SOLVED: How to get Black & White 2 to run on Windows 10 & 11
UPDATE: 9/15/24 – I can confirm that this solution also works on Windows 11!
Why won’t Black & White 2 run on Windows 10, you ask? Well, there are many reasons but there is a workaround and it’s very effective. I cannot guarantee this will work if you are playing the game from a cracked version, and many people have run into problems that way, but if you use the legit installation CDs or get them off eBay, this should work perfectly. Bear in mind that the game itself was always a little bit buggy, even on the operating systems it was designed for, so it will never be perfect, but this is just as good as the original, in my opinion.
First, you will install Black & White the regular way using your CD / DVD and legitimate key. You will notice that the game won’t run at all, not even in administrator mode. So, download these patches and install them in the correct order:
-
- Game update v1.1 (exe) | Alternate download link (zip)
- Game update v1.2 (exe) | Alternate download link (zip)
Now, Black and White 2 uses an Anti-Piracy measure called SafeDisc v4 DRM. With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft removed support for SafeDisc and has also released a disable patch for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. So to get around it you need to be able to run the game without the CD / DVD.
Then download the No Cd Fix:
-
- Black & White 2 No CD Fix (zip) | Alternate download link (zip)
Extract both files somewhere on your hardrive using WinZip or WinRar or similar. Cut and paste the 2 extracted files to:
C:\Program Files\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2
or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2
depending on where the installer placed your game.
Make sure you didn’t also copy the folder ‘no cd fix’ – you only want those 2 files inside it.
This will replace the files, including the original exe that runs the game, so that it no longer looks for the install disk when you run it. From here on out, you will run the game from White.exe. You can create a shortcut on your desktop or wherever you like.
Happy gaming!
PS: So far, no one has managed to get this to work for Black and White 2: Battle of the Gods. Let me know if you find a solution.
Valoossey
The fact that this still works is amazing, and it didn’t even take 5 minutes to download and install the files.
Thanks!!!
Phil
Hi there, just wanted to say thank you. Followed your instructions and the game worked perfectly, first time on Windows 11 in 4K. Thumbs up!
Sheerblitzcrieg
can anyone explain this to me am i missing texture cause the creatures seems to be missing the whispy hair that they all originally had? https://imgur.com/a/5vuBaqF
Sheerblitzcrieg
Is anyone getting a problem where the hair texture for the game isn’t loading. Like the good entity doesn’t have a fluffy beard only a shave white chin, the creatures also don’t have the extra fur textures so they also looked shaved. Some landscape textures are also no working correctly and don’t render which leaves it fuzzy. Any help would be appreciated
Saeki Kayaco
미친 한국에서 성공 고마워ㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅜㅡㅜ
Thank you.!!! olivia
Dinner time is gone to find this page!
The moment I saw the Lion Game logo, I clapped.
I got you a Christmas cake for me. This Christmas is with old games!
Watch out for the COVID-19
Bekka
This works great, thank you!!
Daniel
It worked but I do not have any sound. Any advice for that?
Squall
You absolute hero! Thanks so much for this you just gave me my childhood back 😂😂 gent and a scholar !!
Salome
Excelente, me funcionó de inmediato
raducan
[img]https://i.imgur.com/GMrdUX0.png[/img]
How can rezolve this?THS!
raducan
Sorry this one
https://i.imgur.com/GMrdUX0.png
https://imgur.com/GMrdUX0
Ted
Thank you so much! It worked great for me. This is a fun game to play while social distancing.
Francesco
salve, ho eseguito tutto come da voi scritto e infatti il gioco funziona ma c’ è un difetto ovvero il gioco mostra un continuo, non so come dire, un effetto tipo sfarfallio dell’immagine, mi sapete dire cos’è andato storto? o semplicemente come si può risolvere? Grazie
Francesco
problema risolto 🙂 piccolo settaggio alle impostazioni video. e che dire vi ringrazio tanto tanto per aver rianimato sto gioco xD l’ho sempre trovato stupendo nella sua semplicità
areathena
is there anyone experiencing a speed up version of the game? and is there a way to slow it back down?
Thorbjorn
Mine is also like that.
cord hughes
what do you do if it opens up in a small screen and then closes instantly.
cord hughes
it still doesn’t work for me. i installed the two updates completely and put them in the proper folder and unzipped the no CD fix but still when i run either the no cd fix shortcut or the original nothing happens.
Redrebel
Having same problem. I have tried every no cd I can find and still crashes immediately after launch
amazon underground
The moment you realize the “good” conciousness is voiced by Gnarl from Overlord….and how utterly wrong it is to hear him saying all these “good” things.
