NEW VEGAS WONT START UP PLEAASE HELP

[Caligula]

i recently donloaded new vegas and the screeen will pop up saying;
play, options , data files , tech support and exit. Everytime i press play the screen goes away and nothing happens , new vegas just wont start , please help guide me i dont want to have just spend 10 bucks on nothing

[Asterius]

Try verifying the game's files perhaps.

[Skeltis]

I had this problem. When I ran New Vegas out of Steam it always said preparing first time setup, and if I clicked play nothing would happen.

First, do this to make sure it was the same problem
Go into your folder
<Install Drive>:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Fallout New Vegas
Run FalloutNV.exe

IF you get an error saying missing file D3DX9_38.dll (or any D3DX9) then you have my problem.

Go here
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109
Download the file.
It will ask you where to extract it to.
I recommend a new folder since there are a ton of files and its easy to get them mixed up.
After extracting, run DXSETUP.exe

As far as I can understand, even though I have DirectX 11, the files from DirectX9 were never installed on my computer. This file off the Microsoft Download Center installs all the DirectX9 and 10 .dlls back on your computer. I would suggest the link provided because downloading a rogue .dll off a random file share is just a bad idea.

[Rolo]

I was having a similar problem.
I run Win 8.1 on a Ideapad U460s with a Geforce 305m GFX. I run Skyrim, FO3, etc just fine. FNV would always crash while trying to start a new (the first!) game. Was driving me nuts.

Changing the compatibilty settings, updating drivers, none of that worked.

Someone in another thread mentioned a conflict with video capture software or something similar. I've been trying every solution I've seen posted on multiple forums, but that post struck a chord.

I normally work (and play) with a dual screen setup, with the second monitor a USB Thinkvision by Lenovo driven by Displaylink software. Uninstalling the displaylink software got FNV working without a hitch.

[tacticalspork20]

My problem is that FNV constantly freezes at the first loading screen. I have tried everything listed on the tech support site to fix it, including uninstalling and re-downloading the entire game. That worked until I rebooted my system, and then I was right back to square one.

Per the site FAQ, I delete the local .ini, run the cache verify and constantly get the "1 file failed to validate and will be reacquired" message.

Whatever's supposed to be reacquired never actually is, or if it does it fixes nothing. I love the game, but I seriously question why I paid for it again on PC if it will never actually work.

[talgaby]

File verification will always return 1 file error normally, that's how the engine works. That file is fallout_default.ini, the initial factory settings your game instantly changes to fit your hardware. If you get 1 file error then the game is working normally.
There is a pinned thread about stability in the forum. Get NVSE + NVAC from there. It's likely they will fix your problem.