[Sarpedon 2]

First off let me say I hate Windows.

Now my problem.

I have a new (lovely) 24" iMac. I am running Leopard. I have used Boot Camp and I have loaded Windows XP professional with Service Pack 2.

I have also loaded "Age of Empires II: Age of Kings" on the Windows side.

When I try to run the game I get this message:

"Could not initialize graphics system. Make sure that your video card and drivers are compatible with DirectDraw."

After consulting a Windows friend he suggested I
1. Change the video resolution in Windows to 800 X 600. This did not work.
2. Down loading the latest driver. Well I went to the web site he suggested and I down loaded (AMD GAME! Drivers and Utilities)

"7-10_xp32_dd_53250.exe".

This is the ATI Display Driver (Oct 11 2007) so I guess it is the latest. I also download some pages and pages of almost understandable instructions on how to install the drivers.

And here is where my dilemma occurs. Before you can install these drivers you have to remove the existing ATI drivers. Now they were install when I put the Leopard disk in. If I delete them and these new drivers don't work how do I get the original drivers back. What if the new drivers don't work and then nothing else works because I've deleted the drivers that did work?

So what is the solution to my problem?
Which is . . .
How do I get Age of Empires II to run on Windows under Boot Camp?

Or is it just not worth the effort?

This is why I hate Windows, nothing is simple (as it is on a Mac), none of the instructions are in simple clear English, and it is oh so easy to stuff up your machine by making a simple mistake.

[ghporter]

Adding the new drivers will displace the old ones. Whether that fixes the issue or not, I can't say. Is the video system in your iMac listed as supported? (I know nothing about Age of Empires II.)

[Sarpedon 2]

The 24" has a ATI Radeon HD2600. How do I find out if it is supported or not?

[ghporter]

Any system requirements should be listed on the game's box. You can also check out Microsoft Support to see if there are any issues you should be aware of.

You might also want to update your DirectX installation by reading this Microsoft knowledgebase article and following its instructions.

[msuper69]

Get with the program and use Google!:

"Could not initialize graphics system. Make sure that your video card and driver are compatible with DirectDraw" error message when you start Age of Empires II

[Sarpedon 2]

Thanks ghporter. I've been to the site you suggested and I'll try and work through the process.

Msuper69, I did Google the problem and it lead me to some new drivers that did not work. What's more I found the process and the language I encountered confusing and, dare I say it, frightening. So shoot me, I'm an Apple person from way back and I've been spoilt by systems, programs and instructions that are for real human beings and not hot wired troglodytes whose whole existence revolves around their Windows interface and an internet connection.

[PC_THE_GREAT]

Hi, i found a solution to that problem, and it works
after lots of trial and error and some thinking, the game
itself doesn't have any problem, its merely a problem of drivers
so, i thought why not try to disable the display adapter's driver
and use the windows default driver instead? And it works

Anywayz here's how to proceed,

Right click on your desktop>click on properties (Display properties will launch up)
Click on settings>Advanced
Click on the Adapter tab
Click on properties
in the General Tab, down below there is "Devie usage"
Click on that device usage list, and select"Do not use this device(disable)"

Click on ok to confirm (leave the display properties and all)

It'll ask you to rest, restart your machine

and voila you can play age of empires without that dumb direct draw problem.



Thanks to me


pcthegreat [AT] hackers [D0T] mu

HACKERS.MU - information to the next level

[felo]

hi PC_THE.GREAT, your post was usefull, the problem is:, how can i return to the other driver?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by felo 

hi PC_THE.GREAT, your post was usefull, the problem is:, how can i return to the other driver?

Use the Windows "roll back" feature. Go to Help Center and click on "Undo changes to your system with System Restore".

[Big Mac]

Threads like these are important reminders of just how hard Window sucks.

[felo]

thnx ghporter, i will try this, definitively windows sucks, use only for gaming !
thnx again!