_mundiz_
You do not need these patches for Battle of the Gods. All you need to do is download the BotG patch from bwfiles.com. (heres a link)
https://www.bwfiles.com/forum/index.php?topic=7917.0
Lessa
When I first tried this, I had a downloaded game and it kept crashing until it crashed completely and I couldn’t run the game again. So I bought the original game on Ebay hoping it would work better. But nothing changed, it randomly crashes and I always forget to save it. Now I think it’s hopeless to play the game, cause I think it will end up the same 🙁 I don’t know what to do anymore, everyone is saying this works perfectly, but it doesn’t work for me 🙁
Gevouden
Nocd for battle of the gods here https://www.gamecopyworld.com/games/pc_black_and_white_2.shtml#Black%20&%20White%202:%20Battle%20of%20the%20Gods%20v1.0%20%5BENGLISH%5D%20Fixed%20EXE
you can find the no cd for the base game and its updates there as well.
Battle of the gods works fine with this no cd
Fred
I have installed both patches, I have extracted both no disk files (from only one source) and it still does not work. I tried changing my recommended settings and still nothing. is there something I’m doing wrong?
Smokin’Urbz’
TY TY TY, omg, finally some one who actually fixed the problem!!! I have missed playing B&W and B&W2… Olivia you are AWESOME!!! All links worked, and the game now runs perfect!!! Do you have any advice how to get B&W1 to work?
Louis
fistly i want to say a big thank you!
I followed this method and lauched the game, the only trouble is when i want to continue after a save : it crash. Did you have the same trouble and a solution for that?
Rhiannon
Hello, I cant get past the installing the first patch. I just bought the game new, and at 9% i get a patch warning message. Old file not found. however, a file of the same name was found. No update done since file contents do not match.
emrooly
Hi! I followed all of your instructions, but when I try to open “white,” I get a pop-up that says “Fatal Error. Could not create the 3D device”
Did I do something wrong….? :/
Sjamie1398
Same problem here… did you managed to get it fixed somehow by now? :c
Ranui
Can’t express happiness.
10 minutes and 5 re-writes later, i’ll just say, “everything worked, thank you so much”
😀
George
******READ BEFORE PLAYING*******
DONT MAKE FEMALE BREEDERS.
after a close inspection of the game i realised my female Breeders NEVER get pregnant, whereas making male breeders still works to get your females pregnant EVERY ATTEMPT.
SO
****ONLY MAKE MALE BREEDERS****
and be careful who you make disciples as this g litch (which may not effect you) could prevent you growing if you are unaware of it.
HAPPY GAMING FELLOW GODS !
olivia
Yay, George! I’m so glad it works. I don’t even remember where I found this crack years ago or how I got so lucky. But after reinstalling and realising that I could no longer find the website anymore I had to unearth it from a backup harddrive and decided to put it online in case anyone else needed it. Based on the comments, it seems to be the only crack that works. I have only tried it on Windows 10 though, personally.
Are you having issues with nobody ageing too? I haven’t run into that problem.
George
no i originall y thought nobody was getting pregnant, which was true for a bit but then they did start getting pregnant but only women who werent breeders strangely. every now and then people stop getting pregnant and i have 0 children, but after, every time a male breeder “does the deed” they impregnate, so it balances it out.
everyone ages just fine so far. i built a huge city on the first intro map to test out if it worked and got to about 2000 pop in one city on that map and a neighbouring city 1300 pop. its like my civilisation has a breeding season with how they stop and start making babies again haha.
yea i have tried so many cracks for this game and this is the only one that worked ever. other ones left me with unaging babies or no pregnancies at all
George
AHA! DISREGARD MY PREVIOUS COMMENT!!
i was too impatient, in the time it took me to write my last comment while i was still in game my people continued to try and breed and lo, when i returned i saw two kids walking around… behind a pregnant mother. and they continue to age! somehow this works even though i have previously tried the exact same thing. i dont know what you did or added to the exe or whatever but it works, i can scarcely believe it! i guess i was so used to trying different methods to get this game to work “properly” i was so ready to believe this way will also not work (ive tried to get this game to work so many times)
THIS WORKS PEOPLE, WE CAN FINALLY PLAY AGAIN!!!
thank you Olivia i am so happy right now 🙂
George
ive tried so many peoples methods claiming to have gotten this game to work. And none have worked. this method is no different. To clarify, the game does “run” after doing all this but without the original exe, the game inputs failsafes to prevent you playing, as it recognizes the exe as a cracked version. these failsafes being either: nobody gets pregnant… EVER no matter what, or they do get pregnant but n o body ever ages. rendering the game unplayable as well. using this method does not change this and you will still encounter this problem. here i was hoping these downloads will be different but they are the same, and my favourite game is still unplayable 🙁 anyone claiming this “works” is right in the sense the game runs, but its just unplayable, so stop telling people it works when it doesnt.
