QEMU A Simple & Instant Windows XP Mode to Retro Gaming in 5 Mins

Featuring:
The Sims Complete Edition by EA/Maxis (2000 - 2005)
fr-014: debris by Farbrausch demoscene
Courtesy of Microsoft for providing Windows XP Mode in Windows Virtual PC on Windows 7 SP1, this basically offered a FREE and legit copy of Windows XP for the businesses or personnel who couldn't give up Windows XP. This was a message loud & clear that Virtualization would be the path of way to legacy Windows software compatibility in future.
For those who already owned any versions of Windows 7 and downloaded the updates for Windows Virtual PC, "VirtualXPVHD" can be extracted from the packages which include the sysprep OS image of Windows XP SP3, IE 6.0 SP1, Windows Media 9 and security updates for best compatibility without going too far into later Windows Updates that broke compatibility. While direct Microsoft Download for Windows Virtual PC and XP mode are no longer available, the content has been archived. Google is your BEST friend.
The EULA permits the use of software on (“Workstation Computer”), that contains a licensed copy of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate edition. Leveraging the legal extrapolation of Microsoft offered FREE upgrade on Windows 7 to 10 and finally Windows 11, I guess it will be fine for anyone already paid for any versions of Windows 10/11 on modern PC/laptops, not to mention having it for FUNs and Retro Gaming that keep the Windows ecosystem alive.😁 Do check with your lawyers though if in doubts.😁
For the convenience of Windows XP Mode, it alleviated the process of getting up Windows XP virtual machines without going through the FULL installation. Just ONE simple QEMU command line to bring back the nostalgia of Good Old Games, just rip the CDs, install & play right into any modern PC/laptops. While Windows Virtual PC had long been retired and without Windows 10/11 support, QEMU featuring qemu-3dfx is instrumental in reliving Windows XP Mode on any modern PC/laptops. It is even far better than Windows Virtual PC that had NO 3D support. QEMU featuring qemu-3dfx brings TRUE 3D acceleration and the performance of modern Virtualization into many Windows games that require them. For whatever "Trash"Boxes and "JUNK_PC"em, XP gaming, despite well over 20+ years, remains "Out-of-Reach" for such *\*RETARDED\** minds surrounding the *\*Accuracy BS\** in PC emulation.
For Guide & Details on extracting "VirtualXPVHD", check out the following video at • Get Sims 1 to play on ...

[@tomnicist]

Wonderful work, Farbrausch created really beautifully coded demos. Can I ask you if you can try a particular Tennis Game next with Qemu? It is Top Spin for PC, 2004. Modern nVidia Gpus produces missing polygons and "monster players" during Career mode, everything's fine with an AMD Gpus but I cannot find the culprit for these graphics issues, maybe old shaders incompatibilities? This happens both with the installed game within Win10/Win11 real hosts and with the latest compiled Qemu-3dfx with a clean WinXP guest installation.

[@qemu-3dfx]

You've got outdated WineD3D DLLs. Despite missing an entry in Wine AppDB, Top Spin (Windows, 2004) by Atari turns out superbly great for QEMU featuring qemu-3dfx on any modern GPUs from Intel, AMD and NVIDIA. If you forego the patch #1 update that brought SecurROM DRM, the game even works right out-of-box in pristine condition from install to play. Despite its README called for DirectX 9.0c, the game actually uses D3D8. Being D3D8, there were several obsolete "quirks" that perhaps didn't make into modern GPUs. The issues of missing polygons and "monster players" in Career mode character generation seemed to be the results of such D3D8 "quirks". Importing wine-staging patches for Indexed Vertex Blending and SWVP-shaders solved the problem for "Bring-Your-Own-WineD3D".🤣 These patches re-implement the D3D8 "quirks" with ARB_uniform_buffer_object in OpenGL. Older GPUs with less mature OpenGL implementation may have troubles with it, but it can't be an issue nowadays. Unfortunately, 3DMarks were too good at adhering to DirectX standard practices that none of the Direct3D "quirks" could actually make an exhibition by running the benchmarks. They made out the scenario that some GPUs were only good at running 3DMarks.

