(c) Paul Gardiner 2002-2008
These are the Descent II installation instructions for Windows XP.  If you wish to run under Windows 98 or ME then try the original instructions which deal with those operating systems.

Initial use of Glidos requires a number of steps.  Click on the list items below in turn to see detailed instructions.  You will save yourself a lot of problems if you read through these instructions thoroughly.  If you run into any problems try the support page.

Install VDMSound

Most modern sound card drivers don't adequately support DOS games.  I strongly recommend you download VDMSound.  It is free, can be installed with a single click and seems to work with all DOS games and all sound cards.  The instructions from here on assume that you have downloaded and installed VDMSound.

Install Descent II

There is now a very easy way to install Descent II for Glidos.  First install in the usual way from the CD, not worrying too much about configuration, except for ensuring that you install to C:\Games\Descent2.  Then download D2ForGlidos.exe.  This is an archive containing a preconfigured installation, minus the game content, ready for use with Glidos.  Run it and it will update your installation.

Download and install Glidos

Just go to the download page and click the link to the latest Glidos_vXX.exe file, save it to disc and double-click it to start the install process.  The installer will put a shortcut on your desktop, unless you tell it not to.  You may have to install Glidos using an account with administrator privileges. 

Run Glidos and play Descent II with high-quality graphics

We're there!  Just double-click the Glidos shortcut on your Desktop, select "Descent II" from the dropdown list, and click the "Start game" button.  Be careful not to let the game autostart when you insert the CD; always start the game with the Glidos button.  You can use the "Adjust" button to select full-screen mode and change the resolution.

You may need to run Glidos from an account that has administartor privileges. 

Enable mouse support

Mouse support is enabled by default, but only when Glidos is set to run in full screen mode.  Of course this works only if Descent II's controls options are configured to use the mouse.

Buy Glidos to get rid of the spinning logo

You shouldn't run into any problems with Glidos when playing the first two levels of Descent II, but as you start the third an annoying, spinning logo will appear.  The hope is that you like Glidos enough that you would like to contribute $10 to its further development, and that the spinning logo is sufficiently annoying to make you get around to doing so.  For details of how to get rid of the logo, take a look at the purchasing page.
Acknowledgements