I Can't start the game

[curly_dks]

ok, so i just bought and installed Half'Life 2: GotY edition, and everything is updated and says "100% ready" but when i double click on half life 2 or click launch, it pops up with a window that says "preparing to launch half-life 2..." and then after a while that windows closes but nothing happens. can someone please tell me whats going on?

 

[Beerdude26]

Could you give your full system specifications? (A tutorial can be found here: Link)

 

[curly_dks]

System Specs

OS: Windows XP Home Edition
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 CPU 1.60 GHz
Memory: 640 MB
DirectX: 9.0c
Page File: 795 MB total
Resolution: 800X600
Drivers:5.01.2600.0000

Thats all that i could find but i think the problem is my video card, can you tell me what type to get and about how much it would be? i don thave a very big budget. Also the computer is a Dell Dimesnsion 4300S

 

[UltimaApocalypse]

1.60 Ghz? Ouch.

What is your graphic card though? It's not mentioned in your post.

 

[christow2412]

you really need to sort the graphics card. To be fair its a risk running a lot of high games on a 1.6. especially as half life is a processor demanding game. and graphics.

GET A NEW PC lol

 

[stevierevie]

I have the same problem!!

I've been looking at this for some time and have found very few forums that discuss it. Have a look at Techspot http://www.techspot.com/vb/all/windows/t-17022-p-3.html which is the only other place i have seen this discussed.

Unfortunately, nothing in the pages there have been able to solve my problem. Perhaps you will have more luck with the ideas than i have.

To further complicate things, i had the game running happily for several months until i had a hard disk failure and had to have this replaced. A lot of the forums suggest this is DVD-drive related, but this can't be the case as mine worked happily before with the same drive.

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Dimension 8400
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 510MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

Display Card name: RADEON X800 XT
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6476 (English)

Sorry this isn't an answer, but at least you know you're not alone! Will be grateful for suggestions from anyone else who has solved this.

 

[curly_dks]

well, where it should say the video card, it was just blank and all the other things (memory, maker, etc.) said n/a so i've come to the conclusion that his computer has no video card, which is really weird but oh well. Tomorrow i will be back on my regular computer, which is not crappy.

 

[GuNuT33]

Same Problem!

I am having the same problem. Every game associated with HL2 just crashes while it's loading. However all the games associated with HL1 work fine. Right now I'm re-installing my video card drivers but so far still no change. The game used to work fine, for like a year...but I just got a new processor, and now it doesn't work...can't figure it out.

System Stats=
AMD 2800+ 1.6 GHz
768 MB of RAM
Radeon 9600XT Vido Card

 

[Aljaud]

I'm having the exact same problem. I was playing Garry's Mod, and it crashed (which has happened a few times before, but it booted back up normally) but when i tried to start it it showed the Steam Loading thing that says "Preparing to start Half-Life2..." Then it doesnt do anything. It seems like its loading HL2.exe (mouse pointer shows loading icon, etc) but it just closes. Doesnt open to black screen or anything just closes to desktop. I dont know what might have caused this and Steam hasn't been much help >.> So, if anyone has any answers to what might have caused this please help.

PC Specs-

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600)
BIOS: BIOS Date: 06/21/05 19:06:37 Ver: 08.00.10
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz w/ HT
Memory: 1280MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Motherboard: ASUS P5RD1-V Socket T (LGA 775) ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 ATX Intel Motherboard
Graphics Card: XFX PVT42EUDE3 6800 XTreme 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

 

[bbson john]

It is not related to the system requirement since I have the same problem in playing HL: S. Yet, when I play HL: 2, all is fine.

 

[tim]

Well looks like im here in search for help with THE SAME problem heres ALL my info... Everything seems to be updated. I'v contacted Steam and they havn't goten back to me. Even though its been about 2 weeks(they ussaly get back to me 2-3 days) I really wish someone could help all of us out :x

heres some of my info
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 2.01ghz
1.00GB Ram
Nvidia GeForce FX 5700LE
sound blaster live 24bit
200gb hard drive






thanks
tim

 

[tim]

I dont think we will ever get an answer

AWWWWWW!!!! IM CRYING LOL!

 

[tim]

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!

Ok someone might want to sticky this im only posting this in this forum (belive me there are many many people that need this help) after about 3 weeks of none stop googling i found it =D

For anyone with this same problem you have DirectX 9.0B

You need to update to DirectX 9.0C. Now you may say i did and i still have this problem.. You didn't update. The update is very weird you have to unextract the files in the DirectX folder and then go back to the folder and find the setup file.. and BAM DE DAMN it should work


For anyone that doesnt understand what i said about installing DirectX9.0C you will when you start to install.

Here is the link for DirectX 9.0C

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...-9483-959d48a2d03b/directx_apr2006_redist.exe

Please spread the word about this because there are way to many people with this problem that cant find the help

-TIM

 

[rohin]

Yeah dude.........I'll tell you why....
You need a patch for the GOTY edition .
Tell me ur E-mail id .... i'll send it to u....

