ever since I started playing Sim City 4 I've had this problem, Vista & Windows 7, I have not tried an XP computer because I don't own one... Vista soon was upgraded to 7 and the problem still randomly happens, when I click the Sim City 4 icon sometimes it doesn't open properly, it only opens as a process, hence making me have to open the task manager and end the simcity4.exe process, then run the game again, and usually is fine, can anybody explain this, and tell me how to avoid this 'only opens as a process' problem
I've seen this happen. It occurs when the "process" tries to verify the copy protection scheme, but can't verify that the proper CD is loaded. I am not sure what the "fix" is. Perhaps your CD reader is having problems or the CD is dirty or scratched?
I had a similar problem, and because of this I couldn't reinstall the game. My problem was the C.D. itself, so I need to buy a new one.
Examine your CD carefully, handling only by the edges. If there are smudges on it, you can polish them off with a clean soft lintless cloth moving only from the center to the edge. If it is scratched, you can do the same thing applying slightly more force. If this does not work, or if scratches have reached the metal substrate (where the recording really is), then you will need to buy a new copy.