Simcity 4 not loading
Sim City 4 won't load for me anymore either. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it...this didn't help. I followed the second option to check the direct play, it was already ticked. I'm including a D...
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If your version is retail, this is a known issue as the game has the SafeDisc copy protection system, which had its driver removed from Windows 10. Other than obtaining an... executable..., your best shot is buying the game digitally on GOG, Steam or Origin, where it doesn't suffer from this problem.
If your game is indeed digital (bought on GOG, Steam or Origin), then this can be due to something else. Go to your computer's Control Panel (not Settings), go to Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on and Off. Open the Legacy Components section and tick DirectPlay.
I have the digital version and my Direct Play is ticked. I try to start it in Orgin and it just does not do anything except go back the the screen that has the play button in origin. Hard to explain.
Since SimCity 4 has a few 3D elements, I guess you can try manually installing DirectX 9.0c (since no Windows version comes with it). DXDIAG doesn't seem to read it if you have DirectX 10 or higher. And don't worry, it won't affect newer DirectX builds since it's separate.
Try doing the following:
- Download DirectX 9.0c redistributable from June 2010 from Microsoft’s official website.
- Run directx_Jun2010_redist.exe.
- Follow the instructions on the screen. This setup will extract the necessary files to the folder of your choosing.
- Once the setup closes, open the folder to which you extracted the files.
- Run DXSETUP.exe as administrator and follow the instructions on the screen.
- Restart your computer.
After that, run the game and see if that does the trick.
Thanks so much for all your help, but that didn't work either. It just seems to me that it is Origin causing the problem. It acts like it's going to start then just reopens origin.
