Help.....I can't get the game to run

[wookster]

I have just had a new PC built for me in order to play the latest games. I have it on good authority that the new machine is more than capeable of handling the game, which makes it more frustrating. I have just uninstalled it and done a fresh install with both patches and its still failling

The symptoms are always the same. The game never gets further than the initial boot up where it crashes straight after Innit XML (uncached) appears. The error message is always the same as well.

[wookster]

Dont know if its any good to anyone here , but here's my dxdiag attached

[MightyTiny]

Well, this stood out from the dxdiag report:

DirectX Files Tab: The file qasf.dll is an old version, which could cause problems. You should reinstall DirectX to get the latest version.

I'd try doing exactly that: download and re-install the latest DirectX and see if that helps.

[wookster]

I'm running directx 9c. As far as I'm aware its the latest version

[wookster]

I seem to have a problem with direct X then.

I have what appears to be the latest version and so cannot overwrite it and as there's no option to uninstall directx on windows it looks like i may have to re-install windows

[Petek]

On the Civ 4 disc 1 there's a folder named DirectX9. Have you tried to run the file DXSETUP.exe from there? That might update the DLL to the correct version.

[wookster]

the version that was in my dxdaig was qasf.dll: 10.00.0000.3802 which is supposedly the latest version so it will not overwrite it.

Managed to crash the pc now so will have to do a new install of everything, luckily I still have my old machine up and running.

Hopefully when its all reinstalled it will put it right

[Petek]

My DxDiag shows

qasf.dll: 10.00.0000.4332 English Final Retail 8/3/2005 18:29:52 221184 bytes

whereas yours showed

qasf.dll: 10.00.0000.3802 English Final Retail 1/28/2005 13:44:28 221184 bytes (problem)

so I don't think that you did have the most recent version. However, that is now moot. You might want to check on this after you rebuild your system.

[wookster]

Thanks Petek for pointing me in the right direction, I spent 30 on the phone to 2K tech supp and they never spotted it, can't wait for the bill

Did you use the Direct X that came on the installation disc, if you did its a bit strange as they aren't the same number (although I have the UK version, that may make a difference).

Don't know whether to use the version on the install disc ofr the one that came with the graphics card, although it shouldn't really make a difference.

Hopefully next time I post it will be to say all is running well

[Petek]

As far as I know, Civ 4 is the only program that updated my DirectX.

I searched the forum for qasf and found different versions in other DxDiags files. Not sure what this means, though.

[Urban Ranger]

There is also a newer DirectX (somehow also called 9.0c) you can get from Microsoft's website.

[alva]

AFAIK, that is the same as the one on the disk.
At release time the Civ4 one was the latest one out there and it was vital you installed it as it contained a file not yet released by MS (something26.dll).
It is also called 9.0c though which is indeed a little confusing to say the least but that one is on MS's head.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by alva
AFAIK, that is the same as the one on the disk.

Nah, it's definitely newer. At least according to the blurb on MS's website.

[Gramphos]

The DirectX 9c included with the Civ4 disc contains the October updates to DirectX 9c. I'm not sure if there are even more updates done later, but when Civ4 shipped, that version of DirectX were not avaliable anywhere else in a reatail package, only as a part of the SDK from MS.

[wookster]

Well for some reason my version keeps coming up as being the trouble maker.

I've just wiped my system and re-installed everything and according to my dxdiag I still have the same problem as before.

As there's no way of uninstalling direct x, and as its already 9c its becoming a pain in the butt. I appreciat that there may be a newer version of the offending file but the fact that its still 9c means I can't overwrite it.

Any more ideas