GalCiv II Ultimate edition

I just saw a link that says if you bought your game in Europe "click here" (if you click on it, it comes up with an internal server error).  Mine came from the UK - any ideas of how this might differ, i.e. is there a different patch for this one?

The update fails or the game won't run after? Please be more specific.

The update downloads and runs from impulse, and I can get to main menu, which shows the 3 different chapters.  I can run only dread lords.  If I "switch chapters" to DA or TA and try to play the game, both chapters crash, screen flickers a couple of times, message is: "DA or TA has stopped working, let windows check online for a solution and close program"

Have researched and researched on how to get DA and TA running, both across the net and in this forum specifically.  Sounds like lots of win 7 folks are having the exact same problems, so am hoping there is a standard answer for this, or perhaps there is/will be a downloadable fix?

Please open your debug.err file in notepad, and copy/paste the contents into a post here. This will give us some technical information that can help troubleshoot your problem. The location you'll find the debug.err in varies depending on which game you're playing:

Dark Avatar: My Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar
Twilight of the Arnor: My Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor

Older versions may store the debug directly in the location the game is installed at.

Be sure to copy the debug immediately after the error occurs; if you start the game again, the debug will be erased and recreated for the new session.

You are very kind, thank you.  I posted the debug.err file on another thread, but I will post again here:

Debug Message:  Version v1.52 last updated on: Mon Sep  8 14:39:01 2008
Debug Message:  Checking DX Version.
Debug Message:  *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 2/18/2010, 10:07:51
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP-Pavilion
System Model: AY748AA-ABA p6320y
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/12/09 14:45:05 Ver: 5.13
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 820 Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Physical Memory: 8192MB RAM
Page File: 1871MB used, 13997MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 9100
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0847&SUBSYS_2A9E103C&REV_A2
Display Memory: 3821 MB
Current Display Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP 2009 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver Version: 8.17.0011.9621
Driver Date: 1/11/2010 22:03:33
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes
 
Display device 2:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY2
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 9100
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0847&SUBSYS_2A9E103C&REV_A2
Display Memory: 3821 MB
Current Display Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP 2009 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver Version: 8.17.0011.9621
Driver Date: 1/11/2010 22:03:33
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes
 


Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_103C2A9E&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5938
Driver Date: 9/15/2009 13:08:00
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
 
Sound device 1:
Description: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_103C2A9E&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5938
Driver Date: 9/15/2009 13:08:00
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
 


Debug Message:  *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message:  Entering WinMain
Debug Message:  ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message:  Going Fullscreen
Debug Message:  Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message:  Using hardware vertex processing
Debug Message:  Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message:  Game Resolution: 1024 x 768
Debug Message:  Running fullscreen.
Debug Message:  HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Debug Message:  D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message:  Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message:  Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message:  *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message:  A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message:  RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message:  Now Fullscreen
Debug Message:  Shell initialization complete
Debug Message:  GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message:  ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message:  Timer Frequency is 0 29b94e
Debug Message:  Initializing sound card.
Debug Message:  initailizing bink
Debug Message:  Create setup screens.
Debug Message:  Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message:  Clear influence.
Debug Message:  Clear up laws.
Debug Message:  Clear first time events.
Debug Message:  Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message:  Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message:  Set mouse.
Debug Message:  Set update timer.
Debug Message:  Error flipping back buffer to primary buffer.
Debug Message:  Device lost
Debug Message:  Clear data definitions.
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.xml
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.shipcfg
Debug Message:  Reading Star Names
Debug Message:  Reading Star Names... Done
Debug Message:  TitleWnd: Quit Button.
Debug Message:  Posting WM_CLOSE message.
Debug Message:  WM_CLOSE message received.
Debug Message:  GameUninitialize start
Debug Message:  Killing Galaxy
Debug Message:  Killing threads.
Debug Message:  Kiling civs.
Debug Message:  Killing ships.
Debug Message:  Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message:  Killing misc objects.
Debug Message:  Killing stars.
Debug Message:  Killing anomalies.
Debug Message:  Killing space resources.
Debug Message:  Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message:  killing scenario.
Debug Message:  Clearing Turn Event Log
Debug Message:  Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message:  Clear influence.
Debug Message:  Clear up laws.
Debug Message:  Clear first time events.
Debug Message:  Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message:  Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message:  Clear data definitions.
Debug Message:  Killing Galaxy: Completed
Debug Message:  Shutting down sound system.
Debug Message:  Clearing sound and music handles.
Debug Message:  GameUninitialize end
Debug Message:  Destroying Window.
Debug Message:  Main Shell terminating normally

