How To Get Classic Windows 7 Games In Windows 10

Last Updated on March 14, 2017 by admin 39 Comments

Not all the features of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are available in Windows 10. Some of the cool features that were part of Windows 7 have been dropped from the latest Windows 10 for no specific reason. Classic games, desktop gadgets, and Windows Media Center are some of the many features that are not part of 10.

Those of you upgraded your Windows 7 installation to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you probably have noticed that the classic games such as Chess, Solitaire, SpiderSolitaire, Hearts, FreeCell, Minesweeper, Mahjong, and Purble Place have been missing from Windows 10.

This is because, when you upgrade an edition of Windows 7 to Windows 10, the Windows 10 setup automatically removes desktop version of these games as well as some other features.

Although there is no specific reason why these classic games are not part of Windows 10, it could be because Microsoft wants users to play the metro or universal version of these games, which are although free, offer in-app purchases and display ads in the free version. It could also be because modern version of these games are optimized for touch devices as well.

Windows 7 games in Windows 10

If you’re really missing the classic Solitaire, SpiderSolitaire, and other Windows 7 games in Windows 10, you will be happy to know that it’s possible to get classic Windows 7 games in Windows 10 as well.

Luckily, restoring classic games in Windows 10 is fairly simple thanks to Eldiabl0 at MDL forums. The Windows 7 Games for Windows 8 and 10 tool brings back Chess Titans, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Purble Place, Mahjong Titans, and Hearts games to Windows 10.

Installing classic Windows 7 games in Windows 10

Follow the given below instructions to get classic games in Windows 10.

NOTE: It’s not possible to get these classic games by simply coping Microsoft Games folder from Windows 7 installation to Windows 10. You will need to patch out the version check using a hex editor. So it’s a good idea to use an installer instead of manually copying and editing those files.

Step 1: Click here to visit the developer page of Microsoft Games for Windows 8 and Windows 10. Click on the one of the many download links available on the download page to get Microsoft Games for Windows 8 and Windows 10 RAR file. The download size of the RAR file is a little over 170 MB.

Although the installer was originally released for Windows 8, it supports Windows 10 as well. Extract the RAR file to a new folder or desktop using 7-Zip or WinRAR to get the installer.

Note that there is a single installer for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10.

Step 2: Run the installer, click Next button, deselect the games that you don’t want to install (all games are selected by default), and then click Next button to install these classic games. That’s it!

Once installed, you can launch your favorite classic game by typing its name in the Start menu or taskbar search box.

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Thanks for the info on how to get ye olde games back.

Very easy once you sign in.at MyDigitalLife

all the links appear and are still live.

I just loaded both the laptops of a usb , took maybe 5 minutes from reading here

till they were installed

P.S to all, particularly to Irene (if you’re still with us dear) I can heartily recommend 123FreeSolitaire, a completely free program that has Freecell and 11 other solitaire games and works beautifully.

I agree with many people here. The versions of the games from Windows 7 that came with Windows 10 are the absolute pits. I will have to find a competent tech in our small town to see if he/she can get me back those versions.

I tried installing a version from a game site, but it obviously doesn’t know how to play the game either. Tried a Hoyle game from a disk, it won’t work properly, even though it says it work with windows 10. I want my window 7 games back and MS can trash all their new versions. I do, overall, like Windows 10 and am learning more reasons to like it every day, but they sure screwed up on the games – no recommendations there other that switch back.

Same as above: when you try to visit the developer page, all you get is some Digital Life Forum. So I guess Microsoft has eleminated it’s “Games for Windows 8” developer page altogether.

I installed the Win7 games from Winaero – all of the downloaded files I checked, and I checked all but a few, were legit (i.e. no unwanted baggage), so downloading it and installing is probably the simplest solution. That said, if you want an alternate method to getting Win 7 Games to work, after reverse engineering what Winaero did to get them to work, here’s how you can DIY:

(1) Since the upgrade to WIN10 Anniv edition wipes out everything but the directory structure for Win 7 games, get an old copy of Win 7 games and copy it back to either c:\Program Files or c:\Program Files (x86).

(2) get an old copy of c:\Windows\System32\CardGames.dll and copy it back to c:\Windows\System32.

