The Golden Compass

How to Play

The game with NoDVD has been tested on Windows XP, Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 10, it works fine

Install & play guide:

• Mount the ISO image with disc image utility, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite, etc. Or, if you have WinRAR installed, extract the files from ISO image
• Install the game (if autorun doesn't work - simply launch the installation from Setup.exe inside the disc). It is recommended to install the game not in default path, but in some other, non-system folder, like C:/Games/The Golden Compass
• If you installed European Multi-4 release of the game (English, Czech, Polish & Russian languages) - additionally install the patch v1.1. This patch is not required for other releases!
• Then use NoDVD, simply copy CompassW32 from the archive and put it into game directory
• Open the directory with installed game and find CompassW32. Right click on CompassW32 -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows XP" and "Run as administrator"
• Launch the game and play. If the game doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP - try to launch it in compatibility mode with other version of Windows (Windows 2000, Vista, Windows 7, etc.)

Notes:

• If the installation doesn't start - try to launch Setup.exe in compatibility mode with old version of Windows (98, 2000 or XP)
• It is recommended to install all versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and NET Framework for the correct work of the game. Also it is recommended to install K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of in-game videos
• The game works on DirectX 9, so if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - you need to enable DirectPlay: Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer
• All game releases are multilingual, the language can be changed in the launcher or in game settings. There may be a bug in the game where the game language switches back to the default English language every time you launch it, you will need to change the language every time
• The patch v1.1 is only for the European Multi-4 release of the game (English, Czech, Polish & Russian languages). It fixes some localization files and does not affect the executable file, so you can use the same NoDVD. This patch is not required for other releases!
• NoDVD is required for the launch because the game is using SafeDisc DRM protection, which doesn't work correctly on modern systems. NoDVD "cracks" DRM protection and allows to run the game without the disc. If you see error that there's not enough space on the hard drive when you copy NoDVD files - re-install the game in non-system folder, like D:/Games/The Golden Compass, Windows Protection may block copying of files to system folders (like C:/Program Files or C:/Windows)
• If you have problem with broken sound effects or disappearing sound - first try to change the sound settings. If it didn't work - set sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz or 24 bit, 44100 Hz. Read this guide how to do that
• The game has full controller support and should work fine any model of gamepad. But if the game doesn't recognize your gamepad - try using one of the additional tools from PCGamingWiki guide for controllers