Multiple games don't launch on Windows 7 Ult. x64

[EriksK]

First of all, I apologize if I'm not asking for help in the right forum or format, for some reason I couldn't access the ''How to ask for help'' page.

The issue is, that multiple games, such as Total War Shogun, Darksiders 2, Assasins Creed Revelations, Sleeping dogs, simply refuse to launch. I click on their respective icons, and absolutely nothing happens. For some of them the mouse turns into a circle for a couple of seconds, and that's it.

Other games, like League of Legends, The Witcher 2, Civ 5, and Dota 2 don't have this issue. It's just a major bummer because I spent a lot of money on these games hoping that they would work on this newly acquired pc.


I have the following specs:

> Mainboard : ASRock Z77M

> Chipset : Intel Ivy Bridge

> Processor : Intel Core i5 3450 @ 3100 MHz

> Physical Memory : 8192 MB (2 x 4096 DDR3-SDRAM )

> Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti

> Hard Disk : Hitachi HDS721010CLA330 ATA Device (1000GB)

> CD-Rom Drive : DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

> Monitor Type : BenQ BenQ G950A - 19 inches

> Network Card : Atheros Communications AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCIe)

> Network Card : Realtek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

> Operating System : Windows 7 Ultimate Professional Media Center 6.01.7600 (64-bit)

> DirectX : Version 11.00

> Windows Performance Index : 1.0 on 7.9

I had initially installed windows x84 on it, and as I upgraded to x64, nothing changed.

I have updated all of my drivers (I'm not exactly sure if I updated my sound card, since I can't really find it) using Driver Reviver, as well as the respective sites of the major components (such as my motherboard and my graphics card), but again, no changes.

I have turned off UAC.

I have attempted to run all of them as the administrator and with different compatibility settings (ranging from all the xp service packs to the vista service packs)

I have reinstalled the games multiple times.

My computer runs The Witcher just fine on high settings, I don't think my computer is too weak to run the games.

I will post whatever else you guys need from me, frankly, I have absolutely no idea what could be causing this, or how to fix it.

Thanks in advance.

Edit* I noticed that other people had this issue as well (in other threads) however, nobody had a specific solution, perhaps someone has found one now?

 

[Richardc269]

Maybe Windows Update will have your drivers listed? I'm assuming you've tried that?

Also, when you say "upgrade", is that a clean install of 64-Bit Windows?

 

[EriksK]

I have tried that, and all of them have been installed. And yes, it was a clean install.

 

[AstaLaVista]

Ok, a few things... maybe nothing though.

You said you went from 32bit to 64 bit as an upgrade and then you mentioned a clean install? what does that mean exatcly?

In the past people used to say that upgrading from 32 to 64 was not a very good idea, the why escapes me but it made a lot of sense. Ever since then, when upgrading from XP 32 or even Vista 64 to Win 7, I purchased the full Win 7 64 OS, deleted the old OS, format the drive completely and performed a clean install of the new OS on a clean HD... no problems so far, then again, I only play shooters so I don't know whether I have been lucky that none of them have given me any problems.

Not 100% sure on this but I have also read that updating your drivers via Windows Update is not a good idea... at least for me it hasn't been as I always end up with corrupt or failed installs. I usually download the newest driver, uninstall the old one, restart and run as admin the new driver install. If you have an Nvidia card, make sure you also uninstall the PhysX driver before restarting.

You don't say whether you have patched the game to the latest update after installation?

Under Device Manager/Sound you should be able to see what kind of drivers you have... for the most part Realtek HD audio. Also, your Motherboard Specs should tell you what brand of audio you have so you can go to their site and download the latest drivers.

How do I install old games? Well (your miles may vary)... I don't use the Auto Start Setup, I usually open the folder and Right click on the setup.exe and use Run with admin rights.

If that fails, then instead of Admin rights I choose the Troubleshoot Comp and that usually solves the issue.

Sorry for the bible and rant... good luck

 

[EriksK]

Thanks for the reply,

I guess I would have to say I downgraded then, from x84 to x64. And yes, my hard drive was completely formatted. I updated all of the drivers using drivers from their respective websites/ driver reviver, I just checked the windows update to see if I was missing anything, and I wasn't.

