Failed to load xml errors

Got my son the Civ 4 Complete version.....worked fine on a prior laptop...but his newer(used) Win 7 laptop will not run Civ 4....any versions....anytime you try, error boxes start to pop up "failed to load XML, blah,blah,blah".....you could click them until the cows come home....so have to close the game down to get rid of them.

Did a lot of internet searching and searching here....one site suggested updating sound driver...did that...didn't help.

Also deleted and re-installed...didn't help.

So, kind of at a loss. Anyone?

Are you trying to play a mod? I think the "complete" edition of BtS is not patched to 3.19, which is used by all current mods.

If this is the case and you have to patch the game, have a look at a thread below in May "Update from 317 to 319 Help ".

isenchine said:

Are you trying to play a mod? I think the "complete" edition of BtS is not patched to 3.19, which is used by all current mods.

If this is the case and you have to patch the game, have a look at a thread below in May "Update from 317 to 319 Help ".

Click to expand...

No...this is happening upon initial effort to start the game, after installing. Wanted to see if it worked, and, as you say, if we need further patching.

If you don't try to run a Mod, then BtS 3.17 or whatever previous version should be working on its own anyway. The difference would be that: 1) you would not benefit from the bug fixing done by 3.19 and 2) you would not be able to play a Mod based on 3.19.

So those XML loading errors are a symptom of something else. In which language do you play and which language is set for that used laptop? I'm just trying to guess out loud. Unfortunately, I'm not versed enough into computers settings to help you there.

Perhaps a screenshot of the first error could help.

It may be that the problem that you are having is due to a security update that MSFT released last fall. Among other things it prevented the copy protection scheme used by many older games, including CIV, from working properly. The result is that when the game tries to access the copy protection program to verify the disc, it is unable to do so and the game won't start up. Using Windows 7, you can work around the problem, in order to get the game to start up. The work around is discussed in the thread "Please login with administrator privileges and try again" in this forum.

For Windows 10, the work around will no longer work because MSFT removed the copy protection software entirely, rather than turning it off, which is what the Windows 7 patch did.

However, the "Beyond the Sword" (BTS) expansion for the game, with the game patch 3.19, will work because BTS patched to 3.19 no longer uses any copy protection, so it works fine without the work around. You can download the 3.19 patch for free from the "Patch & Update" section of these forums, if you don't have it. When I purchased a copy of CIV Complete, BTS was only at 3.17.

The final option, which probably won't do you much good, is to buy the download online version of CIV from one of the content providers, such as Steam. Those don't use the now deactivated copy protection scheme.

If you are already using BTS 3.19 or Steam, then none of this applies. I hope this has helped.

Here we are, back a month later, trying to get this to work again, getting the same issues.

I don't think I got a notification of your reply.....I had hopes upon reading, but came to find, the version I got was already patched to 3.19 I did read through alll 4 pages of that thread, and think if we have 3.19, whatever issues that MS update caused should not effect us, right?

So, guessing that is not our issue? Any other ideas?

This has hardly been used, so I sure don't like the idea of buying again on Steam...not even to mention my dislike for Steam and DRM. Also, for MP, would both of us have to have Steam versions?

Edit: Came to my senses and realized the hell with this new "Complete" version I bought him....my old Civ and BTS disks work....so uninstalled and in the process of installing....figure this should work fine, once 3.19 is installed, with or without disk, right?

However, hitting a major roadblock....cannot seem to get vanilla patch 1.74....the GamerShell site link does not seem to work....I cannot find any other site that has this patch....maybe it's his laptop having an issue with that site that's linked here? Didn't work there for a BTS patch I tried to get, either. Does AdBlock effect? It says something about my "authentication key not being valid".????

Oh...and after installing 1.61, I started the game and hit "check for updates" and it says none available.....curious...or does that updating no longer work for vanilla?

Ingame Patching cannot work. The servers are down for years, now!
The 3.19 BTS-patch should also contain the latest vanilla patch, but if you really need the patch, look at http://civilized.de/.

The latest vanilla executeable is still protected by this SecureRom protection. Thus you run in the common start problem, many other threads mention.
Ssee i.e. http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=14245367&postcount=2
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=550642
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=14137454&postcount=12

In the latest linked post you could find a description how to self sign an (now disabled) software module. I does not use Windows, but assume this would be the best solution.