Grizzo84
Thank you for A working workaround! I just wanted to mention that I installed the game from ISO images. Which are a type of copy. I mounted the ISO’s with Daemon tools lite. Installed the game mounting the needed disk when asked for it. Installed the patches in order then pasted the no cd crack to the games main folder. A already cracked version may still rely on the DRM causing the game to look for DRM that is no longer supported. My Favorite game! I fell in love with the original and adore B&W2. I wish they could have made more games in this tradition. Once again thank you Olivia!
olivia
Good to know! So far you are the only player I have met who got this patch to work from anything but the real disks. But if they are exact replicas it should work.
Toby
My Game Keeps Crashing Every 15 Mins Do You Know how to Fix it
Nightmare
I Have a Question I Did everything you said to do will the game crash
fragons
OK wait i might just be slow on how to download things properly… but… if i actually have the CD and everything does that change what I have to download in any way (eg would I still have to download the No CD fix)??
olivia
Windows 10 removed support for SafeDisc (which your old B&W disc uses) and they also released a disable patch for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. So to get around it you need to be able to run the game without the CD / DVD.
Conor
Olivia thank you for this you are a GOD!!! but to ask as i have the colectors versison when i try to run my Unlocker for the Tiger it cratch the game do you know of any fix for this
olivia
I wish I knew! Others have had the same problem. Please let us know if you ever find the solution.
Maladus
I suppose my previous comment was far too lengthy to get posted, so I’ll just simply say thank you Olivia for this solution.
olivia
The commenting on my site is a bit confusing since comments go into moderation before they are displayed. Thanks so much 🙂
Maladus
This fix is ingenious Olivia , I followed your steps to a “T” and it worked, after trying other solutions none of which worked, and others were not safe ( having to download cracked software from sketchy websites, no thanks )
I found your site and decided to try to get B&W 2 to work on Win 10 one last time, using your solution.
It worked Great, I ran CCleaner and did a fresh install of B&W 2, ran the patches and replaces the two files in the destination folder and have been playing the game i loved as a kid since.
You managed to do what How to geek couldn’t ( among many others).
on a side note , Interestingly enough Mac OS can run the game without a hitch, this game is still sold in the apple store .
but who wants to sell out three grand just to play a game ? :).
Thanks for posting this , You’re the best.
olivia
I’m so happy to hear this!!
Makenzie
Incredible. Worked like a charm!
EDDIE
Hi,
I can´t download the no cd fix from dropbox, it just says .exe files cant be read
olivia
Hi Eddie, I have uploaded an alternative download option for you and updated the post.
John Parker
Olivia,
You are a saint, thank you for posting this it has been extremely helpful!
olivia
So glad to hear it!
jonny
Olivia ! thank you very much ! i love you 😘😘😘
olivia
Yay! I’m glad it worked 🙂
Guada
Hi! First of all, thanks for the post, it worked out perfectly 😀 I was able to play this game after so many years…
I have just a problem. The ‘textures’ (I don’t know if this is the correct name, I’m Spanish) don’t work correctly, all the characters are bald and there is no grass. I think it might be matter of some broken or missing files. I didn’t delete nor touch anything out from this tutorial. Did this happen to anyone else? Is there any way to fix it?
olivia
I’m glad to hear it worked, Guada! However it sounds like you have a corrupt installation. What I would do is completely uninstall it, and then run a disk scan to check for corrupt sectors on your hard drive. Once that is complete I’d reinstall it again.
Yusuf Miller
Thanks you helped a random user out.
A quick, easy and efficacious fix for me!
olivia
Yay!
Jacob
I tried it and while it works in opening to the main Menu, every time i try to run a new campaign, it tries to load, and then crashes, did i do something wrong?
olivia
Hmmm… I haven’t tried creating any new campaigns. What I did was delete my old game completely, all the files, and start from scratch. I even used cCleaner to remove any entries left behind in my registry, rebooted and installed it. It only works with the real disk. I haven’t found a cracked version it works on.
Jacob
Just repost the link again it’s not working
Anthony
Not working for battle of the gods :C
olivia
Thanks for letting us know.
jacob
hi im trying to install No Cd Fix. but there is no link an you please repost the link . because I bouth the game from ebay and its not working so im trying your way if you can repost the link
olivia
Hi jacob, I have provided alternative download links for you in the post.
