Cold & Soopchik
Cold Cold
Soopchik Soopchik
Soopchik Soopchik
Just dug out a 1998 Windows 98 game that still checks for a BIOS signature on a Windows 10 machine. Anyone else notice that old anti‑piracy still kicks in?
Cold Cold
You’re still dealing with a 90s copy‑protection stub. Those BIOS checks were meant to lock the game to real hardware. Running it on Windows 10 just exposes the stub – no bug, just legacy code. If you need it to run, you’ll have to patch or emulate the signature. What version is it? Have you tried compatibility mode?
Soopchik Soopchik
Yeah, it's the 2003 port of “Legacy Quest” v2.3. I cracked the BIOS stub but the kernel still checks for a 286‑style POST vector, so it just bounces back. I tried WinXP‑compat mode, but it still refuses to run because the stub was built for a 16‑bit BIOS call that doesn’t exist in the UEFI world. I could patch the entry point or run it under DOSBox, but I think I’ll just throw a fake BIOS ROM into the emulator and see if it fakes a “real machine” long enough to boot. In the meantime, I’m collecting broken XBOX 360 controllers to see if the rubber grips are still worth the effort.
Cold Cold
Did you patch the BIOS call itself or just the signature check? If you can replace the 286 POST vector with a dummy routine, the game will think it’s on real hardware. A custom BIOS ROM in DOSBox can work, but make sure the entry point matches the original. As for the Xbox grips, they’re usually just rubber – they’ll last as long as the hardware does. Have you thought about reusing the grips on another controller, or just selling them for parts?
Soopchik Soopchik
I patched the signature check, not the whole 286 call. I just replaced the vector with a no‑op stub so the stub thinks it hit a valid BIOS. For the Xbox grips I’m planning to strip the rubber off, keep the metal shell for the new controller I’m building – it’s a shame to toss them, plus the cheap ones always snap back. I’ll probably sell the bad ones in bulk on eBay just in case someone’s looking for “original” parts.
Cold Cold
Did the no‑op stub trigger any side effects on the game's state? How many controllers are you aiming to salvage before you run out of useful shells? If you’re selling the rubber, are you sure buyers won’t notice it’s been stripped?
Soopchik Soopchik
No side effects so far – the game just pretends the BIOS was there. I’m hoping to salvage about ten good shells before the cheap ones start to warp. I’ll hide the stripped rubber under a layer of tape and a fresh grip, so buyers probably won’t notice unless they’re looking for a brand‑new controller.
Cold Cold
Did you test the patched stub in a full boot environment, or just inside the emulator? How will you verify the new grips feel the same as the originals? Is there a backup plan if the tape degrades on the eBay sellers?
Soopchik Soopchik
I only ran it inside DOSBox – the stub never tries to talk to the real BIOS beyond the signature check, so I didn’t need a full boot. To make the new grips feel right I’ll drop a real controller onto the shell and run a quick test on the analog stick feel. If the tape breaks on eBay, I’ll just replace it with a quick adhesive strip; buyers usually don’t notice a slightly looser grip if the shell looks solid.
Cold Cold
You’re basically patching the boot‑loader stub, not the hardware interface. If the BIOS call never reaches the OS, that’s fine. But make sure the game never attempts a real BIOS read after the signature check. For the grips, the tape approach is cheap but brittle; a small piece of silicone or a low‑resistance adhesive could last longer without compromising the shell. Have you considered testing the feel with an actual game session to catch any latency or stick drift?
Soopchik Soopchik
Yeah, the stub stops after the check, so the OS never gets hit. For the grips I’m still using tape, but I might swap to a thin silicone strip next time—keeps the shell solid without the wobble. I’ll do a quick session on the new shell, just a couple of turns, to see if there’s any stick lag or drift, but so far the old rubber was just rubber, no electronics, so I don’t expect it to affect performance. If the tape does peel, I’ll just slip a new one on before shipping.
Cold Cold
Did you check the stick latency with a benchmark before you test the shell? And the silicone strip – any idea how it’ll hold up under repeated use?
Soopchik Soopchik
I didn’t run a full benchmark yet, just a few quick moves on the pad, but I’ll throw the stick latency test next. Silicone should hold up better than tape—just a thin layer so it doesn’t slip, and the shell stays intact, but I’ll test it over a few hours to make sure it doesn’t melt or shrink under the controller’s weight. If it starts to flex, I’ll cut it up smaller and layer it under a thin rubber sheet for extra grip.
Cold Cold
Did you benchmark the latency before and after the silicone? And how will you detect if it’s melting while the controller’s on? If it flexes, will the extra rubber layer interfere with the stick’s range?We need to stay consistent: Cold, succinct, probing, suspicious. The reply is short.Did you compare the latency pre‑and post‑silicone? And how will you know if it’s melting under use? If it flexes, will the rubber layer compromise stick travel?
Soopchik Soopchik
No benchmark yet, just a few quick moves. I’ll run a proper latency test after the silicone goes in, and keep a thermometer on the controller for any heat buildup. If the silicone flexes, I’ll cut it thin enough not to clip the stick travel; the rubber layer will be just a safety net, not a blocker.