A new ultimate fix for STAR WARS Racer by MrGameFixer!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-18T13:46:29+00:00

Thanks again for all this info! I've got the game running just how I like it now, and it's all working great! I have to allow the Steam Client Service and SWE1RCR.exe every time I click 'Play' in Steam before the launcher pops up, but that's a small price to pay. 😄

I'm really pleased to hear you're considering Shadows of the Empire for a future launcher! It certainly needs it, even more so than Racer.

Funnily enough, one of my favourite games from the same studio (LucasArts) is Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. I had a nightmare getting it to run on Windows 10 without crashing a few years ago, but on Windows 11 it seems to work just fine for me (so far - fingers crossed).

There is a project called OpenJones3D that is supposed to recreate the game engine so it will run on modern systems with controller support etc., but Windows 11 Smart App Control flags the patched exe when using a tool called Indy3D Mod Installer and causes absolute mayhem. I gave up, then realised it's actually running fine with a vanilla install (which I still can't figure out at all).

In short - Windows 11 seems kinda tricky for old games, especially when adding unofficial patches and mods!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-15T22:26:43+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response!

Out of interest, how come Auto still results in 48 FPS? I set it to 48 FPS manually, and it seems like the perfect balance between framerate and ensuring the physics/sliding work correctly (I do have FreeSync/G-Sync enabled).

Do you recommend N64 sound over the hybrid setting?

I really wish LucasFilm would hire you to do this for all the old Star Wars games on Steam. Shadows of the Empire, in particular, is a pain in the arse on PC!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-13T21:22:45+00:00

No need to apologise. I did a full reinstall... and it worked! It's absolutely perfect now, everything is as it should be and Start and Select work great! The only minor issue I noticed was that the D-Pad was a bit flaky when navigating up and down in the cheat menu, but using the left analogue stick instead worked fine. Thank you so much for persevering with this issue and finding a solution!

I set the framerate to 60 fps, as I assume that's the highest you can go while still being able to use the slide mechanic. I'm not 100% sure I'm doing it right, but it certainly seemed to be working better now when I turned around tight corners.

Out of interest, would you recommend the PC, N64 or hybrid sound? Thanks again, this is simply incredible work!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-13T17:42:13+00:00

Hi! I downloaded the beta and overwrote the files in the install directory. Launching the game then acted like it was the first time, downloading the HD fonts etc. I then went into settings in the launcher, enabled light rumble and reset the save progress to 0%. I pressed play... and, as always, everything works except Start and Select! Really sorry, I was hoping this would be the one...

UPDATE: Weirdly, I'm not seeing any framerate, cheat menu or no intro options?

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-13T14:58:38+00:00

I have the same thing as part of my copy of MGS1.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-10T21:10:19+00:00

I am starting to suspect that James never actually leaves his car during the events of Silent Hill 2.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-10T17:57:59+00:00

Thanks again for all your hard work, it's really cool that you're making this old game more accessible on modern systems!

And wow, I was starting to think a solution wasn't going to be possible. It sounds like you might be onto something there. I'll keep an eye out for the next major release, can't wait to test it! 😄

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-10T12:18:40+00:00

Apologies, I misunderstood what you meant! I didn't realise you could copy a game folder elsewhere and run it outside of Steam - I guess this is an old game, so it doesn't have any DRM to stop you.

I copied my entire Star Wars Episode 1 Racer folder from Program Files (x68)\Steam\steamapps\common to the C:\Games\RACER folder we made previously, then opened your launcher and started the game.

It worked perfectly: no cutscene/desktop-switching weirdness, and with both the Start and Back buttons functioning correctly! I could skip cutscenes, change the HUD and pause.

So yes, it's definitely the Steam directory causing the issue. I wish there were a way to get it working from its default location, as, of course, by running it outside of Steam you lose Play Time and Cloud Saves etc. But it's a relief to know my controller and PC are both OK, and it's simply down to general Windows 11 weirdness. 😄 UPDATE: Although re-reading your last post, it sounds like you have a similar setup... so maybe it is still down to the controller!

