DirectDraw Init Failure - Windows 95

[AttkBeast]

I'm trying to play Links LS 1998 on a Windows 95 virtual machine (VMware Workstation 16 Player) but when I start the game, I immediately get a "DirectDraw Init failure" and the game ceases to load.

When trying to re-install DirectX ver. 4, it shows me that the subsystem components all come up "Certified" except one. The Display driver says "No Hardware Support." I don't know if that the problem but it could be.

I have VMware tools installed, so the display drivers should be okay. Everything else works great.

Can anyone tell me how to fix this "DirectDraw Init failure"?

Thank you!

[ajgringo619]

According to the VMware Compatibility Guide, the last release that supported Windows 95 was version 9.

[AttkBeast]

Version 9 (dxwebsetup) would not install for Windows 95 but DirectX v.8.0 did work. However, I still get the failure alert. So, at this point I don't believe it is the DirectX.

When I run the diag, it says the VMware svga driver is not certified by Windows. My assumption at this point is that the svga driver provided by VMware Tools needs to be certified by Microsoft for DirectDraw to work.

Any opinions on this?

[ajgringo619]

Has this ever worked, or is this your first test with VMware? What is your host OS?

[AttkBeast]

This is my first time using VMware to this extent and I haven't gotten the game to work yet. I'm using a Windows 10 laptop.