Vista Compatibility and our Software

Archived Article

This page was last updated September 2009 and will not be updated anymore now that Windows 7 is available.

To get our latest tech notes for all our software, visit each program's individual tech support page.

Windows Vista Compatibility Overview
for programs in our Sunday Software Catalog

View our Windows 7 Compatibility Webpage at www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/windows7.htm

Point of View: Vista is a nice operating system, but it is different that XP and it's not perfect. They've built some security 'protections' into Vista that can initially thwart a program that was made before Vista was released, and some good older program will not be re-coded for full Vista compatibility, ie, you'll have to make the tweaks to use them. Most available software, including most of ours, was made to run in XP, but most can ALSO run in Vista, and a few will require you to tweak Vista (see below). If you are an owner of Vista, you should be used to this by now. Sometimes the adjustments are small, sometimes big, and sometimes you don't have to do anything at all. The biggest adjustment you need to make is to make sure you install all the latest Vista updates from Microsoft.

If you are on this page wondering "should I get XP or Vista for my church computer lab" ....read this.

If you need tech help getting a program running in Vista, consult this page below, or our Vista Tweaks page.

Quick Vista Compatibility Tips for our Software:

# 1.... If you have Vista, you may also need the latest Vista-compatible version of Quicktime. It's free from www.quicktime.com It will solve many of the problems our customers encounter when trying to run our software on Vista. Quicktime is a free Windows & Mac utility that runs a lot of multimedia found in software.

If you have one of our older programs, such as Life of David, Actual Reality, Noah and the Ark, you need to install Quicktime 2.1 found ON the CD itself (the installation file is probably titled "qt32.exe"). During the installation process, when Quicktime asks if you want to search for other versions, always select "skip." Selecting "yes" can cause it to hang. See specific program notes below for possible additional details. You may also have to RIGHT click the qt32 file, and select Compatibility Mode "Run as XP" to get the installer to run in newer versions of Windows.

# 2. If you have Vista, you need to MAKE SURE you have the LATEST VISTA UPDATES to it. Microsoft has made some updates that seem to cured some problems. Make sure you have the latest service pack installed.

# 3. If you have Vista and a program won't run, you may need to adjust Vista's compatibility options for that program. Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm In particular, the User Account Control pop ups may need to be turned off. Or you may need to run a program "as administrator". (If you own Vista, you're probably getting used to these tweaks already.) View our Vista Tech Tweaks.

# 4. Some older softwares may need to be copied into a folder on your harddrive from the CD and started from the folder. This gets around Vista's "distrust" of older executables running from a CD.

#5. Update your version of Adobe Flash. Some programs incorporate media made in Flash. Adobe is constantly updating Flash to improve and fix it. www.adobe.com/flashplayer

If your software is NOT listed below here, then it means it runs FINE in Vista without any help.

Some programs listed below may only need a tweak to run in Vista. In the **Asterisked titles, we ran into problems that others did not, so we're saying "maybe." See notes below. If you discover a new problem running any of our software in Vista, please email neil@sundaysoftware.com. We will continue to update this page as Vista is updated. Some programs which may not currently run in Vista will undoubtedly run in later versions of Vista.

Jump down to our "observations & recommendations" about XP versus Vista PCs for Sunday School.

COMPATIBILITY LIST for titles in our catalog
...which may need a "tweak" to run in Vista, -or won't run in Vista
If one of our programs is not on this list, then it runs fine in Vista without tweaks. See the complete list of our software.

Program from our catalog: Vista Error, Problem, and Solution Notes

Pathways Through Jerusalem CDs Throws a "Shadow Error." Unsolved at this point. Won't install or run. Runs fine in XP. No solution at this point. None expected.

Play & Learn Children's Bible CD** Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm

Life of Christ CD If you have version 3.0 (check the CD's label), then you also need to download the free Vista compatible version of Quicktime in order for Life of Christ to properly work. www.quicktime.com. You may also need to run LoC with "full admin rights." Right click the LoC startup icon/link in your program group and select "Properties" to access Window's compatibility options for that program. NOTE: there is now a version 4 of Life of Christ which works on Vista and W7. www.sundaysoftware.com/christ.html

Bible Crosswords and Word Games Right click the startup icon for these programs, and allow the program to run with full admin rights (it needs that in order to do the puzzles).

Kid Pix 3 ** Kid Pix 4** Kid Pix 3 doesn't fully run in Vista. We got it to install and paint, but the graphics you drag onscreen would not appear. Some can't get it to install or run.
The latest versions of Kid Pix 4 are Vista compatible. However, some earlier versions of Kid Pix 4 are not Vista compatible. Vista has a changed file structure which some earlier versions of KP 4 don't understand.

