Fatal Graphics Error Message on Startup (Steam)

**rdrive** · August 17, 2017, 10:04 PM

The Problem:

The other day I reinstalled Medieval 2 onto my laptop and upon launch the game crashed. I received an message informing me that the game encountered a "Fatal Graphics Error" and that my current settings were too high for my computer to handle. I find this odd as I have played Medieval 2 for hundreds of hours on this laptop and never encountered any problems before. I have researched and attempted a number of solutions to no avail.

Attempted Solutions:

One of the first things I discovered was that the install lacked a medieval2.preference.cfg file. I uninstalled and reinstalled the game twice and both times I received the "Fatal Graphics Error" and I lacked the medieval2.preference.cfg file. I have Medieval 2 installed on my desktop and copied the medieval2.preference.cfg file and pasted it the Medieval 2 folder but there was no effect. I have attempted to run the game in compatibility mode as was suggested in these forums but I continued to receive the same error message. Adjusting the campaign and battle resolutions have yielded no results. I would try to copy the full install of Medieval 2 on my desktop and paste it on my laptop but I have a lot of mods installed and am unsure if that would make problems worse. I do not want to try reinstalling and copying the game from my desktop as I fear encountering the same problem and being essentially barred from my favorite game of all time.

If you have encountered this same problem and/or know how to fix it, I would really appreciate your assistance.

**Gigantus** · August 17, 2017, 10:23 PM

If the medieval2.preference.cfg file is not present then it should be automatically generated with default values at the first game start.

If you have a disk version of the game on your desk top then you should not encounter any problems copying it to to your lap top, not recommended for Steam versions - they may give you a problem. Simply exclude the mods folder when copying if it is too big, simply create a folder on your laptop, eg M2TW, and then copy the content of the medieval 2 total war folder (minus the mods folder) into it.

**rdrive** · August 20, 2017, 03:07 PM

Sorry for taking a long time to respond, I was away on a camping trip. As the game crashes immediately, the cfg file does get generated. I do not have the disk version of the game.

**rdrive** · August 20, 2017, 03:10 PM

Also, I have Windows 10 which had a major update a few days before I reinstalled the game. That may have had some sort of effect but I doubt it.

**Gigantus** · August 20, 2017, 08:25 PM

This method has helped a good number of users with update related issues, give it a try.

**rdrive** · August 21, 2017, 01:58 PM

I tried out that method but the game still crashed and I received the same fatal graphics error message.

Here is a screenshot of the message:

**rdrive** · August 21, 2017, 01:59 PM

**Gigantus** · August 22, 2017, 12:43 AM

You seem to be able to get into a battle - have you tried reducing the graphic options as the message suggests? Judging by the battery icon you are running it on a lap top which may not have a suitable graphic card to start with, some AMD models give problems.

**rdrive** · August 23, 2017, 12:35 AM

I don't actually enter a battle, the game crashes immediately on launch. While I have had mild lag in the past, I have never had problems with crashes while running Medieval 2 on this laptop.

**Gigantus** · August 23, 2017, 02:28 AM

I am afraid I am out of ideas - have you tried the Steam forum for M2TW (you said you don't have a disk version)?

**rdrive** · August 23, 2017, 08:02 PM

I have not tried the Steam forums yet. If I find a solution, I will be sure to post it here so others will be able to use it. Otherwise I'll try factory resetting my laptop and see if that helps. Thank you very much for your time and help over the past week. How do I add rep? I think you deserve some for helping me troubleshoot this problem.

**Gigantus** · August 23, 2017, 09:47 PM

One is glad to be of service

rep is the green button with the cross in it

**rdrive** · November 07, 2017, 10:40 PM

Sorry that it's been a couple of months, but here's a quick update on the issue I had. It turns out not being able to run Medieval 2 was the least of problems and there was an issue with my laptop's video card that caused certain programs, and eventually the computer itself to randomly crash. I was luckily able to resolve it to a degree by installing an earlier version of my drivers though I more or less can't play any games on that laptop anymore :/ As that old machine is more or less on the brink of death, I'm probably going to factory reset it soon and see if that has any effect. Thanks again for helping me a few months earlier, I just wanted to clarify that the issue was not with Medieval 2 itself but most likely a result of my computer acting screwy.