Drohjax

Ah, sorry it didn't help. I hoped it would since our problems were very similar but for some reason this game is ridiculously difficult to get running for a game released in 2010. I've had an easier time getting games like Nox and Master of Orion 2 multiplayer running. I hope you get it sorted and at least this reply will bump your thread.

This might be a longshot, but did you try to set the compatibility for Vista SP2? I've spent hours today trying to get this game to work (reinstalling, updating (bothe the EU and NA patches), rebooting, you name it) and after trying all compatibility modes (even the win98 ones -coughs-) I found that the single one that allowed my game to start up was the Vista SP2 one (I even used it on the installer to cover my bases). All other ones it booted up to a black screen for 5 seconds, then crashed and I had to shut it down with task manager to go for another try. Like said, longshot, but maybe it helps.