I can not play Warlords anymore - help anyone?

[Alone]

Well, I had to reinstal everything on my PC.

I downloaded all CivIII and CivIV games. Civ III functioned well but when I try to play Warlords something strange happened: Everything is OK until I acctually had to start game, the moment when I had to start with settlers. It wont allow me to do that. Before I set game to single player, arhipelago, regent, etc. Sound is normal, however I have black screen with small pop of a warrior unit showing that there is one somewhere out of the screen, but I'm unable to move true screen, at all. It stand like that for a ten seconds and than everything disappear. That's not the end of a trouble. After that my screen showing NO SIGNAL, like it's not connected with PC, and unable to restart my comp again, it always fails, until I disconnect it completly from electropower and start again. It happened six, seven times yesterday and today. What is unusual it worked ones when I just pressed Quick Start game (than the game started regulary without any opsticals!?)

I did not even try CIV nor CIVBtS so I don't know if they work at all.

I'm not sure did I explaned this to be understandable. Please, any advice?
Thanks

edit: Just to add that I played this game so many times for a last couple of years without any problems.

 

[ori]

sounds like a hardware problem - but in any case:
there are no error messages right? can you post your dxdiag results?

 

[Alone]

ori thanks for replay

microsoft windows XP
home edition
version 2002
service pack 2
intel [R]
celeron[R] cpv 2.93
2.93GHz, 504 MB of RAM

that's my computer.

Today I did try Beyond the Sword and it did work fine for 10 minutes that I played (noticed just a bit strange mini map than it was before). Gameplay was good.
So, than I tried again Warlords and I got the same problem like before, it did not functioned?!?

What I noticed after BtS, that after you set up the game and before you acctualy start (after pressing "play game") on screen - shoud be animation of leader (Hannibal of Cartaginian in that case) with traits. Well I do not get that with warlords. It simple go directly to black screen, NO ERROR MESAGGE, with small autosaving mark on uper left corner and pop up of warrior head on right directed somewere out of screen, just before it crash.

 

[ori]

you *could* try using service pack 3
also are your graphics card drivers updated?
your computer is at the low end of requirements but it should allow you to play - does anything similar happen in other programs?

 

[Alone]

Yep. Very strange indeed.

I did not update (and I'm not sure if that's possible - I think, not) my graphic card, since the day when CivIV was released and I could not play with old one.
However that is the only game that do not work, look like, included all civIII & CivIVBtS + more that I have reinstaled like Crusader Kings and Victoria by paradox. Friends told me that maybe something with resolution of game (but it should be OK since it did work once and I did not changed that ever). And again I played this so many times when first time was loaded (there is more than 50 fully saved and finished games just in warlords.

What is service pack 3?

Thanks for your time ori, I'll try to uninstal and reinstal again and than I'll give it one more shot

 

[ori]

If you post your dxdiag results I can tell you if there is a newer graphics driver out there.
Microsoft released a new Service pack with myriads of patches for Windows XP (Service Pack 3) a few weeks ago.
If BtS works - play that its much better than Warlords anyway

 

[Alone]

Ori, thank you.

I give up. (I did try to uninstal, however, I coudn't find the way to do that. Strange, since usually you have option to that somewere very visible).

Well, BtS is good, but I find Warlord simplified (in a good maner). Aspecialy dislike annoying corporation thing and graphic from industrial age on (and they could not do any graphics for middle east civilizations, baah). But nobody 's perfect

I'll stick with CivIIIConquest