Age of Empires II: You receive the "Game could not be saved" error message when you try to save a game or the game crashes when you try to open and play a previously saved game (322614)

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

Method 1: Delete the Content in the Temp Folder

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. In the Drives dialog box, select the drive on which Microsoft Windows is installed, and then click OK.
3. Under Files to delete, click to select the Temporary files check box, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
   
   The Disk Cleanup process automatically starts, and it may take several minutes to complete.

If Method 1 does not resolve this issue, proceed to Method 2.

Method 2: Rename the SaveGame Folder

1. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type SaveGame, and then click Search.
3. When the search process is complete, right-click SaveGame, and then click Rename.
   
   Note If there is more than one folder named "SaveGame," locate the folder that is associated with Age of Empires.
4. In the box that appears, type SaveNewGame, and then press ENTER.

If Method 2 does not resolve the issue, proceed to Method 3.

Method 3: Remove and then Reinstall Age of Empires

Remove Age of Empires

Note First remove Age of Conquerors if you have it installed and then Age of Kings.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   
   Note on Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium (Me), click the Install/Uninstall tab.
3. Click the Install/Uninstall tab.
4. In the list of installed programs, double-click Microsoft Age of Empires, and then click Uninstall.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the removal process.

The computer may stop responding (hang).

Delete the Age of Empires Folder

1. Start Windows Explorer, and then locate C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games.
   
   Note This is the default path; this path may vary on your computer, depending on your configuration.
2. In the Microsoft Games folder, right-click Age of Empires, and then click Delete.
3. When prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
4. Close the Microsoft Games folder.

Clean Boot the Computer

These articles describe how to disable common startup programs, settings, and drivers to troubleshoot issues. This procedure is known as "clean booting." Programs that run in the background in memory are called terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSR's). For example, these programs may be virus protection software, utility programs, print manager programs, or screen savers.

To clean boot your computer, use the appropriate method for your version of Windows:

Reinstall the Program

1. Insert the Age of Empires CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
   
   Note If Setup does not start automatically, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   2. In the Open box, type the following line, where cd-rom is the drive letter of the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive:
      • Age of Kings:

        cd-rom:\aoesetup.exe

      • Age of Conquerors:

        cd-rom:\aocsetup.exe

   3. Click OK.
2. Click Install, and then click Continue.
3. Click the Browse button.
4. In the Path box, delete the existing path, and then type the following line:

   drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\AOK

   where drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which you want to install Age of Kings.
5. Click OK. When you recieve a prompt to create the folder, click Yes.
6. Click Continue.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
8. Install Age of Conquerors if you have a retail version of the product.

If the problem continues to occur, your computer might be infected with the virus. For additional information about how to proceed, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: