Trying to play Kingdoms on new computer but asked to update to Windows 98, 2000, or better!

[Teutonic]

Got a new PC that has Windows 8.1. Plays R2 and Attila fine, as well as The Witcher 3, fine. But when I installed M2TW and Kingdoms and tried to play it it prompted me to upgrade to 98, 2000 or better. What the hell?

Anyone knows what is going on?

[Gigantus]

That's a new one. Are you sure this is a generic message from M2TW?

Is this the disk version or Steam?

In fact, seeing that you have R2 and Attila I would suggest to have a look into this tutorial (if it is a disk version), that might be the surest way to fix your problem.

[Teutonic]

Hi Gigantus, thanks for the reply! Sorry that I didn't include more details.

Yes, it is the disc version- the one that I got on release day back when we were young . Got a new PC recently and yesterday decided to put on it M2 and Kingdoms. Everything went smoothly- I thought. Then I tried to play a bit to confirm it was fine before adding additional patches and then mods.

So, looking at the tutorial in the link you provided- you are suggesting that I convert it to steam and this will solve the problem (i.e. enable me to play it)?

Should I install patches 1.4 and 1.5 before I try this? Or the opposite- should I uninstall the disc version before getting the steam one?

PS Read the tutorial, looks simple- even I should manage it... Only problem is my slow connection speed.

[Gigantus]

You should actually remove your disk installation before you start, Steam will install a fully up to date Med2 version and the resulting registry entries may conflict with the disk version. You will be able to download the Kingdom campaigns as a free DLC (see tutorial). I have to admit that I am not sure if downloading the Kingdoms campaigns is necessary after the merging of the EXE files, seeing that those campaigns provided the 1.4 update with the disk version (I still have my boxed disks with the complimentary music CD - never had problems with it and hence never installed the Steam version).

Once you have the Steam version installed you will have to keep in mind the change of EXE file name as most Kingdom mods call for the now non existing kingdoms.exe file. There are various methods to solve this, the 'cleanest' being an edit of the BAT file of the mod you want to use or making a copy of the medieval2.exe and renaming the copy to kingdoms.exe

Most mods released or updated after the Steam update are now compatible, using this principle.

[Teutonic]

I just took a look at the Third Age installation guidelines. There are lots of instructions about users with Windows Vista--> 8 and for Steam. The additional instructions for Steam users are awfully complicated, by my standards, and I don't think I have the motivation to go through it all.

I'll see if the instructions for Windows 8 users can help me with the disc version I have currently installed. Something about editing Security, Virtual Folders, etc. They have pictures . Maybe that's why I have the current problems.

Still, thanks for the assistance! + rep

[Gigantus]

These articles may help:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...ws-8/#registry
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...2#post12273742

And converting a regular mod to steam use is idiotically easy - the TATW instructions are still from the time when no one really knew how to. All you have to do is open the mod's BAT file by right clicking it and choosing 'edit'. Then replace kingdoms.exe with medieval2.exe - save - double click\run desktop shortcut to start mod.

start kingdoms.exe @mods\your mod's name\Configuration.cfg



If the BAT file entry looks weird like this then it is already Steam compatible:

IF EXIST kingdoms.exe (start kingdoms.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg) ELSE (start medieval2.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg)

[Teutonic]

I will try this, if it comes to it, but first I will try to get my current instal to work. From what I understand one needs to do this stuff to get their original disk versions of M2 Kingdoms to work on the newer Windows OS. Virtual Folders, editing Security, bla-bla. If I've got this right, then it is better/quicker to do it this way than install it again with Steam.

[Gigantus]

Agreed - Steam should be the last resort if you really can't fix it.

[Teutonic]

Once again, thanks for the help Gigantus

[Gigantus]

One is glad to be of service

[Teutonic]

I did the 3 steps (2 only because there was nothing in Virtual Store) but the same thing remains.

But I discovered something odd: because the shortcut icon for the Britannia campaign looked odd (a bit fuzzy) compared to the M2TW icon, I tried M2TW and it worked fine.

In "This PC" when I click on DVD RW Drive with the Kingdoms CD in, I get the same message which I get when I get on the shortcut: "This application is not compatible with the installed OS". I can't do anything with the CD.
Only when I right-click on the DVD RW Drive and open it that way and click on "setup" the installer for the other Kingdom campaigns opens up.