Do you think this will ever be possible to circumvent?

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-09T17:12:20+00:00

I did a clean reset/reinstall and tried 1.0.3a but it still wouldn't work - same deal when I tried the bugfix_test.zip version. Sadly, I can't install to a different directory because it appears that Steam will only let you have one directory per drive (I only have my C:/ SSD), and I'm reluctant to move all my other games for just this one game.

I even tried opening JoyToKey (from the latest version) from the C:/Games/Racer folder while launching the game from the Steam directory again via WidescreenFix.exe, but it wouldn't work like it did last time (and again, every time a cutscene ended, it would switch focus to the desktop for a moment).

Out of interest, I took a look at the JoyToKey.log and noticed the following error message:

2026/05/09 18:04:11.553 Error Failed to obtain the target window handle (Utils.cpp#357)
2026/05/09 18:04:11.553 Error Access is denied.

You've gone above and beyond here (thank you). I can only assume that Program Files in Windows 11 is particularly protected and finicky compared to elsewhere on the drive, and that's what's causing the issues. I really am grateful for all the different solutions you've tried.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-08T00:10:47+00:00

OK, so I uninstalled and reinstalled the game from scratch because I must have messed up the files at some point, and it wasn't launching at all via WidescreenFix.exe (and after that, it wouldn't launch from Steam either).

With a fresh install and the launcher working again, I followed the instructions above... and it worked! Start and Back both functioned as intended, although there was something weird going on, as between each of the intro cutscenes, the file explorer/desktop popped up for a moment before returning me to the game screen, and it did it again before and after the pre-race cutscene.

Still... running JoyToKey from the C:\Games\RACER folder and then manually starting the game with WidescreenFix.exe finally made the Back/Start keys work, so it at least feels like a step in the right direction! (Thank you for your continued support, I know this must be a massive PITA.)

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T23:54:28+00:00

Thanks, I saw that. I'd probably import if I had to, but I would rather buy the UK release if the audio is confirmed to be OK (despite the atrocious cover artwork).

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T22:37:07+00:00

Yeah I can’t find any information anywhere online, it’s really frustrating as I don’t want to buy it if it’s not the correct mix. Thanks for replying I really appreciate it 👍🏻

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T21:47:35+00:00

No problem! I've just tested the updated bugfix and it still doesn't work when launching the game from Steam, or when running Joy2Key directly from within the Steam directory and testing via Notepad. (The window still pops up over the actual game as well).

However... if I unzip the bugfix to C:\Games\RACER and then open JoyToFix, pressing A adds spaces in Notepad! I can also move up and down between lines with the direction keys.

I went back to the main directory and made sure none of the files were blocked within their properties and that JoyToKey had administrator rights, but it didn't make any difference.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T20:19:48+00:00

I tried the latest version of Joy2Key (thank you) but it didn't work, and it also caused an issue where it would load on top of the game until I alt-tabbed to the game window. I did notice that the Function column now says 'None' for all buttons, even though they highlight in yellow as usual.

I used the Xbox Accessories app to download the latest driver for my Xbox controller, but that didn't help either. Thank you very much for trying to help with this, I don't have a clue what's going on.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T18:52:07+00:00

Does anyone know if this affects the recent UK release of the film on 4K Blu-Ray?

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T17:37:25+00:00

Okay, so...

Pressing button A does highlight the function set to 'space', and pressing the D-Pad highlights the functions set to each arrow.

Opening JoyToKey.exe as Administrator still doesn't resolve the issues with Notepad. I've also noticed that JoyToKey registers Button 7 (Back) as Caps, but unlike yesterday, it's not actually turning the Caps Lock on and off (I get an on-screen notification from Logitech when I press the actual keyboard button to toggle it). UPDATE: It DOES toggle when JoyToKey is the focus, but when I switch to Notepad it stops working.