Since I had a fresh install, I downloaded only the latest driver updates I could get for my graphics card and motherboard, there shouldn't be any conflicts with older updates.

All the games are patched to the latest updates, so that can't be it. Furthermore, the games I'm trying to play are all relatively new, from 2011 and 2012 only. I also just downloaded the latest Realtek HD driver, and that hasn't affected the issue in any way.

Thanks in advance

 

[AstaLaVista]

Ok, you HAVE NOT downgraded, you are just confusing x86 (same as saying 32 bit) with 64 bit.

Ok, all I can think of then is that you skip a part in your installment, sometimes the games ask you to install some form of DirectX and people skip this part thinking that their DirectX is newer so they don't want to have an old one and they couldn't be more wrong... the game needs to install a part of Directx needed to run the game.

Also, some other times, a driver might get corrupted after the game installation so I need to re install the newest driver recently downloaded even if I just finished doing so 5 minutes ago.

Did you try installing the games like I mentioned? remember, this may be tedious and sometimes even annoying but, it is you after all the one who can't play the game... we are just trying to help

 

[EriksK]

Oh no, I'm very grateful for what you're doing, please don't think I'm bothered by any of this at all.

I have installed every directx executable that came with the games, both during the installation and then afterwards I looked for them in their cd's and directories. I also installed .net framework, flash player, and C++ I think it's called.

I did try installing Total War Shogun and Assasins Creed using the setup executables, but to no avail. (This installation worked fine, but the issue wasn't solved).

I deleted the old drivers and then reinstalled them using the update I had already downloaded, nothing changed.

Anything else I might try?

I have absolutely not the slightest idea of what could be causing this.

 

[w1dpc]

Windows Performance Index : 1.0 on 7.9 is that right? you only score a 1?

might want to run that assessment again and repost your score.
sounds like you have some issues there

 

[EriksK]

How do I run it again? I can run Civ 5 and the Witcher 2 on High settings, I think that might be an understatement.

 

[sygnus21]

In the past people used to say that upgrading from 32 to 64 was not a very good idea,

Don't know where that came from but there's absolutely nothing wrong with upgrading from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS.

Two things to consider though, and the first one I list has gotten considerably better to the point it may no longer apply.

1 - Make sure your hardware and software is 64-bit capable. In today's computing almost all hardware and software is 64-bit capable. The only thing you have to worry about is older hardware and software you my be holding onto.

2 - When upgrading to a 64-bit OS you need to do a clean (fresh) install. In fact, Windows won't let you do an "upgrade" from a 32-bit to 64-bit.

Here's a snipit from Microsoft's FAQ on upgrading from 32-64 bit - 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or vice versa, you'll need to back up your files and choose the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. Then, you'll need to restore your files and reinstall your programs. For more information about performing a custom installation, see Installing and reinstalling Windows 7*.

Note that custom install means replacing your existing OS with the one you're installing.

I would recommend doing a clean install when moving between versions (32/64) - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

Thanks for the reply,

I guess I would have to say I downgraded then, from x84 to x64.

There is no such thing as x84, you mean X86, which is actually the 32-bit version of Windows. Don't ask why it was called x86 as I don't have to answer at the moment.

Anyway you actually "upgraded", not downgraded, when you moved from x86(32-bit) to the 64-bit OS.

 

[AstaLaVista]

I meant going from say Win 7 32 bit and buying the upgrade to Win 7 64 bit, which is cheaper... at least it wasn't meant that you can not upgrade from XP 32 to Win 7 64.

I really don't know what else to tell you except that your CD/DVD Rom may be malfunctioning? that seems pretty far fetched but you may want to test the game with some other cd player. Some games play well and some others just don't want to for some ungodly reason.

 

[dwarfer66]

I have had very similar problems with various games, over the past 4-5 years, usually after a DX update the games with NEVER run again until I reinstall windows, which of cause is a pain the arse. Never had a solution except reinstall, but that usually only happen with EA games. (or with some EA games have to install as Win 2000 otherwise the EULA is blank).

