Possible solution to recent problems with game start and freezing

[Gigantus]

There has been a flurry of reports recently about freezes. In most cases setting the executable(s) to admin run and windows 7 compatibility has solved the issue.

For those unfamiliar with the procedure, here are the steps:

1. locate the medieval2.exe file - it is in the root of the game installation, to locate it use a mod's or the game's desktop short cut by right clicking it and choosing 'open file location' - this should bring you close enough to the main directory
2. select the the medieval2.exe file (left click) and then right click it, choose 'properties' from the drop down menu.
3. click the 'compatibility' tab
4. tick mark the box 'run this program as an administrator'
5. tick mark the box 'Run this program in compatibility mode for:'
6. select 'windows 7' in the now active drop down window
7. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'
8. Repeat the procedure for the kingdoms.exe file (steam users do not have this file unless they have done a copy\rename action of the executable to play a mod)

Note: if your compatibility tab is not showing then check here if any of the articles will solve the issue of the missing tab.





Another Note: there has been a report (and I have confirmed it myself) that using compatibility slows down the turn times, no other issues have been reported.


Mo' notes: Input from the Steam forum suggests that in a persistent 'fatal graphics' crash case it worked if 'administrator' wasn't tick marked. Instead selecting the 'override' and 'full screen' option solved the problem.

Latest update: there is a possibility that this issue (presumed to have been caused by a windows update) has been addressed by Microsoft in one of the latest updates. If you experience a sudden change if you have applied this fix earlier then please reverse the action you have taken to see if improves.

Win11 users and DirectX in general: check this thread.