Old Games and Rundll32 Problem in Windows
You may still like to play old games like Diablo, PainKiller, Unreal Tournament, etc, as they are still interesting to play. But some users get problems while playing several old games on more recent versions of Windows.
One of the problems is rundll32 problem, whose characteristic is game never shows up on the screen. But when you open Windows Task Manager, the game apparently is running and along with it there is another program named rundll32.exe. Here's a screenshot example after starting Pain Killer 2 Demo:
After searching on google, here are several ways you can try to solve this problem:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Connect PC to internet before launching the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This seems the easiest way to get the game running, but you will have to connect to internet every time you want to play.
In case no internet access available, next methods below could be alternative ways to try:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Change ServiceLocation of GameUX on Windows registry.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the steps: (Please do this VERY carefully !!!)
- Run Windows Registry Editor: Click Start menu then type: regedit, then press ENTER.
- Locate and click this path:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\GameUX\ServiceLocation
- On the right panel, you will see an item named "Games" whose value is "https://games.metaservices.microsoft.com/games/SGamesWebService.asmx".
- Right-click on the "Games", then select "Rename". Change it to another name, for example "GamesZZZ". This is a backup in case you want to use it again.
- Right-click on an empty area, select "New" then "String value", type: Games. Next, double-click that Games then type "c:\" (without quotes) in Value data field, then press ENTER.
- Close Windows Registry Editor.
- You can run the game now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Rename the game's executable file.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Right-click on the game's icon on desktop or within Windows Start menu, choose "Open file location". Windows Explorer will appear and automatically select the executable file.
- Press F2 (or right-click then choose "Rename"). Change the name, for example "Painkiller" into "Painkiller1", then press Enter.
- Now, make a new shortcut for it. Right-click on the file then select "Create shortcut". A new shortcut is then created. Select that shortcut then press CTRL+X. Next, go back to desktop (press WINDOWS+D) and then press CTRL+V. That shortcut now appears on desktop. Just double-click it to run the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Launch the game 2 times, then kill rundll32.exe in Windows Task Manager.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Run Windows Task Manager: right-click on Taskbar then choose "Start Task Manager". Click "Processes" tab.
- Launch the game 2 times (double-click the game's icon 2 times). The second launch will show the game on screen. The first launch is blocked by rundll32.
- Now go back to Windows Task Manager. Minimize the game. If the game runs fullscreen, press WINDOWS or CTRL+ESC or ALT+TAB.
- Inside Windows Task Manager, locate and select "rundll32.exe" then click "End Process".
- Go back to the game (click game's button on taskbar).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. A combination from step 4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Launch the game. (game doesn't show up yet).
- Run Windows Task Manager. Click "Processes" tab. Locate the game from the list, then click "End Process" to kill it.
- Launch the game again. (Game appears now).
- Go back to Windows Task Manager. If the game runs fullscreen, press WINDOWS or CTRL+ESC or ALT+TAB.
- Inside Windows Task Manager, locate and select "rundll32.exe" then click "End Process".
- Go back to the game (click game's button on taskbar).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Disable Gameux.dll
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Run Command Prompt as Administrator:
Click Start menu - All Programs - Accessories. Right-click on "Command Prompt" then choose "Run as administrator".
- Type: regsvr32 -u c:\windows\system32\gameux.dll
press ENTER. For Windows 64 bit users, type this:
regsvr32 -u c:\windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll
*** To enable GameUX again:
regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\gameux.dll
or for Windows 64 bit users:
regsvr32 c:\windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll
That's all. Hopefully useful for you.
One of the problems is rundll32 problem, whose characteristic is game never shows up on the screen. But when you open Windows Task Manager, the game apparently is running and along with it there is another program named rundll32.exe. Here's a screenshot example after starting Pain Killer 2 Demo:
After searching on google, here are several ways you can try to solve this problem:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Connect PC to internet before launching the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This seems the easiest way to get the game running, but you will have to connect to internet every time you want to play.
In case no internet access available, next methods below could be alternative ways to try:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Change ServiceLocation of GameUX on Windows registry.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the steps: (Please do this VERY carefully !!!)
- Run Windows Registry Editor: Click Start menu then type: regedit, then press ENTER.
- Locate and click this path:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\GameUX\ServiceLocation
- On the right panel, you will see an item named "Games" whose value is "https://games.metaservices.microsoft.com/games/SGamesWebService.asmx".
- Right-click on the "Games", then select "Rename". Change it to another name, for example "GamesZZZ". This is a backup in case you want to use it again.
- Right-click on an empty area, select "New" then "String value", type: Games. Next, double-click that Games then type "c:\" (without quotes) in Value data field, then press ENTER.
- Close Windows Registry Editor.
- You can run the game now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Rename the game's executable file.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Right-click on the game's icon on desktop or within Windows Start menu, choose "Open file location". Windows Explorer will appear and automatically select the executable file.
- Press F2 (or right-click then choose "Rename"). Change the name, for example "Painkiller" into "Painkiller1", then press Enter.
- Now, make a new shortcut for it. Right-click on the file then select "Create shortcut". A new shortcut is then created. Select that shortcut then press CTRL+X. Next, go back to desktop (press WINDOWS+D) and then press CTRL+V. That shortcut now appears on desktop. Just double-click it to run the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Launch the game 2 times, then kill rundll32.exe in Windows Task Manager.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Run Windows Task Manager: right-click on Taskbar then choose "Start Task Manager". Click "Processes" tab.
- Launch the game 2 times (double-click the game's icon 2 times). The second launch will show the game on screen. The first launch is blocked by rundll32.
- Now go back to Windows Task Manager. Minimize the game. If the game runs fullscreen, press WINDOWS or CTRL+ESC or ALT+TAB.
- Inside Windows Task Manager, locate and select "rundll32.exe" then click "End Process".
- Go back to the game (click game's button on taskbar).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. A combination from step 4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Launch the game. (game doesn't show up yet).
- Run Windows Task Manager. Click "Processes" tab. Locate the game from the list, then click "End Process" to kill it.
- Launch the game again. (Game appears now).
- Go back to Windows Task Manager. If the game runs fullscreen, press WINDOWS or CTRL+ESC or ALT+TAB.
- Inside Windows Task Manager, locate and select "rundll32.exe" then click "End Process".
- Go back to the game (click game's button on taskbar).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Disable Gameux.dll
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps:
- Run Command Prompt as Administrator:
Click Start menu - All Programs - Accessories. Right-click on "Command Prompt" then choose "Run as administrator".
- Type: regsvr32 -u c:\windows\system32\gameux.dll
press ENTER. For Windows 64 bit users, type this:
regsvr32 -u c:\windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll
*** To enable GameUX again:
regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\gameux.dll
or for Windows 64 bit users:
regsvr32 c:\windows\SysWOW64\gameux.dll
That's all. Hopefully useful for you.
Comments
Post a Comment