Windows 8.1 update stopped Civ working completely

[LucasOfBorg]

This game could not be riddled with more problems if it tried.
Not only does it need a mega-fast computer to run smoothly, but the online has so many bugs it is genuinly unreal. Everyone has complained at getting kicked with friends at random points in games, and for some unnecessary reason I had to turn off file and printer sharing after googling the probem for a few hours.
Then the buttons stopped working - i.e. i'd click a unit option and it wouldn't react - online so when I finally played with my friend the game was useless. I never fixed this problem.
And now, after updating to Windows 8.1, Steam, the second most incompetant gaming company just behind EA, is now sayng 'app already running' when I try and run it in DX10/11 or DX9, and in Windows 8 mode whch is pathetic anyway, it just loads a little window and then it goes instantly.
I have followed all of Steam's online advice, and of course it has failed.
Please, somebody help me solve yet another problem with this game. I love Civ, it's such a great game but mostly due to Steam and the online it just causes more problem than it's worth.

[Pert Boioioing]

You may have tried this already, but it's *the* important first step to verify before anyone in the forums can help you:

Go into the task manager "process" tab (right-click the taskbar, select "task manager", yadda yadda) and verify that there are no running "Sid Meier's Civ.." processes, then check the "details" tab for "CivilizationVDirectX..." or something like that. The game process name is different in each tab. If you see "Sid Meier's Civ.." or "CivilizationVDirectX.." right-click and end that process, or end the process tree. Then exit and restart steam. Make sure you actually exit steam rather than just close the steam window because steam likes to stay in memory too.

I get the same error as you trying to start the game in "Windows 8 mode". Windows 8.1 seems to treat "Windows 8 mode apps" differently than windows 8 did in that it doesn't close them automatically but allows them to linger in memory.

edit: the last paragraph is true about "Windows Store" apps, but doesn't necessarily apply to this game. The rest of the comment still stands though.

[LucasOfBorg]

Thanks for replying, however I've tried your recommendation and I'm afraid nothing whatsoever was running in the task manager except windows and the task manager. I don't know what Microsoft have done wih Windows 8.1, but the start button was not worth anthing remotely useful at all, espcially as I've spent £40 on this game and now it's rendered useless. I'm going to disable my firewalls to see if this is the issue, and if not, then I'm going to kill myself.

[Cruxshadow]

Escrito originalmente por ♃ Child Of JuSa ♃:

i've got no problems running this game (and others) with 8.1, blaming Microsoft is getting old, haters gonna hate...

Escrito originalmente por LuKeMac21:

Steam, the second most incompetant gaming company just behind EA.

/facepalm

Ever since I updated to windows 8.1 I have been having problems with Civ V crashing my computer. Is there an update to Civ V for 8.1?

[Buz]

It starts fine here, although I've had 2-3 CTDs since updating to win8.1. They just happen between turns.

[bastionado]

I had the same issue. I managed to fix it by right clicking on the steam desktop icon and then going to properties and running steam in windows 8 compatability mode. Try it!

[saktiris]

or set the game in compatibility mode(ofc run game in admin mode) and disable desktop composition etc.

[bielucha]

I am having the same problem. Upgraded to Windows 8.1 and Civ V will not run.
Made sure Civ wasn't running already. No effect.
Tried starting Steam in Win 8 compatibility mode. No effect
Tried running in Direct X9, Direct X 10&11, and Windows 8 modes, all have the same result. "Sid Meier's Civilization V (32 bit)" appears briefly in Task Manager processes, a blank window appears and promptly disappears, then the "Sid Meier's Civilization V (32 bit)" process disappears and the game does not run.

Escrito originalmente por saktiris:

or set the game in compatibility mode(ofc run game in admin mode) and disable desktop composition etc.

I don't understand what this suggestion means.

Hopefully one of Steam's millions of upgrades will fix this problem soon.

[RAL1k12]

I logged over a thousand hours on Civ 5 up to BNW and never had a problem. Upgraded from Windows 8 to 8.1 and a "low on memory" warning on Civ INVARIABLY appears after 1-3 turns forclng me to quit. 8 gigs of ram, happens even when nothing else is loaded. Has made the game unplayable. Updated nvidia & intel drivers, nothing cures it. Others have reported the problem, no one has fixed it.

[LucasOfBorg]

I had to factory reset my laptop to revert back to Windows 8.0. Civ has worked fine since then, one day i might upgrade to 8.1 to see if it works, but it's not worth a measly start button to lose all my games...

[ReignX]

There is an issue with the Razor software and Civ 5.
http://forums.2k.com/showthread.php?432871-PC-Windows-8-1-Civ5-Crashes-at-start-menu

[daymon1994]

b

[chrdumas]

download and install this to fix the problem:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

[Stealth]

Escrito originalmente por Bailey Crowley:

i've got no problems running this game (and others) with 8.1, blaming Microsoft is getting old, haters gonna hate...

Escrito originalmente por LuKeMac21:

Steam, the second most incompetant gaming company just behind EA.

/facepalm

Agreed. Everyone hates win 8.1 but I've yet to have any issues with any game.

[bielucha]

Escrito originalmente por chrdumas:

download and install this to fix the problem:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

Thanks chrdumas.

I updated my directx as above, but that made no difference.

I then also updated ny NVIDIA driver, and viola! It now works for the first time on this computer with Win 8.1.

Steven.

[Kindred]

I had the same problem and after right clicking all the Civ 5.exe files in the steam directory and selecting windows 7 compatibility and run as administrator, the game now works fine.