If you haven't noticed, Windows 95 isn't the only operating system out there. From Microsoft, there's good old DOS and Windows 3.x, but not many people recognize Windows NT as a viable OS. Other than the business power user, the network administrator/website manager, or the computer programmer, most game enthusiasts only look for products that say "made exclusively for Windows 95." If you're one of the few than has NT running, have you ever tried to play games with it? The ability (or lack of) to play games on that platform is not usually mentioned when referring to Windows NT.

I'm not sure that anyone really thinks much about gaming on the Windows NT operating system. I know that Microsoft doesn't. Of course, they include the "Video and Sound" and "Joystick" control panels but not even the manual covers much about setting it up or troubleshooting it. I think this is mainly due to the fact that Windows NT is labeled as "business-only" OS, lending itself only useful for tasks that are business-intensive or simply becoming a dedicated server. Microsoft doesn't suggest how Windows NT will revolutionize the quality of gaming (unlike the ads for Windows 95) and I honestly do not believe they are concerned.

These days, practically any PC/Wintel-related magazine will contain many articles talking about the upcoming Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0. As these two operating systems become more and more alike, most, if not all, of the technologies will be fully combined into a hybrid form of a future Windows OS. Currently, most things related to gaming on NT are undocumented and will likely remain that way until the two versions are fully integrated. What about gaming on NT right now?

If you're interested in playing games on Win NT right now, you'll rest assured knowing that it is possible, but not without limitations. Most any "made for Windows 95" game seems to run fine under NT (if not better and faster) except for those requiring a version of DirectX or other Win 95-specific drivers. (NOTE: do NOT attempt to run 16-bit programs under NT. It will not work.) However, it is almost impossible to play DOS games through Windows NT. Unlike Win 95's DOS 7 shell, NT only contains a command prompt from which programs can be run and file processes completed. It is not a subset of DOS, which is needed to play such games. Instead, you're better off booting to a previous version of DOS to accomplish these tasks. As more people run Windows NT, more will be discovered about its true potential for gaming. However, it is likely to be a few years until NT will be diversified enough to handle all the idiosyncrasies of the business world and the realm of gaming.

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