SUCCESS - ATI Radeon 9600 not the problem

[CeeCee]

Have an ATI Radeon 9600 video card and NVIDEA sound card. They weren’t the problem after all. After several unsuccessful install/unstalls using forum and other web suggestions, and video and sound drivers having been updated, tried yet again.

This time I did a start/search for any Civ IV files or documents, and found that I had left some files in a folder I had created and labeled Civilization IV. That file was within a file called games, a file I had also created for all my notes made on the different games I have on my computer.

Evidently, CivIV had loaded some files, during one of my attempts at installation, into this remotely located games file.

With my sound drivers reinstalled with updated drivers, as somehow the sound had been knocked out during my manic attacks upon my computer, my ATI drivers updated, I then got rid of EVERYTHING Civ IV. Installed game successfully.

Been playing for two days and the better part of one night. No problems. Smile.

[James009]

So you had multiple installations at once and/or it was trying to use remote files outside of game directory.

What were your initial problem prior to doing this?

I'm kinda confused because I have the same card and sound driver. What exacly did you do to fix whatever it was that was broken?

[CeeCee]

Step 1: Installed Civ IV on my computer.
Step 2: Anticipating great joy, loaded Civ IV. Or rather, tried to.
Step 3: Went online and found 20 page solution for problems caused by older video or directX drivers (especially ATI) on www.2kgames.com Civ4 support.
Step 4: Followed steps through page 17, where it states, “You should load into the game without error and …”
Step 5: Game did not load. Think I got another error report.
Step 6: Went back to above-mentioned page 17. “Unpacking the Art Pack File:” Followed all the directions through page 20.
Step 7: During loading, and by now my attention was focused enough to really remember what happened, the game shut down, leaving me staring at my desktop. No explanation or offer of suggested link to go to. Nothing. Just stopped loading and shut down.
Step 8: Did steps 4 - 7 again, using slight variation (see Step 12).
Step 9: Uninstalled Civ4 with the start/settings/control panel/add or remove programs, went to My Documents\My Games, and deleted the Civilization 4 folder as instructed, again.
Step 10: Inserted Sid Meier’s Civilization 4 Disc 1 into CD-ROM drive. Ran DXSETUP.exe from Disc 1, again.
Step 11: Removed ATI drivers again. There didn’t seem to be as many ATI programs in there this time. Wondered about that, but by this time did not care that bits and pieces of software were disappearing.
Step 12: Downloaded ATI’s latest driver for my card. This time did not follow directions, but instead used the High Speed download pack.
Step 13: Continued through page 20.
Step 14: Game would not finish loading.
Step 15: Figured I’d call my son that evening and request he stop by and look at my computer.
Step 16: Loaded Civ III. NO SOUND. No sound on my computer - at all.
Step 16: Called aforementioned son, the very one who had bought this game as a wonderful present for me. Called him at the software business where he works. Whined, cried, and generally sounded like a certain large and furry Star Wars character. Son promised to come over after work.
Step 16: My son came over and worked his usual magic. Sound restored. Somehow, he claims, I had deleted my drivers. I never went near NVIDIA while in the Add or Remove Programs. However, he could not get the game properly installed either. He told me that along with everyone else with an ATI card I’d just need to wait for the patch which would probably be out in a couple of days.
Step 17: My son and husband, out of pity, loaded Civ IV on my husband’s computer.
Step 18: The next day, I took pity upon my husband. He was no longer eating or moving much. He is a Flight Simmer. Withdrawals had set in.
Step 19: With a great show of martyrdom, I gave his computer back to him. With a conquering spirit I attacked my computer. It being the weekend by then, I went forth fearlessly. I knew my son was only ten minutes away.
Step 20: Probably because of his vast store of experience with Flight Sim (those guys load and unload programs daily as new scenery or meshes or marshes come out), my husband suggested I look for residual files that might have been left behind.
Step 21: I found a file that Civ 4 had obligingly stuffed during one of the installs made upon my computer. It was C:\Games. That was a folder created for me to place trivia or notes about the different games on my computer.
Step 22: With all folders and files having anything to do with Civilization IV deleted, with Civilization IV taken out at the start/settings/control panel/add or remove programs, with the knowledge my son had installed the latest drivers for both my video and sound cards, I plopped Disk 1, then Disk 2, into my CD-Rom drive.
Step 23: I doubled clicked the Civ IV icon on my desk and began a new game. Many hours later, approximately 4:32 AM Sunday morning, 06 November 2005, I saved the game and snuck into the bed.
Step 24: The next day I created a new folder for trivia and notes for Civ IV, entitled C:\Games\Addiction Four.

Today, I posted my first note to a forum, because I thought maybe someone else might benefit from my pain.

[coolsaucex]

So what exactly was the problem? I'm confused

[CeeCee]

I tried to install Civ IV without updating my drivers for my video card, a 9600 ATI Radeon, or my NVIDIA sound card. The initial install failed. After much ado, the game finally installed. However, the game would then not load.

Solution: Before installing Civ IV, update video and sound drivers AND make certain there are no folders anywhere on the computer labeled Civilization IV.

I’m not a tech, so I can’t help with anything other than my own experience. Good luck. Civ IV is great.