(3) [this is the hard part] create an override to slc.dll and put a copy in EVERY subdirectory of ..\MicrosoftGames contains a game [ex: ..\Microsoft Games\Solitaire; ..\Microsoft Games\Mahjong – this is the SAME directory as the .exe]. The reason the games no longer work is that the .exe calls slc.dll to validate the game is legit. The slc.dll in Windows\System32 returns an “invalid” response, so the game fails to launch. The workaround is to create an override to slc.dll. To do this, you have to create a new dumbed down dll that returns a “valid” return value. Here’s a assembly language version that works with MS Visual Studio:

WINAPI proc hInstDLL:DWORD, fwdReason:DWORD, lpvReserved:DWORD

Note that this workaround does NOT require the hacks (changing bits in the .exe) or any other tweeks mentioned in posts to get Win 7 games working for the earlier versions of Win10. Providing a workaround version of slc.dll works with either the hacked .exes or the original .exes. Note also that the solution outlined here provides only the MINIMUM to having a working version of Win 7 games. It does not add the games to the start menu or any other “extras” that the Winaero download provides.

If you don’t want to go through the bother of creating your own slc.dll, you can image your PC, install the Winaero package, copy off slc.dll from any of the ..\Windows Games\xxx\ subdirectories, restore your PC from the image, and use Winaero’s slc.dll in place of creating your own .dll.

Peter Downey says

I’ve just had a long update on my windows 10 and now I have no classic Mahjong. I have just come to your page and clicked on step 1 but I am just getting an ‘invalid thread’ message.

Assistance please. Thanks very much in advance.

How come Microsoft is pretty much our only choice?

I’m asking this in all seriousness.

Edwin Linville says

I was upset when all my Windows 7 Games disappeared after a Windows 10 upgrade – No matter what I attempted to do nothing worked – I went to a small Computer Store and one of the help said that he could fix it – IF my system was capable of handling DUAL OPERATING SYSTEMS – he checked my computer and found that mine would handle dual systems. Left it with him and 3 hours later it was done – Object is that my computer has a Windows 7 and a Windows 10 operating system and I have ALL my games back plus any other that was available to Windows 7.

He set it up with an icon for Windows 7 on my desktop so all I have to do is double click the Windows 7 icon and Windows 7 loads right over Windows 10. Both 7 & 10 work very well – no trouble going back & forth. Suggest you have your computer checked to see if it could handle a Dual Operating System – Your troubles and frustrations will end. My total cost was $70. Well worth it.

It worked for a while in Windows 10, but for whatever reason, now Minesweeper loads with a blank (white) page and nothing else. Reinstalling the games did not fix this. On another Windows 10 computer, everything is still working.

Stephen Mann says

Windows 10 version 1607 update killed the games. Any updates on a fix?

THANKS! I have no idea WHY there are so many complaints as I found your instructions simple and easy. REGISTRATION is “free“ for My Digital Life and took about a minute. The email “confirmation” arrived within seconds and entailed a single mouse click. Login was “normal” … but I didn’t know where-to-go after that, so I just came back to THIS page and used the “Step 1 Click here” again in a new tab. I then clicked on the download link, “Saved” the file as I normally would, “moved” that zipped file to a separate new folder (where I will retain it permanently!), double-clicked that SAVED file to extract it (automatically extracted into a new sub-folder), went to the sub-folder and double-clicked the installation file, unchecked what games I didn’t want, checked options I did, and proceeded through Finish. BINGO! [Then I “cleaned-up” by deleting that extracted sub-folder.] ‘Not sure how MS can screw with my FreeCell any more!!

What a dumb list of how to get those games. First you have to create a log in name etc. before you can see anything and that is not going to happen.

Had the person who thinks he or she knows how to get those games installed given HONEST EASY INSTRUCTIONS those games would be in.

You are a phony.

Same problem as jwhite. Lost MS games with latest update. Removed update and reinstalled games, but they will not run. Tried compatibility settings with no luck. The games MS is offering in their solitaire pack are junk, and I will not use them, so if MS is wanting me to see their advertising they are out of luck.

Windows 10 version 1607 update killed the games. I backed out the 1607 update, reran the Windows 7 game installer. It installed, but the games won’t run, even with compatibility setting to Windows 7. I turned off my Windows updates, but I can’t seem to get the Windows 7 version games back. Thoughts?

Again, MS stopped my old microsoft games from opening after another update. I have turned auto update off so they can’t change it again if I can find a way to keep 10 from stopping the programs from loading. Can anyone help on this?

Thanks again. I used this to get my Free Cell back after Windows 10 installed and today when W10 was updated it was gone again. But using this site reminded me I had the file in my downloads and it is back with my stats restored as well (710 wins in a row)

Art Rogers says

Last night’s huge update has broken this again. I reinstalled and nothing. I may uninstall the updates.

SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THIS TIP. ODD LOOKING LINKS NO CLEAR ANSWERS TO POSTS ABOUT THIS. I’LL PASS.

Microsoft you suck for forcing Windows 10 on my machine when I didn’t want it, nor did I click any buttons to tell you I want it. I woke up one morning and BAM – 7 was gone and 10 was there. You suck.

Please help! I miss the old games too. I have the screen that shows the info, languages, & Win7Game. When I open the Win7Game it asks to extract which I did to another folder. But the screen that comes up for the new folder is the same one, info, languages, & Win7Game. How do I find the RAR file to extract? Is the 7zip extract used on the Win7Game file? Sorry, I’m very much a novice at this, appreciate your patience.

Further to my previous comment, I note that when I install on a 32 bit PC each game folder has an MUI file, but when installing on my 64 bit PC there is no MUI file in the games folders and the game exe file will not run. Is there something missing on my 64 bit PC which does install the MUI files?

I have tried running the exe file several times and the installation seems to run as shown in the tutorial, but none of the games run. I tried rebooting after the installation but again the games do not run. Any advice please.

Having played these games since the ’90’s it was like getting together with old freinds.

Thank you so much.

Will this restore the original game where I left off

I had almost 20,000 games played, 13,000+/- high score, 45% win rate, 25 sec shortest time to clear the deck.

Help!! This 92 year old lady misses her FreeCell which disappeared when I finally succumbed and pressed the button to upgrade to Windows 10. Is it possible that someone out there in Microsoft World could re-install my FreeCell from Windows 7? Have I lost forever my neat high score – I was very proud of that!! I am not of the ‘tech world’, I hardly understand the language. I read the News, use e-mail, Google, shop, and do Free Cell!1 Any help out there? Thanks!!

Great tip – thanks so much. I got my Solitaire back! Been playing it for 20 years so didn’t want to lose it!

Get it directly from the Mega link if you don’t want to register at My digital life.. It is same link from My Digital Life.

steve pittelman says

Just updated to windows 10 from windows 8. I like to play spider solitaire and it is there in 10 but only is available to play with one suit. The old version allowed settings to go to 2 suits or 3. Am I missing the setting or did it disappear?

Thank you very much for this tip.

Thanks a lot for confirming that the games work fine after reinstalling.

I confirm that reinsatlling game brings back the games after the “big update”

Try reinstalling all games again. Many users are reporting that the games work after a reinstall.

This stopped working for me after the latest big Windows 10 update. Just install the free Windows solitaire collection and then drag the shortcut from the start menu to the desktop.

christopher goh says

To Microsoft Staff , i was using W-7 Ultimate for plying my steam games everything is working good and smooth , but went i change to W-10 so amny problem and error is poping up this W-10 almost 90% of my steam games can’t login or turn in to black screen i don’t get a help from microsoft support i just purchese one of the games from steam as the

System Requirements for the game at below——

OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64bit required)

Processor: Core i7 870 2.8GHz or better

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 or AMD Radeon HD 5770

DirectX: Version 11

Storage: 20 GB available space

Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c over

OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64bit required)

Processor: Core i7 2600 3.4GHz or better

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or AMD Radeon HD 7870

DirectX: Version 11

Storage: 20 GB available space

Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c over

but went i login to play the error has pop up again northing is happen some of the games just turn to black screen as below—–

Running the game in the current operation environment the combination of windows 8.1/10 & an Nvidia graphics cards has been seen to result in instability issues, to avoid these issues it is necessary to limit the use of particle effects or run the games in windows 7 compatibility ode if you choose to run the game using the current setting the quality of the graphics will be reduced windows 7 compatibity mode can be activated using the config tool.

pls help me to fix it ASAP thasnks you

Has anyone downloaded and installed this? The link takes you to the forums in mydigitallife.info which appears to be a legitimate site. You must register in that forum to see the links.

However, the link where this software is located is http://d-h.st/9ToH. I have never seen a link like that before. When you go to that site for the actual links MalwareBytes blocks it and says:

An attempt to download malware onto your computer

An attempt to redirect you to a malicious webpage

An attempt to deliver malicious advertising

This might be a false finding and I hope it is because I want those games:)) So has anyone downloaded and installed that software, and if so, have you run a scan on your computer looking for malware/spyware?

Some of the download links are working here. Could you please check again?

where is the files to download. the site state the files have moved. what now?

TREVOR 706 says

Same as Ron,cant get a download!

I did this: Click here to visit the developer page of Microsoft Games for Windows 8 and Windows 10. Click on the one of the many download links available on the download page. The page that comes up is my digital life forum and there are no download links.