Civ4 / Vista compatibility issue (new one)

[-KJ-]

I just tried installing vanilla Civ on a new laptop, and I get a peculiar error and cannot start the program. Its says "Initialize Renderer failed. Check DirectX Installation, Latest Graphics Drivers and Graphics Setting" - then a lot of parameters and in the end "Error:Creation failed: Invalid 3D device type"

So obviously I got the latest Civ patch, checked I was using the latest dx9.0 and updated my graphic card driver (GeForce 9600M GT).

The same message keeps repeating tho. What to do?

 

[auldian]

checked I was using the latest dx9.0

Are you saying you went to microsoft.com and installed the most recent DirectX? This is necessary, as Vista's native DirectX 10 is not a complete "backward compatible" solution.

 

[-KJ-]

Yes, I went to Microsoft and downloaded the 9.0

 

[-KJ-]

Actually looking at it I can see, that even though I dl'ed the 9.0, its still the 10.0 on.

Checking on another computer using 10.0 and Vista Civ works just fine. It makes no sense...

 

[auldian]

Did you install the DirectX?

 

[Weaves]

wait, we have to have dx9 overwrite dx10? I played a whole game using my HD4870 on Vista SP1 and the 8.7 cat drivers

 

[auldian]

wait, we have to have dx9 overwrite dx10? I played a whole game using my HD4870 on Vista SP1 and the 8.7 cat drivers

It doesn't "overwrite" so much as it supplements or completes your rig's DirectX components. You are offered the option to install DX with the Civ4 and patch installs, but I think sometimes those are skipped in error.

Microsoft began updating DirectX 9.0c several years ago, pretty much every other month. They chose not to identify the updates in installs (only by the month & year in the install file), so an examination of the most recent DX files will identify what update of 9.0c you have. Vista's own DXDiag.txt report is less detailed than an XP report, so that's not made things any easier.