Regards



<the procedure will involve re installing HL 2 . It works 100 %>
<i have Goty too>

 

[Jay_Arrow]

I have the same problem it sucks coz my mate dont shut up about how he had fun trying to annoy me. plz giv me a hand lol

 

[Jay_Arrow]

ok i just tried tims way and it didnt work poo. im so gutted

 

[Drackard]

Yeah dude.........I'll tell you why....
You need a patch for the GOTY edition .
Tell me ur E-mail id .... i'll send it to u....

Regards


<the procedure will involve re installing HL 2 . It works 100 %>
<i have Goty too>

I love it when people openly give out their email on public net forums lol i thought the PM feature was there for a reason

 

[Jay_Arrow]

ok i have had this problem for ages i only get to play it azt my mates im so annoyed and frustrated. every idea seems like a waiste of time ill giv u my system stuff.
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 With AGP8X
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
768 MB of Ram
2.66 Ghz
Pentium
65.2GB (used to have 93.1GB lol)
Mcafee personal firewall (dosnt block steam. already checked.)
um will that do?

 

[stevierevie]

A word of encouragement...

Ok I’ve suffered, as many of you have, with this issue for months on end.

I've come to the conclusion that we're not looking at one single problem, but many different problems that have the same symptoms. You'll notice that there are many different solutions on offer here, I tried most of them and they didn't work for me.

It seems that HL2 is sometimes not great at telling you what’s gone wrong. The reason i discovered the problem related to my graphics card is because I tried to load up Medal of Honour, and it gave me some useful error messages that allowed me to track down the problem. Once all the drivers for my graphics card were updated, the problem was fixed.

My problem was especially frustrating as i had HL2 working for a while, until a hard disk failure forced me to re-install everything on my PC. Same hardware, but no HL2. The simple explanation was that when i bought my PC it was delivered with more up to date drivers installed on it than the disks they supplied me with!

My suggestion is to work through all the solutions here, and don't be disheartened if the first one you try doesn't work.

Good luck!!

 

[pazatronic]

I'm having the same problem as well. I just bought my computer a month ago, with playing Half Life 2 in mind. So my computer has no problem running it. I downloaded the demo and played it, went out and bought it, and the same day I got a system error (it had something to do with my video card).

Since then I haven't been able to play the game at all. I install it completely and when I click on the desktop shortcuts nothing happens at all. Nothing loads up . . . nothing! I don't even get steam loading in my taskbar.

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one having this problem. I've gone to the support forums on valve, but so far no reply . . . I'm really bummed that I can't play Half Life 2!

I have a NEC LaVie Notebook
Windows XP, Probably service pack 2 . . . I don't know
1.7 Ghz Pentium M
768 MB Ram
120 Gig HD
ATI Radeon XPress 200m 128 (so that puts my RAM down to 640)Unfortunately ATI does NOT support it's own video cards in notebooks so I can't update my drivers or anything
Dirext X 9c

Any advice would be appreciated as how to solve this problem

 

[Starksy303]

Getting well pi**ed off!

Come on guys, this is serious.
I'm in exactly the same boat, been playing the game for ages, completed both hl2 and ep1. Formatted my hd recently (just that time of the year kinda thing) and played the game for a while then it crashed to desktop and just wouldn't load after that.
I've uninstalled/reinstalled both game and grfx card drivers and it still doesn't even load. Messed about with AA settings and sound card settings, nothing. I'm completely stumped. COME ON VALVE, SORT IT OUT!

How the f*ck am I supposed to feel excited now for the release of Episode Two when I wont even be able to play it??!?!

Someone posted something about a 'Game of the Year Edition' patch. What's that all about? I've got the GOTY Edition.

Here are my specs guys and Valve if you're seeing this (which you probably aren't or are with laughter) sort-it-out.

Asus A8N SLI-deluxe Motherboard
Athlon 64 FX-55
2x GeForce 7800GT (SLI)
2gb RAM - Corsair TwinX2048 3200C2PT
300GB HD
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Windows XP - Home Edition

 

[bigburpco]

Yeah dude.........I'll tell you why....
You need a patch for the GOTY edition .
Tell me ur E-mail id .... i'll send it to u....

Regards



<the procedure will involve re installing HL 2 . It works 100 %>
<i have Goty too>

And they can't update through Steam?

 

[Armoured-Fury]

Hmmmm i had a similar problem once to be honest, probably the same problem. I don't know why but basicly i installed Steam and then HL2 and CS:S through Steam, came to play HL2 and got that message..

So i un-installed Steam and everything, re-installed it (just steam), reboot my machine, Steam popped up with an update thingy, then i re-downloaded HL2 through Steam and it worked fine for me.

I have no idea if that'll work for you, guys, and i'm sorry if it doesn't.. But like i said, i found that rebooting my machine after full installation of Steam, did the trick, then install HL2 *shruggs*

I can't even install HL2 from my disk because it always gets stuck so maybe try installing it through Steam, if you're not already doing that, i dunno..

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Try deleting your Clientregistry.blob file and ONLY that!

 

[Armoured-Fury]

Hmmmm wasn't that already suggested?

 

[Jam06]

Happened to me and i fixed it, it wouldnt work in 1024 x 768 so i switched to 800 x 600 and it works fine now