Take 2 gives stupid answer

[seebs]

Take 2 gave me a list of random things to try totally unrelated to my problem.

My favorite, though, is the suggestion to run in compatibility mode. Perhaps if they'd ever tried the retail version, they'd know that their copy protection won't let you do this.

[wrak_nj]

I've (finally) received a response from take2 as well... here it is:

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for contacting Take 2 Technical Support.

I have a few steps for you to try but if the problem remains please send a directx diagnostic report so we can look into the problem further.

Close all background applications by clicking on start, run and type msconfig. Click on the startup tab and select disable all. Apply then close and restart the pc as prompted.

Empty the temporary files folder by clicking on start, run and type %temp%. Click on the Edit menu then Select all and then press delete.

Uninstall the game, then reinstall. If you have any problems manually uninstall the game.
Open My Computer then open the Local Disk (C
Open the program files folder.
Click on the tools menu then choose folder options
Click on the view tab and tick the box labelled "show hidden files and folders". Press OK
Open the installshield installation information folder
Search for a folder named {CFBCE791-2D53-4FCE-B3BF-D6E01F4112E8}
Right click on the folder and choose rename. Press the End key on the keyboard and type the word OLD. Press the enter key Insert the Civilization IV install CD and open My Computer. Right click on
the CD drive and choose explore,
Locate the setup.exe file and double click.

This will replace and overwrite any missing components that were preventing the game from being uninstalled normally
To uninstall the game, go to Control Panel>> Add/Remove programs and highlight the game in the list. Choose change/remove and follow the onscreen prompts

If at all possible try reinstalling the game on a second drive.

Update both the video card and the sound card drivers, which can be obtained from the manufacturers web site for the video/sound card.

Run compatibility mode for the game. Right click on the game's shortcut and select properties. Click on the compatibility tab and run the game in windows 2000 mode. If that doesnt help try 98/me mode.

If none of the above help please send more information by clicking on start, run and type dxdiag. Click on save all information save the file to the desktop and attach it to a reply email.

Usually the graphical issue is caused by the video card drivers being out of date, which you can check by clicking on start, then run and type dxdiag. Click on the display tab, the driver information is on the right, and the chip type on the left. Update the video card drivers at the manufacturers web site.


Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.

Kind Regards,
Take 2 Technical Support

It's obviously just yet another case of copy-and-paste automated "support". Here's why:

• I already sent them a directx diagnostic in the first place
• Part of the dx diag and my e-mail stated that I was using win 2000 - win 2000 does not have the msconfig program.
• I'd already made it very clear that I had installed the latest versions of the sound and video drivers.
• Win 2000 does not have "compatibility mode" (not that this mode ever really does much successful anyway)

Basically, it's just a crappy automated response to make it look like they actually know anything or care.

Nothing they've listed is anything not listed already - and as for "installing the game on a different drive".... what the heck are these people smoking? How exactly is that going to make ANY difference?

Am I bitter? Of course I am! I wanted to play the *************** **** *** ***** ***** game, not watch my computer crash.

[Greentrees]

I got told to update my video drivers to the latest version.

I don't know what part of "I've already updated the video, sound and chipset drivers, as well as the BIOS to the latest versions" that they didn't understand.

[sigh] It's hard to get good help these days

[Darg]

Installing on a second drive actually fixed the problems I had from the first time I installed the game but new ones are now popping up every day.
Lucky thing I have a third drive.. after that i hope the patch is out.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by wrak_nj

• Part of the dx diag and my e-mail stated that I was using win 2000 - win 2000 does not have the msconfig program.
• Win 2000 does not have "compatibility mode" (not that this mode ever really does much successful anyway)

Well that's odd that Win2000 does not have msconfig, even Win98 has msconfig. Just use the run command from the start and enter msconfig.

But the best is the compatibility mode suggesting to run the game in Win2000 compatibility mode on Win2000, and if this doesn't help use Win98 compatibility mode for a game that is not granted to run on Win98 even if it does.

However a game designed for Win2000 and WinXP should run on both systems without of using compatibilty of earlier OSses.

-Martin

[Valari]

Hi, quick question on this thread. Can some one actually explain why installing it on a different hard drive or partition will help?

Also, I got the same garbage from their tech support, they told me it was my anti virus and anti-spyware running in the background causing the CTD. I am like...I play a number of other recent games and these programs dont interfere one bit...are you telling me you cant code a game as well as all the other games that can account for these programs? seriously... they also told me to not have those programs on when I boot up and play the game...lol that is great...so in order to play civ 4 i just have to leave my computer open to virues spyware ect......oh and I did actually try that just to see if they actually know anything about the problems or are talking pretty much out of their arse....guess what same number and frequency of ctd....


Valari

[Mordrul]

I have no idea why it would help, since I have Civ 4 installed on my secondary hard drive, and I get the wonder movie stutter bug. Another case of it might work for some people, but not universally.

[wrak_nj]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
Well that's odd that Win2000 does not have msconfig, even Win98 has msconfig. Just use the run command from the start and enter msconfig.

-Martin

I assure that win2k does not have msconfig. Stupid but true - MS decided that it won't have it.

Incidently, Win2000 is the successor of Win NT4, not Win 95/98/98SE/ME. Win2000 was originally slated to be released as NT5 and internally (to windows) this is what the Win2000 is called. WinXP is a the "successor" of Win2000 and internally is known as NT5.5 (ie, it's not much of an upgrade).

This a common misconception because of the stupid naming scheme that the MS marketing types came up with for the release of Windows ME and Windows 2000 - ie, take a naming scheme that was based on years and replace it with letters and vice-versa.

[y0urfired]

Lets say you install your game or any product on drive c then uninstall it. The files are not actually removed from drive c. Windows has simply marked those sectors as being able to be used. So the next time you install a program it most likely will use up those sectors. If you simply reinstall the game there is a very real chance you are simply putting it right back where you had it the first time and if there were write errors the first time you may have them again. Therefore installing to a new drive will remove the chance of the install having the same write errors.

By the way, run scan disk and defrag and it should have the same effect.

Personal experice is that I installed the game, had the stutter issues and the major slowdown in the end game on large and huge worlds. Uninstalled, ran scan disk and defrag then reinstalled the game then the patch. Everything seems fine now.