How to Run D2 Under Windows Vista

If you are running Microsoft Windows Vista and are having problems running
Diablo II, we have some troubleshooting steps that will assist in getting the
game up and running.

If at any point you receive an error message from Windows stating "This program
has known compatibility issues," please first make sure the game is fully
patched to the most recent version. You can patch the game by connecting to
Battle.net for the auto-patch or you can download and run the stand-alone patch
from the Diablo II Patch Page at http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=mdt0387p.
If the patch does not correct the problem, please reinstall the game per the
instructions below.

Now, run a thorough scandisk and defrag of your hard drive(s). You will
probably find it helpful to disable your screen saver and power management
features before you scandisk or defrag. Sometimes Windows will restart the
defragmentation and/or scandisk if your screen saver or power management kicks
in. The following webpage has instructions on how to complete this:
http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=mgi0559p.

Now reinstall Diablo II and download and install the latest Diablo II patch from
http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=mdt0387p.

If you are still encountering problems please test the game after trying each of
the steps below. Each solution listed has been reported to solve these problems
for other customers.

- Make sure the latest video drivers you are using are compatible with the
latest version of DirectX or you could experience video problems. Contact your
video card manufacturer to ensure compatibility if you cannot find the
information on the page you downloaded your video drivers from. Make sure you
have the latest version of DirectX from http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp.

- Make sure you have the latest drivers for your Video and Sound cards. You'll
want to check with your computer manufacturer or the Video/Sound card
manufacturer's website for the current drivers that match the model of card you
have in your system. A list of manufacturers with contact information can be
found at http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=msi02054p.

- Download and install the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard. Check
the motherboard manufacturer's website for updated chipset drivers, first. If
you can't find updated drivers at the manufacturer's website, the next two most
common locations for chipset drivers are http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2 and
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/

- Before starting the game, make sure there are no other programs running in the
background. Instructions for how to shutdown all background applications can be
found at http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=agn0558p.

- Our games run in 640 x 480 with 256 colors. Try setting your desktop to this
resolution on going to the Compatibility tab before starting the game. Vista
users may find they cannot set this resolution, so they can skip this step. If
you are not sure how to do this please contact Microsoft for further assistance.

- Make sure all Power Management settings are disabled or turned off. If you
have a screen saver, set it to "None" before playing the game.

We only offer support for the game if played on an Administrator account. Please
make sure the game is running in administrator mode. In order to set the game
as Administrator Mode, please follow the steps below:

1. Right click on the Diablo II icon.
2. Select "Run as Administrator"

If you have additional permissions questions, you should refer to your Windows
help files or documentation.

If that does not allow you to run the game, please make sure you set the game to
Windows XP SP 2 compatibility mode.

1. Right click on the Diablo II icon.
2. Select "Properties"
3. Click on the "Compatibility" tab
4. Select "Windows XP SP2"
5. Click "OK"

In some instances we have found disabling the User Account Control (UAC) has
also alleviated some of the strict permissions Vista has.

NOTE: Disabling the UAC can open your computer up to potential security risks.
Please be advised if you are not comfortable disabling this we recommend you
contact Microsoft for further options.

To disable the UAC:

1. Click "Start"
2. Click "Control Panel"
3. Click "User Accounts"
4. Under the User Accounts screen click on "User Accounts" (this is a second
time you'll see this option)
5. Click on "Turn User Account Control on or off"
6. Uncheck "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer.
7. Click "OK"
8. Click "Restart Now"

Please attach any d2xxxxxx.txt files you find in the Diablo II directory to your
reply along with two files, your dxdiag.txt and msinfo.txt, for further
diagnosis.

Important! - Please reboot your system prior to creating the dxdiag and msinfo
files.

To obtain the DXDIAG file:

1. Press the Windows Key (the key with the Windows logo on your keyboard) + R
(at the same time).
2. Type in DXDIAG and press Enter or click 'OK', this will open the DirectX
diagnostic tool.
3. Run the DirectDraw, Direct3D and DirectSound tests found under the 'Display'
and 'Sound' tabs before creating the dxdiag.txt file.
4. Click on the 'Save All Information' Button (save this file to your Windows
desktop and name it dxdiag).

To obtain the MSINFO file:

1. Press the Windows Key (the key with the Windows logo on your keyboard) + R
(at the same time).
2. Type in MSINFO32 and press Enter or click 'OK'. This will open the MSINFO
diagnostic panel.
3. Click "File" in the top left, then click "Export" - this will prompt you to
choose a location to save the file.
4. When the "Export As" window appears, choose the Desktop to save your file.
5. Click "Save"

Posted by Epiphany. Thanks for that.