I have found my retail copy of age of empires 2 - The age of Kings and would like to play on my Windows XP machine.
 
The game installs perfectly and once I click - run - I get the loading screen then nothing, it dissapears, no warnings, no hang, just gone.
 
I have tried using the compatibility mode but none of them work (Eg windows 95 / 98 etc)  
 
I have tried downloading and using the 2.0a patch from the AOE2 site but once I install that the game brings up a warning saying that the disk is not in.
 
However I can download and play the free demo (also from the AOE2 site) so i'm thinking there is a file or patch missing in the reatail copy I have that has been added to the demo to allow it to play on xp.
 
Would anyone know of any third party patches or have any extra advice - thanks
 
I run ATI 1900xt  - latest omega drivers
Core 2 Duo  
2gb ram

I still love and play AO2 The Conquerors. Just use no cd fix. I'm sure you can find one at megagames.com. Don't know about any computability issues so I would recommend to remove the demo just in case.

Awesome, thank you friend. I found exactly what I needed on that website and am now enjoying Age of Empires again.
 
Thanks,

awesome game still playing it

age of empires 2 works perfectly on win xp we are playing it on 2 win xp systems, it newer had compatibility issues with xp for me.
 
and yes great game make sure u running it on max settings and resolution
 
 
also i use Microsoft Virtual PC and installed Windows 98  sometimes i like to play old games that only work on 95/98