Having problems and not great with technology!

**tommygunn** · March 04, 2012, 07:09 PM

Hi all!

I have a problem with RTW.. I used to own vanilla but it was a pain and I ended up getting a gold version as an alternative when I could not find the disks for vanilla. Has worked for 2 or 3 years on the same laptop fine, and suddenly it does not. When I insert the disk and the box comes up, I click "play", it looks like it is about to load and then crashes to desktop.

I borrowed my friend's and it happens then too. Mine works on his laptop fine. I have cleared RTW off my laptop as much as I can. Yet it still crashes. It is clearly a problem with my laptop. But I do not know why after 3 years it does not work?

Is it possible I deleted software that works with the game like direct x? Maybe a user setting? Or memory issues? I have no idea what to do. I am not very great with technology and fear meddling only to make my laptop in a worse state and not solve the problem.. Any help is much appreciated

**irishron** · March 04, 2012, 08:38 PM

After 2 or 3 years, it can be the cd-rom itself is dying or dead. It can be parts are worn enough it won't play the game.

Computers are finite. Having it work on your friend's is good indication of this.

**tommygunn** · March 07, 2012, 09:27 AM

Sorry IrishRon I forgot to add that I bought the gold version of Rome too and it worked fine for a month until it suddenly appears my laptop now won't let either of my versions of Rome, or my friends version work on my laptop. Which suggests it is my laptop not disk wear.

Any ideas what could have changed to my laptop to get me in the situation that over night it would go from both working to both not working?

**irishron** · March 07, 2012, 10:53 AM

What Windows version?

**tommygunn** · March 08, 2012, 06:17 PM

I have vista IrishRon. I think someone said before about user settings.. and I tried that but to no avail Worried I have accidentally deleted a software or changed some setting somewhere

lol

**irishron** · March 08, 2012, 06:28 PM

First step then would be to run Windows Update manually and install all software options, starting with any Service Packs you may have missed.

**tommygunn** · March 12, 2012, 04:07 PM

Thanks for helping Irishron. I tried the updates but unfortunately it still won't let Rome run. Is there anything else I may have turned off (like a setting on my user/laptop) or any other software that is needed to run with the game (drivers/direct x/media player?) etc?

**irishron** · March 12, 2012, 06:02 PM

Have you tried "Run asAdministrator" and "XP Compatible"?

**tommygunn** · March 12, 2012, 07:53 PM

That does not seem to make any difference either Irishron. Any other ideas?

**tommygunn** · March 12, 2012, 08:17 PM

By googling I have seen that windows media player can sometimes affect the game. I have windows media player 11. This is not an issue eventhough windows media player 9 was the one out at the time of the release of gold I presume, as the game used to work on the same laptop fine for a few years!

I have direct x 10 I think, so should be fine too. Not sure if there are any other items of software that need to be running for rome?

How can I check if my graphics card and driver are working fine? Same with sound?

**irishron** · March 12, 2012, 08:21 PM

Windows Media Player 11 works for me.

You do need directx9 installed even if you have to do it with the UAC disabled. RTW may not have installed it if Vista does its "job". I know I had this problem when Vista was released and had to forcefeed dx9 to get it to take it.