How to get VGS running in Vista

[Samor]

Introduction

Virtual Game Station (VGS) may be an older PlayStation emulator, but it can still be very useful and in certain cases runs a game better than the other PlayStation emulators out there.
It's also unique in that it doesn't require a bios (but being a commercial emu, you need to own the emulator itself, of course).
I found these to be some good reasons to try and get it running in Windows Vista, which turns out to be not all that hard. I did try this with Vista 32-bit.

Required files

• To run VGS in Windows XP, one already needed VGSVideoPatchXP. This utility is also needed for Windows Vista, and is available here: http://www.aldostools.com/vgsvideopatchxp.zip

• VGSVideoPatchXP requires the Visual Basic 5 runtime library, MSVBVM50.DLL, which does not come with Vista by default. This file needs to be in the same directory as VGSVideoPatchXP or in the SYSTEM32 directory (usually \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32). It's available here: DLL-files.com - msvbvm50.dll, free download

• Aside from that it's a good idea to update your copy of VGS to the latest version. Perhaps you've just dug up that old CD containing version 1.3, but you deleted the patches a long time ago. No worries, they are available here: http://www.samor.nl/files/cvgs_updates.zip

How to get it working

If you already ran VGS under Windows XP, that knowledge will come in handy. Still, with Windows Vista, there's a few additional things you need to change. For this tutorial, I'm just going to start from scratch and assume you know nothing about the XP procedure either. I do assume you know your way around the Vista OS, though. If not, you really should read a different tutorial before this one.

• Install VGS from your VGS CD. Make sure that setup is ran in compatibility mode for Windows 98/ME or it will refuse to install.

• At the end of the installation, do not choose to restart the PC (it's not needed).

• After the installation, remove the VGS autolauncher from Windows' startup menu (you don't want it).

• Apply the updates (the 1.4 update and 1.4.1 update from cvgs_updates.zip), in the right order. Once again you do not need to restart your PC.

• Make sure you run VGS (Connectix VGS.exe) once to create tnkXfs.dat in your Windows temp directory, it's needed for VGSVideoPatchXP to work. The program will say it will only run under Windows 9X. That's fine, it means you clicked the correct file.

• Copy VGSVideoPatchXP into the VGS directory.

• Create a shortcut to VGSVideoPatchXP. Edit the shortcut to run it as administrator. Make sure compatibility mode is set to Windows 2000 or Windows XP (otherwise the sound will be bugged).

• When CVGS Video Patch XP has launched, select "ModChip Patch for backup CD by Morlac", "SaPu's fix for Windows XP/2000" and "Full Screen Video Stretch (daNIL & Sapu)". At least, I needed that last one or I'd get trembling video. You might perhaps need the Pentium 4 fix as well.

• Now press the Run button without any PS1 disc in the drive. Configure VGS to your liking first; here's why: once there's a game running for some reason you will often not be able to escape back to the menu with and can only quit the emu with ALT+F4. It might work normally for you, but this turns out to be a bit of a hit-and-miss situation.

• Once you've set up the emu, exit it and VGSVideoPatchXP (also to restore your proper desktop resolution).

• Now, put in a PS1 CD and launch VGS through VGSVideoPatchXP again and it should launch your game with your preferred settings.

Closing notes

If you need to reconfigure anything in VGS, just launch it without a game. Also, a warning: don't try to start accessing the menus in the beginning when VGS says it's loading a game (in case you have a PS1 CD inserted), you'll make the emulator crash.
And, don't let the numerous screen changes when the emulator starts fool you. There's nothing scary happening.
That's all

[Galway no Sora]

I've followed the tutorial as you said, but I got this message. I don't know what's wrong with that, since I'm new to Vista (just 2 days before I changed my OS).

[Vanit]

Now press the Run button without any PS1 disc in the drive. Configure VGS to your liking first; here's why: once there's a game running for some reason you can't escape back to the menu and can only quit the emu with ALT+F4.

I'm almost certain there was a key you could press that would bring up the 'game paused' text and you could once again access the menu.

[Samor]

yes, ALT, but it seems to not function correctly in Vista... kind of a hit-and-miss situation.

@Galway no Sora, vgsvideopatchxp needs msvbvm50.dll, in either the WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 directory or the application's directory.
I downloaded my version of that DLL from here: DLL-files.com - msvbvm50.dll, free download

[Galway no Sora]

Damn, I tought it was an error because of DLL error or the emu can't call it. It now works, thank Samor.

[Samor]

I'll add it to the top post later, since msvbvm50.dll isn't in Vista by default.

[Vanit]

PS: Forgot to say in my first post, thanks for posting the tutorial as VGS was my the first psx emulator I use and the ease of the configuration is still pleasing.

[Galway no Sora]

Originally Posted by Vanit

PS: Forgot to say in my first post, thanks for posting the tutorial as VGS was my the first psx emulator I use and the ease of the configuration is still pleasing.

Yeah, I like VGS too. Just it sucks with VP in the beginning of the game (when both Lenneth & Freya go to Midgard - human world, for the first time). Nothing else, I have no complain .

[Eiji]

Does VGS actually run on PCs with a Intel Core 2 Duo processor?

I can't run VGS 1.4.1 anymore. I run Aldo's Video Patch XP and when I hit run the screen resolution changes but it goes back to the desktop again. I did try the Pentium 4 fix.

It worked fine on my old PC which had an Athlon XP processor.

[RaMDaY]

Really though, why would you even want to run such an out of date emulator. Does this thing do something pSX cannot?

[wadibahi]

This Dll is also used in windows server 2003

[Samor]

Originally Posted by RaMDaY

Really though, why would you even want to run such an out of date emulator. Does this thing do something pSX cannot?

it does run a few games that pSX does not. It IS quite outdated though, I admit....

Originally Posted by Eiji

Does VGS actually run on PCs with a Intel Core 2 Duo processor?

I can't run VGS 1.4.1 anymore. I run Aldo's Video Patch XP and when I hit run the screen resolution changes but it goes back to the desktop again. I did try the Pentium 4 fix.

It worked fine on my old PC which had an Athlon XP processor.

it works fine on my core2duo....

[wadibahi]

This dll is working on widows xp sp3

[remax]

for me it's the emulator that have the best real PSX-close emulation! I'm gonna try it this evening and tell you if i succeed. Thanks.

well. I just tried pSX and i must say what i said yesterday is wrong. It's now the better than VGS. It's not perfect, as i saw few bugs, but it's very good and easy to launch, even under Vista.

It's funny as it has the same bugs under some games as VGS had, are these two emulator related in any way?

[Samor]

not that I know of.
And yes, pSX has surpassed VGS. In semi-rare cases, you might still want to use VGS though. There's probably still a few games out there that it runs better...