Civilization IV on Windows 7 fails to start after install

civilization-4technical-issueswindows 7

I bought a Windows 7 machine and went to install Civilization IV on it. It told me the program had "known problems". If I continue it begins the startup process but eventually fails. What do I need to do to get it working?

Best Answer

OK I got this working and it seems you need to do two things.

  1. Update DirectX. The one from the Civ 4 disk may work, or this: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3&displaylang=en
  2. Upgrade the game to version 1.74, which can be downloaded. Firaxis appears to no longer support this patch, but it is available from Gamespy: http://planetcivilization.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Patches.Detail&id=35

The DirectX upgrade may or may not have been necessary. It certainly doesn't work without the patch upgrade. You don't need any of the Windows 7 compatibility modes.

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