Has anyone managed to find a way to patch this game to version 1.1 on a 64bit operating system?

64 bit operating systems do not run 16bit programs. The game's header shows Grim Fandango as a 32bit program (which I can run) although the installer is only 16bit. So I can run the program but not run the installer. Bypassing the installer and copying the files from the cd onto the hard drive will allow the game to be played (in Win98 compatibility mode).

The problem is the update patch also has a 16bit installer and so cannot be installed on a 64bit operating system. I cannot find anyway to bypass the installer to get the game patched.

Has anyone managed to hack the patch's installer to find which files and settings are changed? I have searched the internet and spent days on this problem but have not yet found any solutions. If I don't find any solution then it will mean that I can never play this game again :(

sorry, we don't have many people here that can answer technical computer problems. I wish there were, or at least I wish I was better at compatibility issues, but sadly i'm not.

The best thing I can do is point you to this (http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=170254) thread where someone appeared to have had a problem like yours. The image I posted on the last post has dissappeared, but I think I can dig it up again if you need it.

You could try using Benny's Grim Fandango Launcher (http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=launcher), which acts as a patcher. I'm not sure if it actually executes the patch installation and thus fails at the same point, though.

Thanks for the replies. I installed on a friends computer with WinXP to get the registry settings but have no success patching as yet.

I can get Benny's launcher to install by adding the registry keys. I cannot yet get the patch to run in the same manner. It seems Benny's launcher is searching for different keys to which the patch is searching for. Hopefully with some persistence I can still get this working but I'm running out of ideas fast.

Unfortunately, Benny's launcher crashes at the same point during installing the patch. His site mentions creating a new installer which could be a solution for the future.

If I get it working I'll be posting the workaround here. Nice site BTW.

I finally got the game working in 64-bit Vista. To make it easier for the next person I have uploaded the files which I patched. Here is a step by step method to get the game to work.

1. Copy all the files from disk1 and disk2 into C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\. Some files are the same on both disks so just overwrite any when prompted.
2. I have uploaded some patched files. You can download the zip archive by clicking here (http://www.uploading.com/files/ZTXY70ME/grim_fandango_update_files.zip.html)
3. Unzip the file archive which you have downloaded and copy the files into C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA overwriting the existing files.
4. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA\GRIMFANDANGO.EXE, right click the file and choose properties. On the compatibility tab, select both "run this program as administrator" and also "run this program in compatibility mode for windows 98"
5. Right click on C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA\GRIMFANDANGO.EXE, and choose "create shortcut". Place the shortcut on your desktop.
6. Run the game at least once by clicking on the shortcut, this will automatically create the registry entries you need.
7. [optional] To play the game without the cd's in the drive, add a new string value into the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC\Grim Fandango\v1.0 good_times=true
8. If you have a nvidia graphic card, then you will need to disable 3d acceleration within the game's options to have clear graphics.
9. Enjoy the game.

Note: There is no need to run the update patch as this is already included in the modified files which I uploaded.

<ADDED> I just finished playing through the entire game and can confirm this game works 100% using the method I gave above.

Hello and thank you for your post.
I have Vista x64 Home Premium, I followed the instructions below, the game starts up, the screen starts flashing and keeps doing it for about 4 seconds, then I get one colored image splash and the game quits to the desktop with no errors.
Any ideas?



I finally got the game working in 64-bit Vista. To make it easier for the next person I have uploaded the files which I patched. Here is a step by step method to get the game to work.

1. Copy all the files from disk1 and disk2 into C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\. Some files are the same on both disks so just overwrite any when prompted.
2. I have uploaded some patched files. You can download the zip archive by clicking here (http://members.iinet.com.au/~leon_naisbitt/grim%20fandango%20patch/grim%20fandango%20update%20files.zip)
3. Unzip the file archive which you have downloaded and copy the files into C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA overwriting the existing files.
4. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA\GRIMFANDANGO.EXE, right click the file and choose properties. On the compatibility tab, select both "run this program as administrator" and also "run this program in compatibility mode for windows 98"
5. Right click on C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\GRIMDATA\GRIMFANDANGO.EXE, and choose "create shortcut". Place the shortcut on your desktop.
6. Run the game at least once by clicking on the shortcut, this will automatically create the registry entries you need.
7. [optional] To play the game without the cd's in the drive, add a new string value into the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC\Grim Fandango\v1.0 good_times=true
8. If you have a nvidia graphic card, then you will need to disable 3d acceleration within the game's options to have clear graphics.
9. Enjoy the game.

Note: There is no need to run the update patch as this is already included in the modified files which I uploaded.

<ADDED> I just finished playing through the entire game and can confirm this game works 100% using the method I gave above.

Hello and thank you for your post.
I have Vista x64 Home Premium, I followed the instructions below, the game starts up, the screen starts flashing and keeps doing it for about 4 seconds, then I get one colored image splash and the game quits to the desktop with no errors.
Any ideas?
This sounds like it might be a problem with Vista's security settings. You'll need to be administrator to play the game from within the c:\program files(x86) folder. Instead of copying the game into C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\ copy the game into c:\users\[username]\documents\grim. This way you will have full ownership of the folder, shouldn't need to be administrator to play the game, and shouldn't get any problems with security.

I haven't tried playing the game with all the files installed into this directory, I don't know if it works or not but give it a try. If it does not work then take ownership of C:\Program Files (x86)\LucasArts\grim\. Check microsoft.com for full instructions on how to take ownership of a folder.

You can also try this http://quick.mixnmojo.com/software#grimsetup)

Hey guys, just got the game again and need to install on Vista 64... I get a different problem though.

It's the known VOX003.LAB problem, the file just won't copy over to my hard drive... Is there any way to just get this single file?

This sounds like the exact same problem this guy had

http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=187565)

However, he only got the VOX003.LAB file after someone provided it. Currently I'm not in a condition to offer it to you, but hopefully some else will. I hope Thrik posts this file on his planned update to GF.net considering how many people are starting to run the game on Vista.