[@tomnicist]

@@qemu-3dfx so I need to compile a my-own-personalized staging version of wined3d.dll using these two patches: Indexed Vertex Blending and SWVP-shaders. Very easy in words... :( Thanks for your hot clarification

[@qemu-3dfx]

You're very welcome.😁Oh, you just said you have the latest compiled qemu-3dfx, so I presumed it was easy for you to get WineD3D DLLs, too, or were it not?!!🫣 Anyway, there is always an easy way out, you know.... you could have figured it out😁. At least, the words are TRUTHs rather than the deceiving **\*Accuracy BS\*** from the "other camp". Top Spin is not the only D3D8 games that suffered this, many do, some just suffer minor render glitches while some are so badly broken in graphics render that the games become unplayable. Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza (2002) and Age of Mythology (2002) are examples of unplayable ones, while Konami Shadow of Memories (2002) has minor render glitches that don't affect the gameplay. Unreal II: The Awakening (2003) detailed models at HIGH has the same issues. MEDIUM, which is the default, is fine.

[@tomnicist]

@@qemu-3dfx I could get wined3d.dll from the qemu-3dfx vm extensions cd, the only compiled "by myself" libraries are OpenGL32.dll and the variuos Glide incarnations. I'll try a way out by myself, it shouldn't be so hard, I hope ;) 86Box or PCem cannot even work in emulating TnL generation GPUs, so the ones with programmable Pixel / Vertex Shader generation are totally out of discussion. Xbox emulator goes in game but drawing routines are not mature yet, I speak both about CXBX and Xemu. PS2 version works nicely but it is not as nice as the PC or Xbox version. I'll write here if I'll succeed. Thanks again for your suggestions

[@qemu-3dfx]

😁Oh, you got to love that gift from 💲_Heaven_💲, didn't you?!!😁 Have great FUNs in the journey of FOSS. Otherwise, you may also consider offering voluntary internship at CodeWeavers in upcoming Summer/Winter breaks. PS2 console emulation isn't so bad, especially for Apple "silly"con macOS. PCem is presumed 0xDEAD🤣 while 86Box awaiting the era of Super Quantum computing to unleash its full potentials🤣... perhaps you also want to try out VMware/VirtualBox and may you find peace in one of them. GOOD LUCK!

[@HughOBrien]

You forgot to make a big deal about how tiny the debris exe is :)

[@qemu-3dfx]

Silence is a virtue, sometimes...🤣🤣It's BIG enough of a deal slapped in humiliation on those worship the **\*RETARDED\*** and **\*STUPIDITY\*** of **\*Accuracy BS\*** in PC emulation that couldn't even manage such tiny demoscene in high fidelity rendered graphics & audio on liquid-cooled and overclocked 125W TDP Core i9 or Ryzen 9.

[@jeganathanv4173]

I am sorry can you make this project free??? I live in India and the prices in rupees is huge! Please make this as a free option!!!

[@qemu-3dfx]

If you aren't RETARDED, then think again before putting up such question and excuses. A "free" option has always been there for FOSS.

[@jeganathanv4173]

@@qemu-3dfx Well then if you are like this itself I don't know what to do with you. Don be an asshole outside the public you idiot.

[@jeganathanv4173]

​@@qemu-3dfxI don't what to do with you man. You are being too selfish if I ask you anything. And you deleted my comment. If want us to enjoy good old games, make it free then. AND ALSO I AM NOT A RETARD.

[@qemu-3dfx]

I still read all your comments. Unfortunately, if your comments employed words forbidden by KZbin A.I. then there was nothing I could do. You need to outsmart the A.I. Let me try this if it works. If you weren't a PARIAH, then you could have respected developer's hard work and the values of software. I suggest that you check out GOG, they made certain games FREE from time to time.

[@Somethingfs-sx1ft]

@@qemu-3dfxwell nothing is free, everything has a price even time