GRE Powerprep Tips

or directly from here:

2. Open Crossover and choose Install Software from the Configure menu

3. Install unsupported software in a new XP bottle. Choose Installer File and select the downloaded .exe. The installer should run normally, just follow the instructions.

4. Go to 'Manage Bottles...' in the 'Configure' menu. Select the new bottle you just created. Select the 'Control Panel' tab. Select 'winecfg' and click 'Launch selected item'. In winecfg, select the 'Graphics' tab. Check 'Emaulate a virtual desktop' and set 'Desktop size' to 640 x 480. Click 'OK'. (This will prevent PowerPrep from taking over full screen, which is a real pain, especially when it hangs. This also eliminates the need to rename modeswap.exe as in the previous tip. With this method, PowerPrep will think it is running full screen at 640x480, but it will actually be in a window that is simulating that environment.)

5. (Without this .dll in the same folder as the .exe, PowerPrep will open to a black screen and then immediately crash.)

Copy: '~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles/[YourBottleName]/drive_c/windows/system/MFC250.DLL'

to: '~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles/[YourBottleName]/drive_c/Program Files/ETS/PPGRE/PPREP/'

(This applies specifically to Mac OS X. I assume other operating systems would be something similar, but I cannot test it. '~/' refers to your home directory. [YourBottleName] should be the bottle that you installed PowerPrep into)

6. (When you try to start a practice test, PowerPrep will try to load this .dll from the same directory as the .exe)

7. Fire it up and see what happens. I still can't get a practice test to come up... it just hangs. So close! :-(