Windows Vista Freecell - which file or files?

I want to grab Freecell from a Vista laptop and run it elsewhere, ie, on another computer running Windows 7.

Can someone tell me which files are required? Obviously, freecell.exe will be needed, but that file isn't enough - I know because I've tried it. Nothing happens.

I've done this same exercise with Freecell from XP, and it runs OK in W7. In fact, it runs perfectly well from a folder on a memory stuck plugged into W7. The files in that folder are:
freecell.exe
freecell.hlp
freecell.chm
cards.dll
The help files probably aren't necessary, but they're there and they don't hinder gameplay.

So, anyone able to advise on the Vista files? BTW, I've done a search on the Vista machine for cards.dll but it doesn't exist. There must be something else that's doing the donkey work.

Thanks for reading

 

I may be suggesting the same thing, just in different words, but find the Games folder in the Vista machine and copy that entire folder to the other machine. See if that works.

In my Win7 system, the Games folder is in C:\Users\myname\AppData ... folder.

 

Point well taken. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Evan Omo, thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately, the method described on the linked website doesn't work for Windows 7 (Mine is 64bit, if that makes any difference).

First thing I tried was to run Vista Freecell on a memory stick plugged into W7. As I said, I was able to do this with XP's Freecell, and I was curious to see if it would work. It didn't. Perhaps there's some sort of clash with W7's Freecell, which I'd previously enabled with the Search\OptionalFeatures tweak. Also, cards.dll already existed in W7's system32 folder.

Then I tried copying Vista's Microsoft Games folder to W7's C\Progs\x86 and modifying the hex values as detailed on the webpage, but all that happened when I tried to run Vista Freecell was that W7's Freecell opened.

So, dunno what's occurring. It's no BFD - I quite liked the style of Vista's Freecell and thought it would be nice to have as an option but it's evidently not to be

Cheers

 

I play Free Cell in Win 7 and it was the same Free Cell as was in XP. It is one of the default games in Win 7 as it was in XP.

 

Actually, MrBill, the two versions are very different. The XP executable is 54k in size and uses cards.dll, which is 350k. The W7 executable is 829k and uses cardgames.dll, which is 5.92mb in size. The gameplay might look similar, but the graphics of the XP version are much less sophisticated.

Re the Vista version, it's different again. Which is why I'm interested in getting it to run outside of the Vista system.

 

Looks the same to me and the end results are exactly the same. You win some and you loose some.

 

Evan Omo, I didn't say I wanted to replace W7's FreeCell with Vista's. I'd just like to run the Vista version outside of the Vista operating system, like from a memory stick in any computer, or installed alongside the W7 version.

So let's say I'm in W7 and I get a hankering to play FreeCell. I can play the XP version, the Vista version, or the W7 version (which are ALL different).

Why? Because I want to. All of us use our computers for different things. There's no accounting for tastes. Or logic. I might as well ask you why you're using Word 2013 (if you are, of course), when Word 2003 is so much simpler.

But seriously, once I found I could run the XP version from a memory stick, regardless of whether the stick is plugged into an XP, Vista or W7 system (or W8 for all I know), then I want to know why I can't do the same with the Vista version.

In actual fact, I suspect it's because the XP version is so basic, that it'll run slaved in any system, while the Vista game is almost as sophisticated as W7's.

 

Thanks Evan Omo, but it's the same thing - how to get Vista and W7 games running in W8.

Obviously aimed at those unfortunate folk who bought Vista MKII because they can't help thinking that if an operating system is newer, it must be better.

Ah well, Paul Allen's got to maintain his fleet of yachts somehow, I guess

 

I had a friend give me an old machine a while back with Vista. Nothing wrong with it. I know that it didn't last long but never seen many complaints about it.

 

This may be a ridiculous suggestion, but once you have all the requires Vista FreeCell files in a folder on the USB, have you tried right-clicking the '.exe' file, going to the compatibility tab, and checking the box to run in compatibility mode?

From the dropdown you would choose the Vista option.

Just a thought.

 

No problems, Evan Omo. It was really only an academic exercise. I'll mark the thread as 'Resolved'.

BTW, for anyone who wants to exercise ultimate control over their Vista or W7 FreeCell games, check out this website:

Code:

http://www.askvg.com/enable-hidden-secret-debug-menu-in-microsoft-freecell-game-in-windows-7/#comment-2059686 

masterroming, just found your post. Thanks but it doesn't work.