There is a registry fix available here: http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/legacy-video-troubleshooting

The above page also has other common video problems with Starcraft.

This has been posted before but it was in a thread called "Starcraft bugs". I think this should be stickied with a more helpful name.

Edit: Updated link

Wooh. Yay.

Yay it's finally fixed!

Opening the Screen Resolution window (or maybe just the properties window - I can't remember) also does it, iirc. It's a possibility if this doesn't work for whatever reason.

(I'd check, but... Linux =/= W7.)

Yes, the resolution window (or closing explorer.exe) does work, but this is the proper fix.

Interestingly enough, Microsoft actually included this fix for Starcraft (and I believe Diablo 2?) when they released Vista. But it works on specific versions of the software only, so the fix that Microsoft included only works for Starcraft 1.15.something.

Isn't this fix just making SC run in compatibility mode? That's like, the first thing you should try when you upgrade your OS and older programs don't work as expected.

Even in compatibility mode, the colors may still glitch. Ever since I downloaded this registry key, I haven't had a single color problem.

Quote from Dem0nS1ayer

Even in compatibility mode, the colors may still glitch. Ever since I downloaded this registry key, I haven't had a single color problem.

This, I've been playing in windowed mode for a while now. This is awesome!

That fix has been out for like a year or two now. It doesn't turn on comparability modes, it simply forces Vista/7 to use DirectDraw(or something like that) through registry changes. I've made a guide on how to fix these color problems: http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Starcraft-Problems-in-Vista

There's lots of info in this thread too: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23214533181&sid=3000

Quote from Roy

Isn't this fix just making SC run in compatibility mode? That's like, the first thing you should try when you upgrade your OS and older programs don't work as expected.

No, compatibility mode does not fix the problem.

Quote from xboi209

That fix has been out for like a year or two now.

Yes, it has been out for a long time, but a lot of people on this forum didn't know about it. Farty asked me about it yesterday in the shoutbox.

That's why I think this thread should be stickied. Blizzard themselves have done a very poor job of circulating the information about the fix (could easily be added to the b.net sign-on message for example).

But it really should be stickied together with the "ddemulate" command line parameter which fixes battle.net's ping bars and the picture in front of the name with the stars. It's really just writing "...\StarCraft.exe ddemulate" into your shortcut.

Quote from Lanthanide

Quote from Roy

Isn't this fix just making SC run in compatibility mode? That's like, the first thing you should try when you upgrade your OS and older programs don't work as expected.

No, compatibility mode does not fix the problem.

Quote from xboi209

That fix has been out for like a year or two now.

Yes, it has been out for a long time, but a lot of people on this forum didn't know about it. Farty asked me about it yesterday in the shoutbox.

That's why I think this thread should be stickied. Blizzard themselves have done a very poor job of circulating the information about the fix (could easily be added to the b.net sign-on message for example).

Yeah Blizzard didn't spread the word about this fix, it feels like some Blizzard employee who still cares about Blizzard's older games stuck the fix in there.

Quote from Ahli

But it really should be stickied together with the "ddemulate" command line parameter which fixes battle.net's ping bars and the picture in front of the name with the stars. It's really just writing "...\StarCraft.exe ddemulate" into your shortcut.

What shortcut?

Also, thanks for that, Lant!

Quote from payne

Quote from Ahli

But it really should be stickied together with the "ddemulate" command line parameter which fixes battle.net's ping bars and the picture in front of the name with the stars. It's really just writing "...\StarCraft.exe ddemulate" into your shortcut.

What shortcut?

Also, thanks for that, Lant!

If you create a shortcut with the "ddemulate" command in the Target field, you can see the icons and lat bars again

Quote from xboi209

That fix has been out for like a year or two now. It doesn't turn on comparability modes, it simply forces Vista/7 to use DirectDraw(or something like that) through registry changes. I've made a guide on how to fix these color problems: http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Starcraft-Problems-in-Vista

There's lots of info in this thread too: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23214533181&sid=3000

Starcraft always used DirectDraw for graphics.

Quote from Heinermann

Quote from xboi209

That fix has been out for like a year or two now. It doesn't turn on comparability modes, it simply forces Vista/7 to use DirectDraw(or something like that) through registry changes. I've made a guide on how to fix these color problems: http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Starcraft-Problems-in-Vista

There's lots of info in this thread too: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23214533181&sid=3000

Starcraft always used DirectDraw for graphics.

But Vista/7 makes Starcraft use something else

404 Not found.



I've uploaded the files for future reference.

Made a comment on my support site containing the 2 fixes you should do on Windows 7/Vista
They also contain a link to the files.

I've gotten very frustrated at the inability to minimize&restore StarCraft without the colors being messed up, even after applying blizzards registry fix. Exploring alternatives, I found that keeping explorer.exe closed while StarCraft's open maintains color integrity while minimizing&restoring. But... opening StarCraft, then using task manager to shut down explorer.exe, then switching to StarCraft, and after you're done, reopening explorer.exe... seems like quite the hassle.

The sensible approach, as suggested elsewhere, is to use a batch file to handle everything. Paste your code of choice into a notepad, alter the necessary parts, hit save as, change save as type to All Files, and change the file-name to StarCraft.bat

If you're simply opening vanilla StarCraft, this code should do:

Code

replace "INSTALLPATH" with wherever your StarCraft exe is located, ex:

Code

Quote

"Wait, what about my desktop!?"

Since the batch closes your desktop you may want to add a line of code that opens a folder (ie: your desktop, the C: drive) so you can still open stuff on your computer when you minimize.

Code

Replace: Administrator, with your username to open your desktop.

Quote

"What about my anti-hacks?"

Personally I like to run anti-hacks while I game, but to do so I have to launch StarCraft from a different program - if you are in a similar situation, the best solution is to start the other program with this batch. Simply replace the path to the StarCraft exe (or, "INSTALLPATH") with the path to your program - after running the batch, you can launch StarCraft from the other program as you normally would.

---

Add the bells and whistles and you'll come out with something like this:

Code

I remember I updated my Vista computer to service pack 2 and it helped fix my starcraft color issues. Maybe microsoft issued a fix relating to directdraw or something?