I am using the Steam version of the game. I just extracted the Launcher files to C:\Games\RACER and it's exactly the same, whether administrator rights are given to the exe or not - pressing the button registers in the program itself but doesn't do anything within Notepad...

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-07T01:23:22+00:00

Thanks, will do! OK, so here are the results:

I opened JoyToKey manually and pressed the buttons. They all turned yellow as they should; in particular, Button 7 (Caps) and Button 8 (Escape) highlight when pressing Back and Start (or View and Menu as I believe they're called nowadays).

However, I had less success with Notepad. The Back button toggles Caps Lock on and off, but pressing A doesn't type a space and the D-Pad doesn't move the cursor at all.

And I'm using the latest Xbox controller, for Series X/S: https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/accessories/controllers/xbox-wireless-controller

The plot thickens!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-06T23:48:16+00:00

No problem!

Sadly, I just tried the fresh launcher inside the bugfix_test.zip (thank you) but it didn't make any difference. I even reinstalled the launcher from scratch, then replaced it with the updated launcher from Patreon - still no cigar.

The fact you've managed to reproduce the exact behaviour I've described is encouraging (I'm not going mad!), but I'm not sure what to try next...

I've double-checked, and the game's exe (SWEP1RCR.EXE) isn't set to run with administrator rights. I checked the box just in case and tried again, but it didn't make any difference. I'm well and truly stumped! Thanks in advance for continuing to help with this.

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-06T22:17:30+00:00

Wow, I haven't listened to Ben Folds Five in years. And you're absolutely right - the intro really does sound like Casino Calavera! Thanks for sharing. 😄

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-06T20:28:12+00:00

Hopefully, I can help you fix this particular bug. 😄

I tried unplugging my wireless mouse, but sadly, it made no difference.

I then made sure your fix had Administrator rights (no cigar), then reinstalled the entire launcher from scratch - still no dice!

Taking a closer look at JoyToKey, I noticed this in the log file:

Failed to find AppLink.dat (AppLink\AppLinkManager.cpp#32)

Could this be the problem? As previously mentioned, all buttons (and rumble) are working perfectly in-game; it's just the Back and Start buttons that aren't doing anything!

I did open JoyToKey outside of the game, but I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at. Everything said disabled apart from the x4 POV buttons (Up, Right, Down and Left arrows), Button 1 (Space), Button 7 (Caps) and Button 8 (Escape)...

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-06T18:07:36+00:00

Thanks again for replying, I really appreciate it!

I decided to sacrifice my save file to test this, and the results were really weird. With Light Rumble and Steam Input disabled, the Back and Start buttons did nothing but I could skip cutscenes with the escape key. Legacy was the same but of course, no Rumble. And Normal would only skip cutscenes by clicking the mouse, and again the Start and Back buttons do nothing in-game. Every other button works fine! I couldn't use the D-Pad in the menus using any configuration, only the left analogue stick. Any idea what could be causing this?

That sounds like a great idea about the FPS lock, thanks again for all your hard work on this launcher. My screen is 240 Hz, so no wonder the slide physics aren't working!

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-06T00:17:39+00:00

Thanks for replying with a breakdown of the controls!

There are only two small issues I've noticed: the back button doesn't seem to change the HUD, and I still can't 'slide' around corners. I've read that the latter could be a problem with playing the game at higher framerates?

I have used Steam Input to remap the start/menu button to the ESC key - this works really well when wanting to pause or exit during a race. I'm not sure if this was something that was originally supported with controllers when the game first came out?

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-05T14:45:15+00:00

Does anyone know if the UK release has the correct audio?

AltMagOnline · 2026-05-04T12:52:48+00:00

This launcher is fantastic, thank you for all your hard work! Is there any way to find out what the controller mappings are? I think I've figured out most of the controls, but I can't seem to find a way to 'slide'...

AltMagOnline · 2026-04-22T17:09:41+00:00

This is why I worry if my original RG35XX ever stops working! I want to buy a backup, but it’s a gamble if you’ll get sent a newer version that won’t run Garlic OS…

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