Age of Empires 2 launch error message! Tried system restore!

Hello all, I just recently did a factory reset on my HP 2000-219DX Laptop which runs Windows 7 Home Premium to get a fresh start as my computer was PAINFULLY slow before. I installed every update that windows update and HP update could find before I installed any programs on my computer. I installed Age of Empires 2 and the Conquerors expansion and went to a high traffic website that has all the official updates for the game and saw an additional update that was supposed to correct the color issue the game has on vista and 7 operating systems. This update was a registry edit. I did the "update" and tried to launch the game and got the following error below. I moronically did the registry edit without doing a backup first, but fortunately, I had a restore point from the 27th when I was updating my computer to restore my system to. I reinstalled the game and got the same issue. Then I did a system restore and attempted to install the game again and got the same issue. I am not very computer savvy but am able to follow instructions quite well, and know how to do research. As far as I can tell the .exe file for the game is trying to find a piece of information needed to launch that is just missing which is what - according to my research - the Exception Code means, but reinstalling the game does not fix it... I'm at a loss.. I really don't want to have to do another factory restore just to play a stupid game lol.

Also: wouldn't the system restore have restored my registry and removed the "update" that I did?

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: EMPIRES2.EXE
Application Version: 0.14.22.712
Application Timestamp: 39660360
Fault Module Name: EMPIRES2.EXE
Fault Module Version: 0.14.22.712
Fault Module Timestamp: 39660360
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0000e415
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 2069
Additional Information 2: 206962ad316f986b61f1463ef54d6f48
Additional Information 3: 9a17
Additional Information 4: 9a1751e9e33514d1436d589727e342ca

I know somebody out there knows how to decipher this information...
If more information is needed, please let me know.
I searched and found several other threads discussing launch issues that I had corrected before I did the factory reset.. This seems to be a different issue.

I can attach the file that I used to edit my registry if that would be helpful, but I don't know if attaching that file is something I'm allowed to do...

Any help provided is greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

Update:
Did another factory reset.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: age2_x1.exe
Application Version: 0.7.25.614
Application Timestamp: 39660360
Fault Module Name: age2_x1.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.7.25.614
Fault Module Timestamp: 39660360
Exception Code: c000001d
Exception Offset: 0000e413
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: d3d8
Additional Information 2: d3d8e088cf0979cb29a9c4d3503d85a1
Additional Information 3: a73c
Additional Information 4: a73c35a81279cb03857873935a1ff483

Also tried running a batch file that closes explorer for me and reopens it once I close the program. As follows:
taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe
age2_x1.exe
start explorer.exe

The batch file works correctly, but still the app crashes.

And... I tried running it as an administrator, in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode, and all the other options in the properties menu. No dice.
The .exe file changed because Installed the expansion for Age of Empires 2 because I was so sure this was gonna fix it lol.

Figured it out! Apparently update KB3086255 was keeping it from launching. So I uninstalled that update, and tried to launch it and it still didn't launch but I didn't get an error. So, I used the batch file I created above and it flipping worked!

Woo! Hope this helps someone else.

Well, you may have created a wonderful help file for others but simply put "it's all about you."

Be sure to add the file you made, a listing of the file in quote or code box and then a step by step to aid anyone else in troubleshooting this issue. It would be nice to see what conflict was created by the update to cause this error as well.