King’s Quest 1 Game Technical Help
It is recommended that the game be played in DOS and not under Windows. There are no patches or specific technical documents for this game. If you have a collection version of this game, you may need to install it manually if the collection’s setup program did not correctly install it for you.
King’s Quest 1 Installation Requirements
PC PROCESSOR: AGI-88 8MHz or SCI-88 8MHz
PC RAM: AGI-256K or SCI-512K
PC RAM CONVENTIONAL: AGI-140K or SCI-417K
MAC PROCESSOR: MAC 512K
MAC RAM: 512K for Black and White or 1 MB for Color
MAC VIDEO CARD: Any
King’s Quest 1 Installation Procedures
This game should run off your computer’s hard drive. If you have a collection CD-ROM version, do not try to run it straight of the CD. You should not be in Windows. If you are in Windows, quit now (unless you are using Windows ME in which there is no DOS mode). King’s Quest collection games can be a hassle to install because the main installation program might fail, and you have to install each game individually, using their original installation programs.
King’s Quest 1 Original:
You should not be in Windows. If you are in Windows, quit now. Insert the first CD and change to that drive. For example, if your CD-ROM drive is D:, type D: [ENTER]. From the D:> prompt, type:
CD\KQ1 [ENTER]
INSTALL C: [ENTER] C is the letter of your hard drive.
If you have the original floppy diskette, insert it into floppy drive and change to that drive. For example, if your floppy diskette drive is A:, type A: [ENTER]. From the A:> prompt, type:
INSTALL C: [ENTER] C is the letter of your hard drive.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.
King’s Quest 1 Remake:
You should not be in Windows. If you are in Windows, quit now. Insert the first CD and change to that drive. For example, if your CD-ROM drive is D:, type D: [ENTER]. From the D:> prompt, type:
CD\KQ1SCI [ENTER]
INSTALL [ENTER]
If you have the original floppy diskette, insert it into floppy drive and change to that drive. For example, if your floppy diskette drive is A:, type A: [ENTER]. From the A:> prompt, type INSTALL [ENTER]
Follow the on-screen prompts. When you reach the Installation Options screen, make sure the settings are correct. Older games often detect today’s 16-bit sound cards incorrectly, so check to MUSIC setting. You will probably get the best sound with SOUNDBLASTER/ADLIB choice. For best game performance, select “Do not use extra memory” for the MEMORY option.
Other Contact Information
If you need more technical support, then try SierraHelp.com. More experienced players might be able to help you out relatively quickly.
Here is the support page for King’s Quest 1 AGI (original).
Here is the support page for King’s Quest 1 SCI (remake).
On this page you’ll find a patch for fixing the opening and closing credits on KQ1 SCI.
There’s also a page on running KQ1 SCI on Windows XP, which mentions you’ll need to run a program like DOSBox for sound. They have a great guide to DOSBox.
Note that while you can get King’s Quest 1 on CD-ROM in the King’s Quest Collection or the Roberta Williams Anthology, you cannot get either version of the game on a CD-ROM by itself. It will have to be in a collection. If you are looking for the original King’s Quest 1 for the PCjr (the true original version), your best bet is to keep an eye out for anyone who might put it up for trade or auction online.