Internet Games no longer work

[pangoomis]

I'm getting reports, and also tested myself that Internet Games in Windows XP (and Windows ME) no longer can connect to the game server.
I've tested Windows 7 Internet Games and they seem to work fine.

Can any of you fine XP diehards here test if they are not working for you either?

Edited April 14, 2019 by MrMateczko

[daniel_k]

Yep, noticed that.

[Mcinwwl]

You mean embedded games, like 'Reversi' card game?

[pangoomis]

I'm talking about Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, Internet Hearts, Internet Reversi, and Internet Spades, all inside the MSN Gaming Zone folder in Program Files.
These were included in Windows ME as well.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Not working for me either.

[John_T]

I play internet Hearts on XP every day, and I noticed Friday morning the 5th that it would not connect to the server. I have a laptop with xp, and the only reason why I have it, is to play hearts. This happened about 8 or 10 months ago, but it started working again after about a week. I'm hoping it will start soon because I'm starting to have withdrawals...lol....  

[i430VX]

Well, I tried taking a poke with wireshark... all I really can tell you is that XP checkers tries to connect to freegames.zone.com which no longer exists.
on windoze 7 it connects to mpgame5.games.msn.com, which still indeed exists.
I suppose one could redirect the old checkers to the new server, maybe.
I have no clue how to do that though.

[rloew]

Try adding a HOSTS file entry redirecting freegames.zone.com to the IP for mpgame5.games.msn.com

[rloew]

I just tried it. It does not work.

[UCyborg]

To revive these games, someone would have to reverse engineer their communication protocol and implement their own server that would behave like the one that used to run at freegames.zone.com.

[Mathwiz]

Wouldn't you know that the XP and Win 7 versions of these games use different servers and different protocols. It's almost as if M$ planned this from the very beginning

[Destro]

solution is just install the vista ir 7 version on XP.  thats if u really play these games but I think very few do.

[UCyborg]

Games from newer Windows except some API functions not present on XP. There are alternatives online. I suppose messing with XP games would be more of an academic thing.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Games NOT working on my niece computer with Win 7 Pro either. Server error..

[i430VX]

I just connected to a checkers game last night on win7... you sure it wasn't the PC?