Running an old OpenGL application

[DaroRaider]

Hello people,
Well, I'm new here so... Hi everyone! :P
Well i write to you because I want to know how to run an old Opengl based application which was coded using the first version (1.2, I think).
The app is one where you can load 3d models from a binary file. The fact is, when i want to render the models i get an exception error message.
I used to use this program with my old Pentium 4 computer with an Onboard graphic chip, but with my newest PC, which has a Geforce 9800 GT PCI-E card, I simply get that annoying error...
I guessed it was something related to drivers... I went to the nVidia homepage and downloaded the latest driver and still the app doesn't work.
As I told you, in some machines from 2000-2006 I can make it run. My conclusion is that the graphic card has something to do here if I'm not wrong at all.
Is there a chance to make run a program coded with an older GL library on a PC with a recent graphic card?
Waiting for your answer!!
Thanks in advance!

[Dark Photon]

Hello people,
Well, I'm new here so... Hi everyone! :P

Hi! Welcome!

...I want to know how to run an old Opengl based application which was coded using the first version (1.2, I think). The app is one where you can load 3d models from a binary file. The fact is, when i want to render the models i get an exception error message.

What is the specific "exception error message"? These can happen for many reasons, many of which have nothing to do with your graphics driver.

Do you have the source for your example program? If so, recompile it. Still happen? If so, play with it a bit (disable/comment out certain features) and see what's causing the exception and try running a memory debugger on it. If still problems, post the portion that you think is causing the problem, if in fact it does have something to do with OpenGL.

[DaroRaider]

Hello,
I have attached you a pic where you can see the app throwing the error.

http://s2.subirimagenes.com/otros/pr...60050error.jpg

As you see, I'm loading the file but... when I have to build the textures table into the OpenGL buffers the problem jumps.
This is happening with every file I load.
Mmhhh, I do not own the source code... the program was coded in 2001 and who coded it may have lost the files.
Do you mean that the solution is to recompile the app with a newer opengl library?
Thanks again!

[Dark Photon]

Hello,
I have attached you a pic where you can see the app throwing the error.

It's so minified I can't tell anything except that there's a dialog box there.

Again, what is the specific exception error message text? I'm still not clear what makes you so sure this is an OpenGL problem.

Mmhhh, I do not own the source code... the program was coded in 2001 and who coded it may have lost the files.
Do you mean that the solution is to recompile the app with a newer opengl library?

No, not necessarily. But if you had the source, you could throw it at the compiler and see if it catches the code doing something dumb. And if not, you could add some checks to it (glGetError, etc.) to verify that it isn't doing something dumb.

Without code, your hands are a bit tied. You could run the Windows equivalent of "strace" (if such a thing exists) and get some idea what the program is trying to do when it falls off a cliff.

[Zenja]

GDebugger let's you trace all OpenGL calls, effectively reverse engineering the app... How else do you think the driver writers learn how to optimise their drivers per application. The 160Mb driver you download has a 6 Mb (guessing) actual driver, and 154mb remainder is an application API call translation table...