Ok, long read.
I have a copy of Chess Master 5500 I picked up in some random store in my travels. Before I installed it, I told WinXP to run the setup program in compatibility mode for Win95. during install it said there is a version conflict with some dll's odbcint.dll and odbccp32.dll. So in an attempt to be clever, I renamed the above and set the extension to 'crashnow' on both files. I no longer see this error when installing. (I also am unable to reset the files to the originals while windows is running, but I can get around that if I have to) I have not attempted to reboot my machine since my stroke of brilliance, I'm not sure I want to.
After installing, I set every file in the directory (that XP allowed me to) to run in compatibility mode for Win95. After the program loads, I see this error, and have seen it even before my foolish attempt at compatibility. cannot load SMARTBRD.VXD
I have done some research on the problem, and clearly the manufacturer of the game not only will not provide support, they blatantly refuse to do so. I have found forum after forum that says, I have a new coaster for my desktop. now, I've seen some very creative solutions to problems on this forum. This is by far one of the most challenging questions you may ever see in here.
My question is, how do I get Chess Master 5500 to run under windows XP, Without having to purchase any other software to make it work? (this includes shareware, trial software etc.) I'm on a fixed income, and I can't afford it.
I'm fairly computer literate, and I am willing to try anything as long as it doesn't turn my machine into a paperweight.
Ready, set, Think!
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