Debug Message:  Version v1.82 Dark Avatar last updated on: Mon Sep  8 14:01:43 2008
Debug Message:  Checking DX Version.
Debug Message:  *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 2/18/2010, 10:35:43
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Machine Name: RETURN-PC
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP-Pavilion
System Model: AY748AA-ABA p6320y
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/12/09 14:45:05 Ver: 5.13
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 820 Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Physical Memory: 8192MB RAM
Page File: 1928MB used, 13940MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 9100
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0847&SUBSYS_2A9E103C&REV_A2
Display Memory: 3821 MB
Current Display Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP 2009 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver Version: 8.17.0011.9621
Driver Date: 1/11/2010 22:03:33
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes
 
Display device 2:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY2
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 9100
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0847&SUBSYS_2A9E103C&REV_A2
Display Memory: 3821 MB
Current Display Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP 2009 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver Version: 8.17.0011.9621
Driver Date: 1/11/2010 22:03:33
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes
 


Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback
Default Voice Playback
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_103C2A9E&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5938
Driver Date: 9/15/2009 13:08:00
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
 
Sound device 1:
Description: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback
Default Voice Playback
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_103C2A9E&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5938
Driver Date: 9/15/2009 13:08:00
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
 


Debug Message:  *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message:  Entering WinMain
Debug Message:  ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message:  Going Fullscreen
Debug Message:  Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message:  Using hardware vertex processing
Debug Message:  Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message:  Attempting to create D3DDevice at resolution 1024 x 768, Windowed: 0, Multisample: 4
Debug Message:  Game Resolution: 1024 x 768
Debug Message:  Running fullscreen.
Debug Message:  HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 9100
Debug Message:  D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message:  Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message:  Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message:  *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message:  A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message:  RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message:  Now Fullscreen
Debug Message:  Shell initialization complete
Debug Message:  GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message:  ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message:  Timer Frequency is 0 29b94e
Debug Message:  Initializing sound card.
Debug Message:  initailizing bink
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask Movies\techs\*.bik
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Gfx\Movies\*.bik
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\sfx\*.wav
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Music\*.mp3
Debug Message:  No files found matching mask C:\Users\RETURN\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Event Music\*.mp3
Debug Message:  Create setup screens.
Debug Message:  Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message:  Clear influence.
Debug Message:  Clear up laws.
Debug Message:  Clear first time events.
Debug Message:  Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message:  Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message:  Set mouse.
Debug Message:  Set update timer.
Debug Message:  Error flipping back buffer to primary buffer.
Debug Message:  D3DERR_DEVICELOST
Debug Message:  Device lost
Debug Message:  Attempting to reset device.
Debug Message:  Device Validated. Attempting to restore resources.

That is indeed an un-updated retail install, but it should work if you do as follows: Go to My Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar (or GC2TwilightArnor as appropriate), open the file prefs.ini, and make the following changes:

Change
DisplayWidth=1024
DisplayHeight=768
ColorDepth=32
Fullscreen=1

To
DisplayWidth=(Your desktop width)
DisplayHeight=(Your desktop height)
ColorDepth=32
Fullscreen=0

Then save the file and start the game.

I haven't had much gaming time lately, and I'm so sorry I haven't gotten back in here to update you until now - but wanted to let you know that your directions worked like a charm!  All 3 games in the UE are running beautifully!

What would us gamers do without folks like yourself?  I always wonder why many games don't run correctly even when new, and why it's necessary for patches (and sometimes, many patches) regardless of OS, regardless of whether your machine meets the games' specs.  

Btw for you and any one who's reading - apparently google's little browser (google chrome) can jack with games - I uninstalled that and it solved my crashing problem with another game I was having problems with.

Anyway, thanks much to you again, and best of luck to other Win 7 users!