Just got Max Payne and installed it on my PC. The damn thing won't run. I can get the tutorial to run fine so I know the system demands are met by my machine, and by all other indications the game has been installed, but every time I try to actually begin a real game, the program just craps out. The M.P. screen loading bar starts and before it completes loading the game, the screen goes back to my desktop and there's no sign of life from the game itself. Why would this happen?

I'm running this game on a Win XP P4 2Ghz, 64Mg nVIDIA-GForce3 Ti200 card, 256 DRAM. My PC is a screamer by all accounts, but the damn game wont run!! I'm going nuts.

Do I need to reinstall it?(Tried that once already.) Could there be a software conflict that is invisible to me? If a reinstall is needed, is there a best way to do it as to avoid conflicts?

I've installed dozens of games on various PC's, including Castle Wolfenstein on this PC and not a snag, ever. What's the deal?

Please help, I hear this game is a keeper.

Is there a patch for Max Payne? I am not familiar with XP, but Max Payne works great on Win 2000 Pro. Check with Nvidia for their latest drivers and then check for Max Payne compatability patches. Look on a Max Payne website also for FAQ's/trouble shooting.

If you already did this, you may have to disable some graphic features in the options menu. Things like open gl might have to be changed to D3D or even software render. Turn off shadows, fog, filtering etc one by one until it works.

Are you using the Nvidia Detonator drivers?  If not, GET THEM.  That's fixed goofy game problems for me.  

There was a patch released for the game, at least one may have been another.

I believe I read that the first patch does address crashes during the loading screen but I'm not sure...

This page has links to the patches, don't know if you need both or only the newest, haven't played MP in a long time: [url]http://gamespot.com/gamespot/filters/products/downloads/0,11095,913964,00.html[/url]

Thanks for the help fellas, I really appreciate it. I'm sure this will get it to work.

The 1.02 patch was the answer. Thanks.