Clickomania on new Windows versions

Time does not stand still, when it comes to operating systems. I sometimes get mails with questions about how to run Clickomania on Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

So let me convey some information about the compatibility of the classic version of Clickomania and Clickomania next Generation:

Clickomania next Generation

This version normally runs fine on Windows 7 and Vista. If it does not, you have the following options to fix the problems:

Run it as administrator: Right-click on the Clickomania program icon in the start menu or on the desktop and select Run as administrator from the context menu. Or select the Properties command from the context menu, go to the Compatibility tab and check the Run program as administrator checkbox.

Move the Clickomania files to a different location. The CNG files with the game types and the CSC files with the saved scores are stored in the program folder of the game, usually c:\programs\clickng. Move them to a different folder, preferably to your documents directory. Then, set the new folder in the preferences of the game. Click the configuration button (the one with the gearwheel), hit the Set path button and select the folder you have used. This should do the trick for all the cases.

Classic Clickomania

The original edition does not run well on Windows Vista and it does not run at all on Windows 7. Bad news, but unfortunately I probably won’t create a compatibility update. On the one hand, that would be a lot of work. And on the other hand, the software I used to develop the game, is no real choice anymore. Clickomania is written in Pascal with Borland Delphi.

Ten years ago, there was an affordable version of the application development system; I probably paid around 200 bucks for the software back then. Sadly enough, Delphi has been sold to Embarcadero in the year 2008 and they do not care about hobbyists like me. The cheapest version from Embarcadero is 899 Euros (1300 Swiss francs or the exact same amount in US$). Obviously, that is too much money to spend just to update some fuddy-duddy game. I am sorry about that, but please go blame Embarcadero for their stupid pricing.

Well, there is one ray of hope. If you are using Windows 7 in the Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate edition and your computer qualifies, you can run Microsoft’s famous XP mode.
You need to install Windows XP Mode first and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 second. You’ll find links to the to free downloads following the link above. Install those two components according to Microsoft’s instructions and run XP Mode in order to configure it.

If you have installed XP Mode completely, open Windows XP Mode from your user folder and Virtual computers (Virtuelle Computer on German Windows installations). This starts the virtual machine with Windows XP. Log in and install Classic Clickomania in this environment. After the installation, you’ll find the program icon of Clickomania on the desktop. Now, please move this icon to the folder c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu (c:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\All Users\Startmenü on German installations). This is important, because if you do so, Clickomania will show up in your Windows 7 start menu.

Now, you can use Classic Clickomania in the seamless mode. Quit Virtual PC and start Clickomania next Generation from your Windows 7 start menu. It can be found under All programs > Windows Virtual PC > Windows XP Mode Applications > Clickomania (Windows XP Mode) (Programme > Windows Virtual PC > Windows XP Mode-Anwendungen > Clickomania (Windows XP Mode). It’ll look like that:

Update November 2018

Clickomania is open source now. Please feel free to adapt it for current Windows versions!