Microsoft KB Archive/814546

= Age Of Mythology: A Black Screen Appears at Startup and the Game Stops Responding =

Article ID: 814546

Article Last Modified on 11/14/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Age of Mythology
 * Microsoft Age of Mythology Gold
 * Microsoft Age of Mythology: The Titans

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SYMPTOMS
When you start Age of Mythology, a black screen may appear, the game music may start to play, and then the game may stop responding (hang).



CAUSE
This issue may occur if one or more of the following conditions exist:
 * Microsoft Direct 3D acceleration is disabled, or is not working correctly.
 * You do not have the most recent version of Microsoft DirectX installed on your computer.
 * Your video adapter driver is outdated.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods in the order that they appear.

Method 1: Disable and then Enable Direct3D

 * 1) Click Start, and then click Run.
 * 2) In the Open box, type dxdiag, and then click OK.
 * 3) In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, click the Display or Display 1 tab.
 * 4) Click Disable to turn off Direct3D Acceleration.
 * 5) When the confirmation message appears, click OK.
 * 6) Click Enable to turn on Direct3D Acceleration.
 * 7) Start Age of Mythology.

If the issue is not resolved, go to the next method.

Method 2: Download and Install the Most Recent Version of DirectX
To download the most recent version of DirectX, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.mspx

If the issue is not resolved, go to the next method.

Method 3: Download and Install the Most Recent Drivers for Your Video Adapter
Contact the manufacturer of your video adapter for information about how to obtain and install the latest drivers for your video adapter. You may also visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site to see if driver updates are available:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

To identify the name and manufacturer of your video adapter:
 * 1) Click Start, and then click Run.
 * 2) In the Open box, type dxdiag, and then click OK.
 * 3) In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, click the Display or the Display 1 tab.
 * 4) In the Device pane, note the name and manufacturer of your video adapter, and then click Exit.

For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

Additional query words: performance setup installation video display

Keywords: kbsetup kbhardware kbdisplay kbconfig kbprb KB814546

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