 

[EriksK]

I guess I should do another clean install then. I'll post the results later. Thanks for the replies

 

[sygnus21]

I meant going from say Win 7 32 bit and buying the upgrade to Win 7 64 bit, which is cheaper... at least it wasn't meant that you can not upgrade from XP 32 to Win 7 64.

I didn't take it that way, but this did throw me for a loop....

In the past people used to say that upgrading from 32 to 64 was not a very good idea, the why escapes me but it made a lot of sense.

I wasn't sure where you were going there. It almost sounded like you were saying it wasn't a good idea.

But then you said this....

Ever since then, when upgrading from XP 32 or even Vista 64 to Win 7, I purchased the full Win 7 64 OS, deleted the old OS, format the drive completely and performed a clean install of the new OS on a clean HD...

Your post sounded a bit confusing so I tried to clarify

And you had no choice but to "deleted the old OS" when moving from a 32 to 64 bit OS, regardless of the flavor (XP, Vista, 7) of Windows because Microsoft won't let you "upgrade" from a 32-64 bit OS, you can only do a "custom" (Microsoft's tern) install - which wipes the drive anyway.

It's all good though.

Peace

 

[Zepher]

In the past people used to say that upgrading from 32 to 64 was not a very good idea,

Don't know where that came from but there's absolutely nothing wrong with upgrading from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS.

Two things to consider though, and the first one I list has gotten considerably better to the point it may no longer apply.

1 - Make sure your hardware and software is 64-bit capable. In today's computing almost all hardware and software is 64-bit capable. The only thing you have to worry about is older hardware and software you my be holding onto.

2 - When upgrading to a 64-bit OS you need to do a clean (fresh) install. In fact, Windows won't let you do an "upgrade" from a 32-bit to 64-bit.

Here's a snipit from Microsoft's FAQ on upgrading from 32-64 bit - 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or vice versa, you'll need to back up your files and choose the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. Then, you'll need to restore your files and reinstall your programs. For more information about performing a custom installation, see Installing and reinstalling Windows 7*.

Note that custom install means replacing your existing OS with the one you're installing.

I would recommend doing a clean install when moving between versions (32/64) - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

Thanks for the reply,

I guess I would have to say I downgraded then, from x84 to x64.

There is no such thing as x84, you mean X86, which is actually the 32-bit version of Windows. Don't ask why it was called x86 as I don't have to answer at the moment.

Anyway you actually "upgraded", not downgraded, when you moved from x86(32-bit) to the 64-bit OS.

It's called x86 because the early intel Chips were 8086, 286, 386, 486.

About upgrades, you can't do an in-place upgrade from x86 to x64, so upgrading from x86 to x64 is always going to be a clean install.

 

[EriksK]

I reinstalled windows again, and reinstalled all my drivers for a 4th time now, still no difference when trying to run total war shogun or darksiders 2, could the issue lie somewhere else?

 

[IMAyNeed]

What is your Performance Index after the reinstall? It was 1.0 before, and now, it is what and which is the lowest one?

 

[IMAyNeed]

> CD-Rom Drive : DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

And also, although irrelevant, this information is about a software on your computer, this is not your actual physical cd-rom device.

 

[EriksK]

It's 5.9 after the reinstall. Also, yeah I understand it's no my cd-drive, since I don't have one. I was using a software to just collect all the important data about my computer for me to just copy and paste on to here, and it collected that it's my cd drive.

 

[sygnus21]

I reinstalled windows again, and reinstalled all my drivers for a 4th time now, still no difference when trying to run total war shogun or darksiders 2, could the issue lie somewhere else?

Make sure you update your Direct X files. Just because Windows 7 comes with DX11 doesn't mean all the files are current. Microsoft is alway updating Direct X.

See steps 5 & 6 in my guide - Tips on Troubleshooting Game Issues. You might also look through it for some other tips.

And you might also use the systems specs section to update your system specs. They're easier to find when others are troubleshooting your issues. Yeah I know you posted something in your original post, but we're on page 2 now and rapidly moving forward.

Peace