System Requirements

• Each game in the Age of Empires series has its own system requirements. All of them can be played with the requirements of the latest game, Age of Empires III. One of the key requirements of this game is Windows XP. It was one of the first games to require this operating system for regular play. While the other specifications such as a 64 MB video card are easily attainable, the game does require at least 2 GB of RAM for real-time calculation of armies' movements.
  
  

Video Crashes

• Crashes during video sequences are commonly related to video-card or display drivers. Video-card drivers can be updated from the card manufacturer's website and will be released on regular intervals. Display drivers include those from your motherboard's manufacturer, the latest operating system updates and video codecs such as xvid. OS updates should be automatic if using Windows XP, and the most common video codecs can be downloaded from CodecGuide.com.
  
  

Gameplay Errors

• Sometimes the game will crash with an unexplained error during gameplay. Typically, this will occur as a large number of units take the field and the processor or RAM struggle to keep up with the processing load. Make sure your RAM slots are set with the correct speed of memory and that your virtual memory is at least equal to 1.5 times your physical RAM. Your motherboard's instruction guide will help you determine what speed of RAM you should be using.
  
  

Hardware Problems

• Crashes could be the result of hardware issues such as overheated components or unseated cards. Check your video cards, RAM and any PCI peripheral ports to ensure that none are loose or damaged. If you experience random reboots while playing the game, this is a sign of overheating or an underpowered power-supply unit. Computers that barely meet minimum requirements will require a fairly hefty power supply to accommodate the 2 GB or more of RAM.
  
  

Corrupt installation

• If none of the above corrects your problems, and especially if your game crashes consistently at the same point, you may have a bad installation. Reinstall from the disks or direct-to-drive download source. Sometimes disks become scratched or simply dirty with use--clean them before you attempt a re-installation, as it may be nothing more than a smudge that has affected the installation and caused your crashes.