 link to old game archives and emulators farther down the page from the browsers. Thanks! JED, you should check it out. That site also has ways to get any updates you may have missed on XP/Vista/7 and a lot of other useful stuff for older OS's. Not only does it have a link to the that Serpent browser mentioned, but that developer, Roytam1 seems to have a fetish about compiling/building on/debugging browser code for XP. His latest blog post has a new build on Pale Moon 27.1 - he calls that fork New Moon - but on the Jan. 8 weekly blog post he has the latest builds/debugs on Serpent, K-Meleon-Goanna, IceApe, which is a suite (Mail, Composer, so on) based on SeaMonkey, the browser that I'm typing this on, but on which XP development has stopped. It's a suite because SeaMonkey is based on the Grandaddy of all browsers, Netscape (or at least the spiritual Grandaddy). Even work on an old version of Firefox. Also on Jan. 8 is a build based on a newer Palemoon, 28.1. Not sure why he/she went back to 27.1, maybe 28.1 is still beta. Like I said, they're a serial builder/compiler/debugger. Have downloaded all but the old rebuild of Firefox - I'm not sure whether that should be considered and absolete so have 4 new browsers to try. He/She calls it Serpent, btw to avoid confusion, though the name of the file says Basilisk, the New Moon files list the Pale Moon version, and he/she refers to the files marked IceApe as HBL-UXP, the name of the developer's project he's compiling/debugging. There's also an IceDove, but that's the mail only client of that SeaMonkey fork. BTW, the latest K-Meleon just came out on the 5th on their site, and Roytam did some kind of release of his/her own on the blog on the 8th.

Perhaps even better news: I went back to review the Pale Moon/MyPal controversy, to see if I was being unfair to the Pale Moon guy. Maybe a little, but he was asking for a specific type of notification but not spelling it out for the MyPal guy. Seems more picky/peavish than anything. Looks like he just wanted an excuse to pull out his franchise permission and get rid of the guy. Looks like this Roytam1 developer has not run afoul of Pale Moon.

But, that better news is: The MyPal guy says he'll be back! He's developing another fork of MyPal based on Firefox 68-78. He even has a screenshot of the new browser on his old download page, so maybe soon! Hope this helps JED/Min. Pale Moon, btw, has a number of extensions/add-ons available.

Oops! Roytam1 IS the official release developer of the latest K-Meleon-Goanna version. So, taking it from his blog is ok. The date difference seems only because his weekly date is the same every week but the K-Meleon homepage has the original date. Only 3 days different, so likely the same file.

Min, hi .
Over the last few years I've used :

Safari - Not working any more .

Slimjet - barely works with a lot of crashes .

Opera - Worked fine but the in last few months it crashes every 2 minutes .

Yandex - I had it installed for a week , it worked just fine and suddenly the developers
stopped supporting Windows Xp .
I still use it , but it crashes very often .
At least I can still use Messenger ... kinda ...
I still can't type anything on Messenger , but I can write a message in notepad and
then copy - paste it into Messenger ...
Also it plays videos , music , loads almost all the pages and the pictures in them ...
It's not ideal but it is something loosely functional ...

Firefox - My default browser for many years , but now refuses to load some pages , to play
video or load pictures , does not load Messenger properly or even let me type a message ,
just to mention a few of the problems ...

MyPal - My last discovery but after a few weeks of happiness it stopped being developed ...
Nowdays I can't even find any add-ons for it .

I've also downloaded Epic Privacy Browser , Brave , UC , and Falcon but never came around
to install them .
I am really tired of the procedure of trying and failing again and again .
Maybe in a few days I will have the energy to give them a try ...
I will also try Serpent .
Thanks for the info .

watcher13, hi .
Your last 3 comments , 2 large 1 small , just appeared on my monitor after a page refresh .
I've just posted a message to Min .
Thank you very much for all the very helpful info .
I'll have my hands full for weeks ... :-)

smurf,
Thanks Smurf;

p.s.

I was going to add the link to the previous time this was given away once I'd played it. My initial post was just a mash of information readily availabe online (mainly from Steam).

Whiterabbit-uk,

Other Free Games:
For other free games, please check Delenn's threads over in the giveaway forums HERE (non Steam games) and HERE (Steam games) for the latest freebies; it's kept up to date frequently, whenever a free game becomes available, (thanks for keeping this up to date Delenn, very much appreciated).

Also for the latest Steam sales check THIS Steam database site out. You can list the games in 'price' & 'percentage off' by clicking the headers. If you link SteamDB with your Steam account, all games that you already have will be highlighted in green and those in blue are on your wish list. When there are Steam games being given away, you'll see the percentage off as 100%. It's worth checking this regularly to make sure you don't miss the best deals and freebies. Delenn usually posts links to all free games within several hours of them going live, so check her links at the top of this comment as well.