It feels as if something little is missing. I do remember that when I was installing M2TW/Kingdoms/Mods on my old PC with XP OS, it only allowed me to install Kingdoms if my original M2TW was installed in the default path C:/... etc. Now it went very smoothly in my E: drive. I knew it was too good to be true

[Gigantus]

I think the auto start for the kingdoms CD is messed up. Clicking 'set up' (try the one in the root of the CD) was the way to circumvent it.

The short cuts for the additional Kingdoms campaigns have to be different from the default Med2 short cut due to the path and their independent pack files.

[Teutonic]

The short cuts for the additional Kingdoms campaigns have to be different from the default Med2 short cut due to the path and their independent pack files.

I am not that stupid, of course there are different short cuts. The little pictures of the icons for the Britannia and Americas campaigns look off- fuzzy, as I wrote above. The icon for M2TW looks normal, as it should and as they all looked on my old PC where they all worked.

Perhaps what I should do is reinstall the game in the default path that the install shield provides and then cut and paste it to where I want. This is what I have done before, IIRC.
But I just fancied playing a little, could've been as little as 1-2 hours (or it could've been much more), of TATW. Not sure I have the motivation to fiddle around much more.

[Gigantus]

My bad - when I mentioned short cuts I actually meant their properties\textual short cuts inside them. Only visible when you go into the 'properties' of them. See the one for americas:

"...\Medieval II Total War\kingdoms.exe" --features.mod=mods/americas

and the one for Medieval 2 basic:

"...\Medieval II Total War\medieval2.exe"

You mentioned the basic version of the game works now. Any positive responses installing the campaigns (at least one) via the setup.exe file in the root of the CD?

Otherwise run the files listed underneath in that sequence (can't promise it works - but it's worth a shot):

J:\Update2\setup.exe - should be patch 1.04
J:\Update3\setup.exe - shoudl be patch 1.05

Then copy the kingdoms.exe from J:\americas\main into the main directory of Medieval II Total War.

[Teutonic]

Oh yes- I can install the Kingdoms campaigns, as you describe it. But when I double click on the wonky/wrong-looking icon of whichever campaign I have installed I get prompted to upgrade my OS.

I don't really understand what do you mean by this, including how to go about doing it:

"Otherwise run the files listed underneath in that sequence (can't promise it works - but it's worth a shot):

J:\Update2\setup.exe - should be patch 1.04
J:\Update3\setup.exe - shoudl be patch 1.05

Then copy the kingdoms.exe from J:\americas\main into the main directory of Medieval II Total War."

E.g. where is this J:\? I am installing my games in E:\. I downloaded patch 1.05 (it was called Gold) from elsewhere in Twcenter. Patch 1.04 wasn't available there because Kingdoms is it, according to that post.

I wanted to check if my installation was alright and then install patch 1.05 and then install mods.

I am rather clueless about this whole thing, clearly.

[Gigantus]

Sorry 'bout that - J: is my CD drive with the kingdoms DVD in it.

To be honest - I have never heard about a case where the OS should be upgraded. You said that the base installation works fine which leads me to believe that it is a case of the kingdoms.exe file messing around.

Try copying the exe from the destination I mentioned to the root of M2 and then start a campaign again. Alternatively download and install my small mod set up (kingdoms 1.15 version) and try starting that one - just in case it's a general fault with the campaign installation.

[Teutonic]

Victory is mine! Don't know what did it- the right 1.05 patch or your Geomod but the Kingdoms campaigns are playable. Hopefully I can manage with mods, at least TATW has plenty of instructions that even I can follow.

Cheers!

PS Managed to install TATW + MOS and solve initial issues with resolution.

This saga is over

[Gigantus]

Halleluja!

One is glad to be of service

[Robert Nesta Marley]

hey buddy,i have the same problem
So, I installed this game shortly after purchasing the PC, and it worked well !! After downloading some updates the game has stopped working, when I try to launch kingdoms or MED2 vanilla, it says "This application is not compatible with the operating system installed. To run the program you need to upgrade to Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 or higher. "
I'm a noob with the PC, then you tell me how you did to run again kingdoms ?? I have MED2 gold edition CD versiom, thx

[Gigantus]

You may have downloaded the wrong 1.5 patch for the game. See this thread.