So I was bored last nightso I decided to play some Civlization IV, and I decided I wanted to do multiplayer.

As soon as I got to the lobby screen, I got a window telling me I needed to get the .71 patch before I could do MP (and since this patch wasn't even listed on the Civ 4 site I think it was a fake)

So I download this tihing and the game shuts off. When I go to restart it, it says that it couldn't initialize due to a missing file. So I go to redownload the patch form the main site and it wasn't even listed. So I decided I'd reinstall the game.

I went to uninstall it from the control panel's manifest and I got an error report telling me it couldn't launch the uninstalation.

Error Code: -5004 : 0x80041f42
Error Information:
*C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Professional\RunTime\12\00\Int el32\iKernel.dll
>inc\CoCreate.cpp (44)
>SetupDLL\SetupDLL.cpp (1390)
PAPP:Sid Meier's Civilization 4

That's what it said

I had to manually delete every Civ 4 directory and after doing that I went to install it, but it says it detects version .71 and that it cannot install the one on the disc because that would be downgrading and I need to uninstall 7.1 first. I see no way of doing this.

What should I do?

Delete registry entries

Could you please tell me how?

I have Vista os that might make it a bit complicated

Run regedit and delete these entries

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Firaxis Games
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Uninstall\{CFBCE791-2D53-4FCE-B3FB-D6E01F4112E8}

I on't know where that program is lol.

Please give scientific explanations because I am dumb. (I play Civ 4 on eaisest difficulty lololol)

I don't know a whole lot about Vista, but I'm guessing it still has a start menu? Open said menu, select "Run" and type "regedit". Delete whatGVBN said to delete, and you should be running properly. By the way, did it say you were missing a DX file?

I'm not sure, it may have been, I was very tired when I tried.

Done, thanks a lot, now lets see if it works,

BTW are Warlords and BTS worth it?

K the installer started.

how do I play MP without this problem occuring again?