Purchasing caution: some distributors continue to sell the 'older' version of Kid Pix 4. Broderbund released an updated 'fully Vista and OSX compatible' version of KP4 in January 2009. We are currently soliciting feedback from some of our techie customers about their experiences installing/running earlier versions of KP3 and KP4 on their Vista machines. Stay tuned.

You will ALSO need the latest Vista-compatible version of Quicktime from www.quicktime.com

Galilee Flyer** Some install or startup problems may occur, but can be solved with tweaks. The game itself works fine. The opening music is affected for some reason, however. (menu.wav sfx and crash.wav sfx not playing) in Vista due to an audio level problem, BUT they are not particularly needed. View the Galilee Flyer Tech Notes for Vista solutions to solve install and run problems with GF. Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm

Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game Depending on your hardware you may need to run the rendering.exe file found in the Cal and Marty folder you installed to correct how the cool graphics in the game will appear. See our Cal Tech notes.

Elijah-Jonah CD (update) Download the latest free update for Elijah and Jonah.
www.sundaysoftware.com/Elijah-Jonah

Holyland 3-D CD (tweak required) Works if you download the latest free Skyline Globe terrain engine which drives the program. The new engine also works in Me and XP. Pretty nice free upgrade. See our HolyLand 3-D Vista tech notes.

Fall of Jericho CD (tweak required) The game works fine, but if you create your own question sets (which you should), the question files will be saved but won't be visible to you due to a Vista security setting. To correct this, navigate to c: \Program Files\Jericho and RIGHT click the JerichoEditor.exe file and select Run as Administrator. Vista will ask you if it's ok, and it is. Now all your question set files will appear in the folder and be accessible to the game menu. For a 'how-to' graphic showing you the files, click here.

Attack of the Sunday School Zombies CD (tweak required) Requires tweaks to Vista and different installation folder destination. Instead of letting the installer put it in c:\programs\zombies, change the location to a new folder on your desktop. This will workaround Vista's odd program folder security.

Joseph 2.0 The Joseph 2.0 Desktop Icon may need tweaked to get Joseph 2.0 or 2.1 to run in Vista. Right click the Joseph Desktop Icon and select Properties. Then type c:\joseph in the "start in" field, and click OK. You can also download the latest free Joseph updates from www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/

Ilumina Bible Gold Premium CD/DVD** Ilumina Gold Premium runs in Vista IF you install the latest version of Apple's free Quicktime utility (www.quicktime.com) for Windows 7.1.6 or higher on your Windows Vista computer BEFORE installing Ilumina Gold Premium.

To view product descriptions of any of these programs, go to www.sundaysoftware.com/software.htm

OLDER Titles which run surprisingly well in Vista Some of these titles are out of print. Remember to install version 2.x of Quicktime which comes on the program's CD. Newer versions of Quicktime won't be able to run some of the components in these programs. See my Quicktime notes below.
Interactive Kids Bible Series (Life of Moses, Jesus, David, etc etc)	We were surprised these ran in Vista. And the 'virtual memory' error seen in XP machines with 1mb or more of Ram were fixed in Vista. Nice. Just gotta remember to install the version of Quicktime 2.1 which comes on the CD (qt32.exe is the install file).
Disciples Diary CD	This program has been out of print for many years but runs great in Vista.
Actual Reality	Gosh I like this program! Just need to remember to install Quicktime 2.1 (qt32.exe from the QT folder on the CD.
Bibleland.com CD	This program has been out of print for many years but runs in Vista.
A Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus CD	We still have copies of this out of print program, so we tested it, and it ran fine in Vista. Only thing you MUST DO is to install the version of Quicktime 2.x which is found on the CD. Do this before you install the program.

QUICKTIME and VISTA

If you have VISTA, you need to download the latest Vista compatible version of QUICKTIME in order to run SOME programs. Quicktime from Apple runs on Windows Computers. It is used by many multimedia programs in our catalog to run animations and videos. Go to www.quicktime.com

Some older programs will run in Vista just fine, as long as you install the version fo Quicktime that CAME ON THE CD. If you're noticing animations and videos not working, "explore" the CD and look for qtinstaller or a QT folder or similar.

Some newer programs require newer versions of Quicktime. Fortunately, you can have several versions of Quicktime installed on your computer with no problem. See each program's tech notes to be sure which version of Quicktime you need.

Questions? Don't hesitate to ask. Email neil@sundaysoftware.com

XP or VISTA? A recommendation specific to our church customers...

2009 Update: Buy Windows 7!

If you have XP and your hardware is fast and good, stick with it. But if you're buying new computers, you will probably get Vista or Windows 7 coming Fall 09. SOME manufacturers are still offering new computers with XP. Those are very good for Sunday School use.

