LEGO Racers Activate LEGO Racers Windowed Mode

[le717]

LEGO Racers has a built-in windowed mode, meaning you can play non-full screen and have a chat or website open to the side. However, it is a bit tricky to set up. In this tutorial, I will explain to you how to successfully activate the LEGO Racers windowed mode.

 

In order in activate windowed mode, you have to set Windows to use 16-bit bit depth (sometimes known as bit mode or color depth). However, this is hard to near impossible to activate in Windows itself, especially in newer versions of Windows. Therefore, we are using a third-party application called QRes to perform this action. This method has been successfully tested on Windows XP through Windows 7. QRes does not work properly on Windows 8.x, so users of that operating system will have to hold off until a equivalent method is found. Sorry about that! 

 

Software Needed

 

• LEGO Racers
• QRes Zip Archive Download Do not get the exe installer due to the lack of 64-bit Windows support!
• The batch (.bat) script from this tutorial
• Notepad++, for editing the batch script (optional, Notepad will also work)

Directions

1. Locate your LEGO Racers installation in Windows Explorer, but do not close the window until later.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\LEGO Games\LEGO Racers

   Your path may be different depending on where you installed the game.
    
2. Extract QRes, copy the contents of the qres-src1097\qres\cd\sample-cd\qres folder and paste it in a relatively permanent location, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\QRes.
3. Open Notepad++ and copy the contents of the following batch script:

   @echo off
   rem Set the location to QRes here, rem you do not need to wrap it in quotes
   set PathtoQRes=C:\Program Files (x86)\QRes
   
   rem Temporarily append QRes to the system PATH
   set PATH=%PathtoQRes%;%PATH%
   
   rem Run QRes with the 16-bit color and restore parameters
   qres.exe c=16 /R
   
   rem Finally, we run Racers using the -window parameter
   LEGORacers.exe -window
   

4. Change the value of PathtoQRes the actual location to QRes. There is no need to surround the path in double quotes.This batch script automatically and temporarily appends PathtoQRes to your system PATH, which is the most reliable way to make this work. The magic here is in -window, c=16, and /R, the first being a LEGO Racers parameter that activates windowed mode and the last two are QRes parameters which activate 16-bit color depth and restore the configuration when you close the game, respectively.
5. Save the script with a .bat extension under any file name and move it to your LEGO Racers installation, the folder that contains LEGORacers.exe.
6. Run your batch script. If nothing happens, setting QRes to run with Administrator privileges can help. Otherwise you will need to approve a UAC box and LEGO Racers will load in windowed mode! Go ahead and make a shortcut to your batch script, saving it wherever you want, your Desktop, Start menu/screen, Quick Launch, any place you can easily access it. You can even change it's icon to visually remind you what it goes to.

 

Special thanks to @JrMasterModelBuilder for the >batch script this tutorial is based on.

[Mr. Skeltal]

Or can just put -window in your lego racers short cut but for that to work you have to have your computer in 16 bit color mode for it to work.

[Fluffy Cupcake]

Are you suppose to put "*Path to QRes*" in quotations? Also, it didn't work for me. All it gives is an error with the title qres saying "Cannot run "LEGORacers.exe" -novideo -window". And I did run as admin.

[le717]

Are you suppose to put "*Path to QRes*" in quotations? Also, it didn't work for me. All it gives is an error with the title qres saying "Cannot run "LEGORacers.exe" -novideo -window". And I did run as admin.

 

Yea... that's what I get for quickly slapping a tut together right before bed. Put the path to QRes in quotes only if the path has spaces in it.

Is the entire script on two lines only? That is the only way it will work. Also, be sure it is saved in the same location as LEGORacers.exe.

[Fluffy Cupcake]

Yes, it is two lines only, and the same place as LEGORacers.exe. Should I try putting the full path where "LEGORacers.exe" is? (I did actually try that already, got an error titled Fatal Error saying

I/O error occured
file GImages.idb
File not found)

)

[Jimbob]

I just tried this too, and get the same error as Xiron. Did you find a fix for it?
 
EDIT: Just saw the part about putting it in the same directory as LEGORacers.exe. Upon doing that and running the batch file, the screen still flitters about all over the place, but it is eventually displayed fullscreen.

[le717]

@Xiron, @JimbobJeffers,

 

Tutorial updated. I found out you need to add QRes to your System PATH, and it should work every time. Try it now (be sure to get the fixed batch script) and let me know.

 

Yes, the batch must be in the same place as LEGORacers.exe. You can put it in a different place and add the direct path to it, but I need to test that.

[JrMasterModelBuilder]

@Xiron, @JimbobJeffers,

 

Tutorial updated. I found out you need to add QRes to your System PATH, and it should work every time. Try it now (be sure to get the fixed batch script) and let me know.

 

Yes, the batch must be in the same place as LEGORacers.exe. You can put it in a different place and add the direct path to it, but I need to test that.

You can modify the PATH temporarily through the batch file like this:

set PATH=C:pathtoexecutable;%PATH%

 

You can also get clever and do this:

set PATHTOQRES=C:pathtoqres

set PATH=%PATHTOQRES%;%PATH%

[le717]

For my third annual RRU Christmas gift (who cares if it is a day early ), I present to you a complete rewrite of this tutorial. Anyone having issues with it before shouldn't any more. It only works up to Windows 7, but I am looking into a method for Windows 8. Special thanks to @JrMasterModelBuilder for the batch script!

 

Merry Christmas everyone!