Don't forget to check Indie Gala's freebie section HERE, then click on the Showcase header, selecting freebies from the drop down menu; the most recent additions include:

1) ... The Last Enchantress: Revival, (choice-based fantasy game, contains adult themes and not suitable for children)

2) ... Revolution Ace (now removed)

3) ... Avani: The Primal Land (Explore, gather, learn, craft and build in the world of Avani: The Primal Land. Fight, hunt and tame wild animals. Animals have their own genetics and no animal is like the other. The interactive taming process allows making a real bond with each tame. Avani offers a unique crafting system combined with a huge skill tree and an intuitive building system mixed with traditional survival game elements)

4) ... Cov Shooter (Try to survive as many waves as possible, upgrade your stats and weapons to do that)

5) ... WTC : Relentless Protagonist [Sxs}, (a short mostly KINETIC comedy/drama visual novel)

6) ... Pixel Puzzles 2: Space, (jigsaw puzzle)

7) ... Out of Puberty: Chapter 1 (graphic novel, contains adult themes and not suitable for children)

8) ... Neon Invasion Earth, (space invaders)

9) ... Figment (A musical action-adventure set in the recesses of the human mind)

The following (previously) free games have now been removed from the free library: Six Sides of the World, Byte Family, Alone on Mars, Garfield Kart, Nostradamus the Last Prophecy, Snowball, Pixel Puzzles 2: Christmas , Die Young (Full version), Distortions, Dino Run DX, Cheap Golf, Kill Em All, Dead Hungry Diner, and Contract with the Devil. All remaining freebies can be found in the showcase section (113 games are available). Not all games that go into the showcase remain free and are removed after a short period; so, you should grab them as soon as you can.

This is your last chance to get the latest Epic freebie, called Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair; it's a brand-new platform adventure from some of the key creative talent behind 'Donkey Kong Country'. With their arch-nemesis Capital B up to no good the buddy duo needs to spring into action once again to save the day!


From tomorrow afternoon (4pm UK/11am Eastern) the 10th February we will be getting Windbound - Shipwrecked alone on an uncharted island, explore, adapt and navigate the land and perilous seas to stay alive. As Kara, you are a warrior, caught at sea in a fierce storm, adrift from your tribe. Thrown from your boat, at the mercy of the turbulent waters, you are tossed on to the shores of the Forbidden Islands, a mysterious paradise.

The best Indie Bundles sites that have been operating from around 2011 are the Humble Bundle and Indie Gala sites (though the latter isn't as good as it used to be) where you'll sometimes find decent bundles with over 90% off the usual price of the games included in the bundles. The Humble site is in my opinion the best; though a more recent addition that is worth checking out called Fanatical games looks to be a serious contender for that title as they have some very good bundles. You can find Fanatical games (that used to be called Bundle stars) HERE.

I've restarted a project I originally started back in 2008 that used to be called Good Games to Grab, where I posted free games over in the forums on a daily basis. I won't be posting them daily this time; only as and when I have time and the inclination. You can find the new forum section entitled 'Free Game Project' HERE

So far I've posted eight excellent PC games, plus one android game as well as suggested or linked to others similar to the ones posted i.e.

1) ... Hidden & Dangerous Deluxe (a squad based solo shooter)
2) ... Battlegroup 44 (a free standing mod for Battlefield 2 that is a follow up to the original Battlefield 1942)
3) ... Slam Tilt (an excellent pinball game with four tables)
4) ... 3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night, (one of my all time favorite pinball games from the mid 90's).
5} ... Breakquest (one of my all time top ten 2D breakouts)
6) ... Messy Paths (an android game)
7) ... Castlevania The Lecarde Chronicles (fan made free standing Castelvania game)
8) ... Conflict Vietnam (third person squad based shooter)
9) ... Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2006 Trophy Season (a linear hunting game)

I'll be adding over the coming weeks.

Black And White Apocalypse that was given away some weeks ago by the developer hammergames is always free and can also be downloaded as a colour version. The community member Space pointed this out at the time. You can find both versions over on itch.io via the following links. Black & White version, and Coloured version. :)

You can also find 'all nine' of the developers games (for free) HERE. Some of them look like they are worth investigating. :)

The latest Humble Choice bundle went live on Tuesday and includes eight games plus one dLC pack; i.e. Borderlands 3 with the directors cut DLC included, Black Book, Per Aspera, Just Die Already, Before We leave, Paradise Lost, Everhood and Calico. For original Humble Bundle subscribers the cost is $12/£8.99 with other benefits such as access to a lot of indie titles for free while subscribed and a percentage off other purchases from the Humble store. This increases the longer you keep subscribed up to a year with 20% off all none bundle purchases. (1 month sub' gives 10% off, 3 months sub' gives 15% off and six months sub'gives 17% off)

The latest Humble Bundle called **** Cancer, that costs a minimum of £7.40 (would normally cost you almost £207) includes a fantastic mix of AAA and substantial indie arcade games. Every penny goes to cancer research. The bundle includes World War Z: Aftermath, Dead by Daylight, Payday 2, Magika, Dungeon of the Endless, theHunter: Call of the Wild, Homeworld Remastered Collection, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Little Nightmares, Brothers _ A Tale of two Sons, Peppy's Adventure, Red Faction Armageddon, Hamiltons Great Adventure. You can find details of the bundle that ends Friday 18th February HERE.


If you have Amazon Prime, the February games are now available. You can get Stellaris on GOG for free. Visit Prime Gaming for details.

Stay safe everyone.