Command and Conquer Generals on Windows 10 Fix: Easy & Quick

Rebuilding the options.ini file should fix this issue quickly

by Ivan Jenic
Ivan Jenic
Ivan Jenic
Troubleshooting Expert
Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and... read more
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Affiliate Disclosure
  • If you are facing issues with the Command and Conquer Generals game on Windows 10, it might be because of an outdated OS.
  • The main problem with the game points to an ini file that you will need to remake.
  • Another solution implies repairing the registry so read on to learn how to do that.
command and conquer generals windows 10 fix
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Command and Conquer Generals is a popular real-time strategy game released back in 2003, so it’s expected to have some issues with Windows 10.

If you’re having problems with Command and Conquer Generalspan on Windows 10, you should have a closer look at our solutions.

Why is Command and Conquer Generals not working on Windows 10?

There are a series of factors why Command and Conquer Generals shows error in Windows 10. Some of the causes of this issue are:

  • Outdated PC: If Generals Zero Hour crash on startup Windows 10, it might be because your PC is outdated. You need to update it to the latest version to fix this problem.
  • Wrong registry setting: At times, this issue might be some entries in the Registry Editor do not have the right value. The solution here is to tweak these registry values.
  • Issues with user profile: Some users complain that the Command and Conquer Generals stuck at the loading screen issue is down to their user profile. You should create a new user profile to solve this.

How can I fix Command and Conquer Generals problems on Windows 10?

1. Create a new options.ini file

  1. Go to the following folder: C:/Users/username/Documents/Command and Conquer Generals/ Data
  2. Right-click anywhere inside it, select New > Text document.
    new
  3. Name the file options.
    options
  4. Now, paste the following into it:
    • AntiAliasing = 1
    • CampaignDifficulty = 0
    • DrawScrollAnchor =
    • FirewallBehavior = 1
    • FirewallNeedToRefresh = FALSE
    • FirewallPortAllocationDelta = 0
    • GameSpyIPAddress = 10.0.0.2
    • Gamma = 50
    • IPAddress = 10.0.0.2
    • IdealStaticGameLOD = Low
    • LanguageFilter = false
    • MoveScrollAnchor =
    • MusicVolume = 0
    • Resolution = 1024 768
    • Retaliation = yes
    • SFX3DVolume = 79
    • SFXVolume = 71
    • ScrollFactor = 16
    • SendDelay = no
    • StaticGameLOD = High
    • UseAlternateMouse = no
    • UseDoubleClickAttackMove = no
    • VoiceVolume = 70
  5. Save the file and change the extension of your file from .txt to .ini (To do this, you must enable file extensions for known type of files).
    • Right-click the options.txt file and choose Rename from the list.
      rename
    • Now, rename it from options.txt to options.ini.
      rename name
  6. After creating a new options.ini file you can patch the game to version 1.04 if you want.
  7. Try starting the game and see if it works.

One of our readers also recommended changing the resolution settings in the options.ini file but creating a new file as instructed in this procedure will also change the resolution.

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2. Delete the dbghelp.dll file

  1. Open the File Explorer and navigate to the path below: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour
  2. Open either of the Command and Conquer General & Zero Hour folders and right-click the dbghelp.dll file.
  3. Now, select the Delete option.
    delete

If you are facing the Command and Conquer Generals Directx 8.1 error on Windows 10, the steps below should help you fix it.

3. Install the Genpatcher

  1. Press the Windows key, type virus, and select the Virus & threat protection option.
    virus
  2. Click Manage settings.
    manage settings
  3. Toggle the switch for Real-time protection backward to disable it. If you have any other third-party antivirus, make sure you disable it.
    real-time
  4. Now, download the launch Genpatcher.
    download
  5. Finally, click the Apply fixes button to fix all issues with the game.

The Genpatcher is a tool designed to fix Command and Conquer Generals error on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Running this tool has helped many users to play the game, so make sure you try it too.

4. Update Windows 10

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and select the Update & Security option.
    update
  2. Click the Check for updates button.
    Command and Conquer Generals you have encountered a serious error
  3. Download and install any available update.

5. Modify your registry

  1. Press Windows key + R, enter regedit, and Click OK.
    Command and Conquer Generals please login with administrator privileges and try again
  2. In the left pane, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/secdrv
  3. In the right pane, double-click the secdrv DWORD.
  4. Set its Value data to 2 and click OK to save changes.
  5. Close the Registry Editor.

After doing that, check if the problem is resolved. Keep in mind that this solution won’t work for you unless you can access the key from Step 2. If you don’t have this key on your PC, you can just skip this solution.

6. Use Command Prompt

  1. Click the Start icon, type cmd, and click on Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
    cmd admin
  2. Type the command below and press Enter to run it: sc config secdrv start= autosc config
  3. Finally, wait for the command to finish running and try the game alone.

7. Run the game in Compatibility mode

  1. Locate Command and Conquer Generals shortcut, right-click it and choose Properties from the menu.
    Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour won't start
  2. Now, go to Compatibility tab and check Run this program in compatibility mode for.
  3. Select Windows XP from the list and check Run this program as an administrator.
  4. Now click Apply and OK to save the changes.
    Command and Conquer Generals not launching

Compatibilty mode is used to run old programs on modern PCs. And since the Command and Conquer Generals game is pretty old, this should fix the error on Windows 10.

8. Copy the game files

  1. Go to the game’s installation directory.
  2. Locate game.dat file and create a copy of that file in the same directory.
  3. Now, right-click the original game.dat file and select Delete.
    delete
  4. Rename the copied game.dat file to game.dat.
  5. Now locate generals.exe, create a copy, remove the original and rename the copy to generals.exe.

After doing that, try to start the game again. Several users reported that this solution helped them fix the Command and Conquer Generals issue on Windows 10. So, feel free to try it out.

9. Create a new user profile

  1. Open the Settings app and go to the Accounts section.
    accounts
  2. In the left pane, select Family & other people. In the right pane, choose Add someone else to this PC.
    family
  3. Now select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
    i dont have
  4. Now choose Add a user without a Microsoft account.
    add user command and conquer generals windows 10 fix
  5. Enter the desired name and click Next.
    next command and conquer generals windows 10 fix

After doing that, switch to a new user profile and try to install Command and Conquer Generals again.

We have come to the end of this guide. With the information in this guide, you should be able to fix issues with Command and Conquer Generals on Windows 10.

If you are facing the issues like Steam games won’t launch on Windows 10, check our detailed guide to fix it easily.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.

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