If you buy a Vista installed computer, you may need you to do some tweaking in Vista. See the notes on this page.

Check out our latest Hardware Recommendations at www.sundaysoftware.com/techie3.htm

More Sunday Software Tech Support Options

Go to Hardware Recommendations & Suggested Minimums for Used/New Computers

Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm

View our Software Recommendations

View Details about our book "Teaching with Computers in Christian Education"

Go to articles about "Starting a Bible Computer Lab"

Great Bible Videos.... Come see THE BEST Animated Bible Videos and the best
JESUS videos I've ever seen. Plus some movie guides and a Guide to Teaching with Video...all free on our video page.

COMPATIBILITY LIST for titles in our catalog ...which may need a "tweak" to run in Vista, -or won't run in Vista If one of our programs is not on this list, then it runs fine in Vista without tweaks. See the complete list of our software.
Program from our catalog:	Vista Error, Problem, and Solution Notes
Pathways Through Jerusalem CDs	Throws a "Shadow Error." Unsolved at this point. Won't install or run. Runs fine in XP. No solution at this point. None expected.
Play & Learn Children's Bible CD**	Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm
Life of Christ CD	If you have version 3.0 (check the CD's label), then you also need to download the free Vista compatible version of Quicktime in order for Life of Christ to properly work. www.quicktime.com. You may also need to run LoC with "full admin rights." Right click the LoC startup icon/link in your program group and select "Properties" to access Window's compatibility options for that program. NOTE: there is now a version 4 of Life of Christ which works on Vista and W7. www.sundaysoftware.com/christ.html
Bible Crosswords and Word Games	Right click the startup icon for these programs, and allow the program to run with full admin rights (it needs that in order to do the puzzles).
Kid Pix 3 Kid Pix 4	Kid Pix 3 doesn't fully run in Vista. We got it to install and paint, but the graphics you drag onscreen would not appear. Some can't get it to install or run. *The latest* versions of Kid Pix 4 are** Vista compatible. However, some earlier versions of Kid Pix 4 are not Vista compatible. Vista has a changed file structure which some earlier versions of KP 4 don't understand. Purchasing caution: some distributors continue to sell the 'older' version of Kid Pix 4. Broderbund released an updated 'fully Vista and OSX compatible' version of KP4 in January 2009. We are currently soliciting feedback from some of our techie customers about their experiences installing/running earlier versions of KP3 and KP4 on their Vista machines. Stay tuned. You will ALSO need the latest Vista-compatible version of Quicktime from www.quicktime.com
Galilee Flyer**	Some install or startup problems may occur, but can be solved with tweaks. The game itself works fine. The opening music is affected for some reason, however. (menu.wav sfx and crash.wav sfx not playing) in Vista due to an audio level problem, BUT they are not particularly needed. View the Galilee Flyer Tech Notes for Vista solutions to solve install and run problems with GF. Read our detailed and easy to follow instructions at www.sundaysoftware.com/vista-tweaks.htm
Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game	Depending on your hardware you may need to run the rendering.exe file found in the Cal and Marty folder you installed to correct how the cool graphics in the game will appear. See our Cal Tech notes.
Elijah-Jonah CD (update)	Download the latest free update for Elijah and Jonah. www.sundaysoftware.com/Elijah-Jonah
Holyland 3-D CD (tweak required)	Works if you download the latest free Skyline Globe terrain engine which drives the program. The new engine also works in Me and XP. Pretty nice free upgrade. See our HolyLand 3-D Vista tech notes.
Fall of Jericho CD (tweak required)	The game works fine, but if you create your own question sets (which you should), the question files will be saved but won't be visible to you due to a Vista security setting. To correct this, navigate to c: \Program Files\Jericho and RIGHT click the JerichoEditor.exe file and select Run as Administrator. Vista will ask you if it's ok, and it is. Now all your question set files will appear in the folder and be accessible to the game menu. For a 'how-to' graphic showing you the files, click here.
Attack of the Sunday School Zombies CD (tweak required)	Requires tweaks to Vista and different installation folder destination. Instead of letting the installer put it in c:\programs\zombies, change the location to a new folder on your desktop. This will workaround Vista's odd program folder security.
Joseph 2.0	The Joseph 2.0 Desktop Icon may need tweaked to get Joseph 2.0 or 2.1 to run in Vista. Right click the Joseph Desktop Icon and select Properties. Then type c:\joseph in the "start in" field, and click OK. You can also download the latest free Joseph updates from www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph/
Ilumina Bible Gold Premium CD/DVD**	Ilumina Gold Premium runs in Vista IF you install the latest version of Apple's free Quicktime utility (www.quicktime.com) for Windows 7.1.6 or higher on your Windows Vista computer BEFORE installing Ilumina Gold Premium.