Civilization IV on Windows 7 fails to start after install
OK I got this working and it seems you need to do two things.
- Update DirectX. The one from the Civ 4 disk may work, or this: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3&displaylang=en
- Upgrade the game to version 1.74, which can be downloaded. Firaxis appears to no longer support this patch, but it is available from Gamespy: http://planetcivilization.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Patches.Detail&id=35
The DirectX upgrade may or may not have been necessary. It certainly doesn't work without the patch upgrade. You don't need any of the Windows 7 compatibility modes.
Did you try just ignoring that message and continuing on with the install? I've run Civ 4 on my Windows 7 machine and haven't experienced any issues.