1: I at one point could run Dark Reign(1) and Dark Reign Shadow Hand add on pack, but after getting Baldur's Gate to work by installing it lower on the command tree, Dark Reign will flatly throw me into black screen and refuse to work. I've been trying to even get as far as the entry screen to figure it out but no luck beyond watching it hang. Yes I do realize this was something giving me trouble when it was the Baldur's gate question, but before it's install DR, and SH worked.

2: Deus Ex, tends to play about two or three scenes of intro or get into the page of character creation, then it also hangs and refuses to go any further. Usually it simply will freeze the page without allowing any further input beyond maybe a few stat clicks if I'm fast enough, though the graphics are still active so it keeps the image of character creation.

3: Slave Zero, Will get into a 3dfx screen or something in intro then give me a technical error before simply flashing itself out.

4: Darkest Dungeon, and Masters of Orion 2016 ed(unsure the specific as the Gnarlok are not an unlockable race but the khan's are).... will randomly vanish during play. As in the game ceases to be while I'm interacting with it. There is no error window or anything. I just find myself dumped out into Windows. Rare few times Windows has suggested that the game stopped working (MoO 2016), which is odd, because during the error message the game is still functioning and can be played.

Other than these 4 mainstay errors.... I have to admit, I have like 90 something of you guys' games, and love them greatly. 4 of 90 isn't a bad rate at all. Just lookin for some help. Much appreciated for anyone who knows the in's and out's and can figure out my issues.

You could try rolling back your videocard drivers. Sometimes with some of these updates they try to fix legacy issues and create new problems. I suggest this since it used to work. Of course if an OS update is the culprit, that may be more difficult.

You can also try playing with compatibility settings, maybe one works better. I have a similar issue with Warlords Battlecry where it crashes in the middle of gameplay freezing up the computer and leaving the sound "locked" in a mini loop. Doesn't always stop at the same moment, but always stops shortly into the game. I need to try more compatibility/sound combinations and see if I can find a combination which works.

Edit: What OS/videocard are you using? That information might be helpful.

Try using Kentie's launcher to run Deus Ex. I haven't tried but you could also try dgVoodoo which surprisingly causes all sorts of DirectDraw games to work properly.

I'm going to toss my praise in for dgVoodoo its a life saver! Also this sounds like a driver/config issue more then anything... I have DeusEx and Slavezero running on 10x64 nVidia with AMD chipset/CPU with no issues...

So no one has anything for Dark Reign's error?

It tends to black screen and lock my visuals up in black/grey haze excepting any programs that are currently running, as well as not allowing me to access anything that's not running shy of an Alt Cntrl Del function.

While doing this it pops up a message that I cannot copy, nor can I screenshot or save.

Error dialogue box is as follows:

[ The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application. ]

Anyone got anything which could fix that? I can't seem to find a settings program exterior to the game that will allow me to modify driver settings or anything prior to launch either. Idk. Maybe I'm just daft as to how to go about it.

Oddly I could swear before moving DX9 to make Baldurs Gate work by lowering the command tree almost to C:/ that Dark Reign and it's expansion had worked. Is it possible it's pissing a fit because of a location of DX9? Also DX9 won't allow me to copy/duplicate and/or have multiples floating as it seems to just update where ever I put it with no further options.

Sorry, your post is very confusing. What do you mean moving DX9? And what is a command tree?
Do you mean the install location of the game? Always install all software outside Windows folders. I always create c:\MyGames, and install my games there. DX however should install directly without you needing to install to a specific area. DirectX is an intrinsic part of Windows, so you should just have one version (latest in almost all instances as they are backwards compatible) otherwise that will cause issues. Just a guess, but sounds to me like you have multiple DX versions running and its causing clashes. Install the latest DX drivers ensure that is all up to date and remove any others you have. Next, install the games to c:\games or something like that. Then run them. You can also contact support.

If you post your machine's specs we can offer better advice. This could be a number of things.

Confusing?
Okay I'll attempt to remedy that.

> DX9 (Not Star Trek ; DS9)

Direct X 9, a windows media program which assists, or supposedly assists, older games to play and is a staple to their even working then. Sometimes I think it's almost as needed as SVC Host on modern opperating systems(which I don't think is actually needed, but that's another story.)

> Command Tree.
A command tree is a branching of commands within your computer that function by routing them in certain ways with suffixes that usually are the activation brackets.
IE
Directory Name / Folder Name / Item Name, and then the .Suffix activation
>So
C:/ => is a directory in a command tree.
C:/MyFiles/Games/DarkReign => is a Folder with an item in it.
C:/MyFiles/Games/DarkReign.exe => is an EXE or executable file, which means it's something that activates a continuing command. There are many suffixes though like .ini .bat .wmp .sys et cetera.
> It's quite old computer stuff, since after Dos the area command trees were used in was called a Command Prompt, and now it's almost the way of the dodo, as probably about 95% of people have no clue a command area exist anywhere in their pc/electronics. Yes the install location of the game. C:/ is still within windows. DX9 is currently insallted at c:/.
Rather oddly the issue didn't rear it's head until I moved DX9 to C:/ so that Baldur's Gate 1 could run. The moment I'd done that Dark Reign would not run any longer. DX also would not allow copies and kept installing/updating or doing it's thing on C:/ with Baldur's Gate 1. Dark Reign Requires it, but I think it requires it as part of the program or file it's in as a package deal just to run. idk. As for having multiple DX's, if I did then wouldn't that cause Baldur's Gate, which also requires it, to stop working? Baldurs Gate runs, and requires Direct X. I've installed it a few times. Tried to do multiples but it wont allow. Tried to update in the hopes of getting both to work, and that also doesn't fix the glitch.

As for installing all my games in C:/ I'm kinda hesitant to do that for both security reasons and also because I prefer them all kinda dug in under the profile on the PC I have rather than readily availible to anyone who has access to C:/. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd just rather not force all my games low on the tree like that. Doubt the specs are of any value given that Dark Reign ran when Baldur's Gate 1 wouldn't (baldur's gate had to be moved in the file directory, and even then wanted DX in it's folder or wouldn't run.)....
Which kinda means all hardware and software are up to boot as far as running the game, or it'd never have run before.

If it helps though Win 8.2, and several dozens of gigs of mem left.

Ah, ok, must be some Americanism, never heard the directory structure or file system called a command tree before. I am well familiar with command prompt as grew up with that.

Yes I know dx9, I don't understand why you have installed that separately. Normally dx is backward compatible, so using the latest version should work. Especially with baldurs gate - never had any issue with that on any version of dx/windows - haven't tried beamdogs version. I suspect the fact that you have multiple dx versions installed will cause issues though.

With regards to install location, I mean install the game outside of windows specific folders like program files, this is ever since vista brought in UAC. Installing I to windows specific folders will cause you issues with older games when they want to write files or access things and cant.

So, to conclude, baldurs gate should run cine on the latest dx version, so long as you install the game outside windows specific folders it should run. If you still have issues, contact support and have them go over it with you. Possibly your registry has got messed up with differing versions of dx. Also, you could use the beamdog version, they are supposed to be updated to run on modern hardware.

Oh, just want to add, I haven't run bg1 on its own for years. I would always play it in Bg2 engine, either with tutu, or big world, or bgtrilogy, to get the upscaled engine and res.

I am American, and cut my teeth (computer-wise) on DOS, and I've never heard the specific phrase "command tree" before, either. [shrug]

Dark Reign requires DirectX 3a... If you look into the game folder you should find 2 executables: SPLASH and DREIGN.

Does it change anything if you launch DREIGN directly rather than through the shortcut ?

It doesn't seem to. And again, I've DX 9, even should it require DX 3 the updated version is indeed installed. I'm confounded by why it stalls out it's own activation.

What I was thinking about would be a DirectX version check in the executable. Even if DX9 supersedes 3 , the control might not recognize the DX condition as met.

PHC7006:

That wouldn't be the issue if as stated it would run previously while under DX9.

It only began having issues when I rerouted DX9 into the Baldur's Gate 1 folder to make BG1 work.

I doubt then that a edition between 3+ corrupts or makes it cease functioning.

About Dark Reign, since I recently installed and played it (not sure if this helps you at all if it is indeed some issue with DirectX).

Anyway, to me it seemed to be very finicky. Sometimes (usually) I got it to run, sometimes not, but there was the error about not finding the game CD, so the issues apparently were about the copy protection workaround or something that GOG used.

Sometimes if I faced the problem and the game wouldn't start, I'd disable the virus scanner (Avira Antivir), and also made sure I ran the game from the Start Menu, without opening any additional Windows.

Anyway, probably it has nothing to do with your (video card?) issue, but I'd still try to run it with antivirus disabled, just in case. However, usually it launches fine for me even if antivirus is running.