GalCiv2 Directx9.0c error on startup

9.0c reinstalled, WinXP, system above spec. Please help

from GalCiv2 Forums

Hey,

So I just got Galactic Civ 2: Dread Lords today and I can't get the thing to fire up.  My system is at or above min specs, but I just can't get it to recognize my version of Directx.  I even went through the hassle of redownloading and doing a hard reinstall of 9.0c to make sure my version wasn't corrupted, but every time I try to start the software I get this:

"Galactic Civilization II requires Directx 9.0c to run.  Please go to www.microsoft.com//directx and download the latest version."

I've got an old system, but here it is:

WinXP (fully updated)

SB Audigy 4

NVidia GeForce FX 5500

Athalon 1.8ghz

512 RAM

//EDIT This is from my debug.err 

Debug Message:  Version v1.52 last updated on: Tue Jul 15 17:23:38 2008
Debug Message:  Checking DX Version.
Debug Message:  DirectX version: 9.0
Debug Message:  exiting.

This is all I could get out of SmartException:

Operating System : Windows XP Service Pack 3 - (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)

Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500

Sound Card : SB Audigy 4 [D000]

DirectX version : 4.09.00.0904

EDIT//

There it is.  Can anyone help me out?

Thanks!

2,263 views 1 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Usually the most helpful thing is the top portion of your debug.err file which gives your complete system specs along with driver versions and dates.

You definitely need Direct X 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) to run, see my debug.err below.

Also this game has difficulties with old video driver versions. Mine listed below looks to be older than I thought it was but if you have any problems at all, make sure you have the latest video driver. I used to run the game on a FX 5500 so I know that it should work, but it is a pretty low end video card these days and you probably will have to throttle down video features as much as possible to get any kind of decent performance. Also 512 MB of RAM is very low for this game. It's plently to get a game started but any large or gigantic galaxy game would most likely crash long before you could finish it. Also make sure you have a large page file, 2048 MB is pretty much a minimum.

Anyway here's the top portion from my debug.err file to show you what it looks like.

Debug Message:  Version v1.80g Dark Avatar last updated on: Wed Dec 19 15:10:23 2007
Debug Message:  Checking DX Version.
Debug Message:  *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 7/8/2009, 18:37:08
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: COMPUTER0
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP Pavilion 061
System Model: RF170AV-ABA d4650y
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU          6600  @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs)
Physical Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 373MB used, 5614MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS

Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 7600 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0391&SUBSYS_040310DE&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Default Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.9371
Driver Date: 10/22/2006 13:22:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes