Frequently Asked Questions

Question - Will these games work on my Windows Vista computer?

Answer - Windows Vista is based on a whole new software architecture and at the time of this FAQ entry (4/19/07), there are many, many software programs that do not currently work with Vista. Software developers from iTunes to Adobe Acrobat are scrambling to put out fixes so their software works with Vista. Many of the developers that we work with to get games on our site are trying to update their software to work on Vista but it will take time. Unless you see "Vista" in our OS: section on the game page, it is best to assume the software will not work in Vista. You can always download a free trial to see if it works but if we don't list vista in the OS compatibility section, we cannot guarantee it works.

Question - Are these games really free?

Answer - Every game in our Freeware and Online Games section is completely free forever. Freeware games are made by independant developers (or sometimes old games from larger devlopers) that are made free for the enjoyment of it or in order to build a large community or maybe market a new version of the game. Online games are either simplified versions of shareware games or fun, simple games in and of themselves that we provide you to have fun with. We like offering quality, free content so people come back to our site!

The rest of the games on our site are all shareware, meaning they are free to download and try for a limited period of time (unlike games in a retail store) to see if you like the game before purchasing. This is a great way to test a game first and not get stuck with a game you do not like (unlike a retail store that usually won't take a game back after it has been opened).

Question - How do I remove the "setup-dm.exe" file from my desktop?

Answer - This type of file is actually a download manager from a company called Trymedia where we get some of our games. This file is not harmful in any way and helps you pause a download or resume where you left off if you have a slow Internet connection.

However, some people have had trouble removing this file from their computer. Trymedia has posted the following fix:

From Trymedia - "First, remember to always run the Download Manager and never save it. Now, to delete the Download Manager file, follow these instructions:

Very important: Don't try to delete the Download Manager with Windows Explorer or else you'd have to start the process below all over again -

1. Restart your computer.
2. Open the "Start" menu and select "Run".
3. Type "cmd.exe" (without the quotes) in the "Open" field and click "OK".
4. In the command window, type "del " (Again no quotes and don't forget to insert a space after the del).
5. Locate the Download Manager's icon and drag it with the mouse into the command window.
6. Press ENTER. It should delete the Download Manager file right away."

Question - Are there any spyware or viruses in these games?

Answer - All of these games have been tested thoroughly and contain no viruses or spyware or any other malicious software. Some of the freeware games we link to are located on the developer's site and since we do not host those files on our servers, you should always scan them before opening just in case anything changed since we tested them. If you do find anything suspicious in a freeware game, please notify us right away so we can take action.

Important note - Some anti-virus programs have flagged Trymedia's download manager as suspicious. Trymedia warrants that there is nothing suspicious or harmful at all in their download manager and has put out the following statement:

From Trymedia - "Some Antivirus or Personal Firewall applications incorrectly identify our products as viruses or disrupt or block the software from running. Please be assured that products that come from our partners or us are virus free. To avoid this issue you have one of two options:

Option 1: Temporarily disable your personal firewall until you have downloaded, installed, and activated your purchase. Note: If you are evaluating the free trial version and you see a blank page or error message in the ActiveMARK browser when you open or close the product, your personal firewall is the most likely cause. You will need to temporarily disable your personal firewall to see the ActiveMARK "Play/Buy" page.

We strongly recommend that you re-enable your anti-virus software after purchasing a product (or as soon as possible). We must also remind you that disabling your anti-virus software is done at your own discretion, and Trymedia specifically disclaims any liability or claims for damage arising from your decision to disable this program.

Option 2: Be assured that products from us or our partners are virus free. If your antivirus software detects the product as a virus or a Trojan, set an exclusion for the folders containing your product. To mark the files or folders containing downloaded products as safe, refer to your antivirus/personal firewall product manual or help documentation for further instructions."

Question - Can I get a CD version of this game?

Answer - At this time we do not have any CD versions of these games. However, we are working on offering this feature for some of our games very soon. In the meantime, you can always redownload a trial and enter the activation code if you ever need a backup or if you lose your original game file.

Question - I am getting a "Not a valid Win 32 Application" error or corrupted download error when downloading one of your games. What is wrong?

Answer - The Error Message: "Not a Valid Win32 Application" usually means the game somehow got currupted during download and ended up as a file that your computer does not recognize. We found this problem increased dramatically with the launch of Internet Explorer version 7.

Also many lesser known Anti-Virus programs will classify this file as a Type_Win32 virus, since it doesn't recognize the corrupted file. However this is a misclassification. This file is not a virus, just a corrupted file.

To correct the problem, please follow these steps:

1) Delete the corrupted file.
2) On your Internet Browser, clear out your Temporary Internet Files. It should be under OPTIONS in your Tool Bar.
3) Exit out and RESTART your computer.
4) Now redownload the game.

This usually helps with Win32 application errors 90% of the time. The other 10% is usually solved by getting all the Windows Updates from Microsoft.