AOE II Graphics System Problems

srsblk2010 · 24 Oct 2010

I finally got around to installing AOE II: Age of Kings and The Conquerors Expansion on my Windows 7 Desktop only to find that it wouldn't work properly. I am receiving the error message: "Could not initialize graphics system. Make sure that your video card and driver are compatible with DirectDraw."

I've checked lots of forums and tried all their fixes with no luck. I finally got a message from the compatiblity wizard saying that the age2_x1 file is no longer supported. Anyone know how to write a patch, etc. that would solve this issue? Windows 7 is the only operating system that has ever given me trouble with the game.

zigzag3143 · 24 Oct 2010

srsblk2010 said:

I finally got around to installing AOE II: Age of Kings and The Conquerors Expansion on my Windows 7 Desktop only to find that it wouldn't work properly. I am receiving the error message: "Could not initialize graphics system. Make sure that your video card and driver are compatible with DirectDraw."

I've checked lots of forums and tried all their fixes with no luck. I finally got a message from the compatiblity wizard saying that the age2_x1 file is no longer supported. Anyone know how to write a patch, etc. that would solve this issue? Windows 7 is the only operating system that has ever given me trouble with the game.

what version of directx is needed in the game? I dont think it is win 7 that is giving you the problem but your video card.

kword88 · 24 Oct 2010

this may or may not work.

uninstall the game(s). restart your computer. insert the game disk, but cancel the install process if it auto-starts. go to "my computer" and right-click the icon for your cd/dvd drive. browse the game disc and locate the file with the ".exe" extension. right-click that file and select "properties". then click the "compatibility" tab and try running it in compatibility mode for either vista or xp.

srsblk2010 · 24 Oct 2010

@zigzag3143
I have DirectX 11 installed. I have never had this problem with other OS but there are some posts that recommend installing DirectX 9 to operate the game as some of the files in 9 are not in 11. I tried to do this but I'm not sure if I actually installed 9 or if the Microsoft website just kept feeding me 11.

I just checked my disk and it shipped with DirectX 6.1 and DirectPlay 6.1a. I tried to install both but the setups completed right away do to the newer versions that are installed.

@kword88
no luck, even tried installing DirectX 6.1 in compatibility mode with no luck. Still get the same error message right after the loading screen.

Windows i7 920 · 24 Oct 2010

Close explorer.exe after launching the game then switch to it. This is how I solved my graphical issues on Vista and 7. The new explorer.exe is what causes it. Took me too long to figure this one out on my own!

If that doesn't work, you could try reinstalling your video drivers as well as DirectX, I'd make sure that both are fully removed before reinstalling.

kword88 · 25 Oct 2010

maybe the game will run in xp mode?

srsblk2010 · 26 Oct 2010

Have tried both suggestions, however I cannot figure out how to uninstall DirectX 11. I am still receiving the same error message after reinstalling the video card driver and closing explorer.exe. I also got it to install DirectX 8.1 but it didn't help at all either.

Jacobe · 26 Oct 2010

change theme to CLASSIC and then right click your desktop and select "Screen Resolution"
That fixes the problem for most people

srsblk2010 · 28 Oct 2010

Like I said I have tried the suggestions made elsewhere online and they don't fix my problem. However, I tried it again and still no luck.

sygnus21 · 28 Oct 2010

Hi srsblk2010,

The problem you are having is the game is too old for Windows 7. Period. There are a great many games that came out in the late 90's that don't do well on modern operating systems (Vista, Windows 7)

If you look at the system spec, XP isn't even mentioned as an OS for that game!

Please review the system requirements before downloading.

Multimedia PC with Pentium 166MHz or higher processor.
Microsoft® Windows® 95, Windows 98, Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 5 operating system.
32 MB of RAM.
DirectX 6.1 or later.
90 MB of hard disk space; additional 100 MB of hard disk space for swap file.
Super VGA monitor supporting 1024x768 resolution.
Local bus video card that supports 1024x768, 256-color resolution and 2 MB of VRAM.
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
28.8Kbps modem (or higher recommended) for Internet* or head-to-head play.
Audio board with speakers or headphones.
To access the MSN Gaming Zone you need Internet Explorer 3.02 or later software or Netscape Communicator 4.0 or later.

Source - Microsoft Age of Empires II: Age of Kings

And the fact thet's it's listing DirectX 6.1 says alot. I'm also betting that the game uses a 16-bit installer which neither Vista or Windows 7 support - 64-bit versions of Windows do not support 16-bit components, 16-bit processes, or 16-bit applications!

Bottom line... That game isn't going to install, or run under Window 7.
Sorry.