Cube1995
Hi,
I think I’m having the same issue that Tyler was having. The No CD fix doesn’t have anything to download? The programs are there but there is nothing to download? I tried to turn my McAfee off, but that didn’t seem to help? Any thoughts, I just want to play Black and White 2 sooooooo bad!
Thank you 😀
olivia
Hi Cube1995, I have provided alternative download links for you in the post.
Jamie
Hi
Does this work for Black and White 2: Battle of the Gods as well?
olivia
I don’t know, but please let us know if it works or not, and I’ll update the post. Thanks!
Tyler
The No CD fix link shows me that the files are there, but won’t let me download them. It just tells me it can’t give me a preview of an exe file, but no option to download.
olivia
It sounds like your virus scanner or a browser plugin might be interfering with the download. Exe’s are generally not safe to download over the internet so many virus scanners ban them by default. Perhaps pause your virus scanner, then try again. Once downloaded, re-enable your virus scanner. And always run a virus scan on any files you download before you run them, just to be safe.
nohan35
does this work for the expansion pack too or no?
olivia
I don’t know, but if it does, please let us know!
Liam Boulton
Absolute legend, thank you!
Duncan
Followed the instructions and placed the extracted files into the B&W file. Ran the no CD crack and it still does not appear to work. Tried to run in compatibility wizard then tried the fix here. Have now tried each of the compatibility wizard options. Still no joy. Any suggestions?
Jake
I believe I’ve followed all of the steps correctly, however when i click on the “White” to play, it pops up for a nano-second before immediately closing, help?
aj
Thank you, I’ve googled different methods for fixing scratched CD’s and hopefully they’ll work
olivia
If the CD is scratched, it probably won’t work.
aj
Hi, so when I’m installing my game on Windows 10it always stops at the same point and says “cyclic redundancy check” and with the patches you linked, I tried downloading them but it says I need to install the game first but that’s where I’m having the issue.
olivia
Seems like there is something wrong with the installer. Either the disk is scratched or you’re trying to install it from a copy. These patches won’t work with copies, unfortunately, only the original disk.
tiffany
hey i downloaded updates found them in my files but cant paste because i cant find theC:\Program Files\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2
or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2
just C:\Program Files
or
C:\Program Files (x86)
olivia
Try running a search on your computer for “Lionhead Studios” to find where you installed it on your computer.
Haq
Hi, Everyone I have The Working version of Black And White 2, Today I’m just install the game into my pc and the game is totally smooth playing likes old days. Oh I’m playing this game at WINDOWS 10×64 ( v.1607 ). The installing was so easy, just click to install and done, no crack or patch required.
olivia
Wow Haq, where did you purchase this version of the game? The old version I have requires the patches and cracks to run on Windows 10.
Jenine
Hey this works really great on my pc but on my laptop it comes up with fatal error in task bar, a white screen and doesn’t display the error any ideas where I’m going wrong?
olivia
I wish I knew. Try to reinstall from scratch, after removing everything and running ccleaner or a registry cleaner to get rid of everything, and make sure you are using a legit copy of the game in CD or DVD format.
Lisa
and it dosent do anything at all when i try to run it as administrator
Lisa
Hi it is still asking for administrative privellages after doing all of this. Idk what to do
olivia
It sounds like something went wrong with the installation process where you need to completely uninstall, clean your registry and start again, or you are using a cracked version of the game. Either way you’re going to need to uninstall and start over. Please only use the real CD and a real CD key because these extra cracks only work on the real unaltered files. I got my CD off eBay.
Chelsea
Is there a dumbed down version or maybe you can explain it to me? I got the downloads and installed them but I’m lost on the last step where you use 7zip and winrar and extract.. It’s like a foreign language to me. What do i do after installing the disks and updates? How do i extract the files??
olivia
Hi Chelsea, the No CD Fix is a compressed file to keep the size down. Files with the extension .zip need to be extracted/unzipped/uncompressed using a program like WinZip, 7zip or winrar. WinZip is the easiest one to use but it isn’t free, but the trial is. Once you have ‘unzipped’ the files to somewhere like your desktop, select the 2 files in the no cd fix folder, copy and paste them to either C:\Program Files\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2
or C:\Program Files (x86)\Lionhead Studios\Black & White 2 depending on where the installer placed your game.
Nate Dog
Hey, im getting an Error on the CD key fix. its giving me errors when i try to extract the fix into the B&W2 program files, saying it cannot open/delete output file. I think this is where you mentioned the White file i extracted replaces the original file. What do i do?
Nate Dog
NEVERMIND I GOT IT WORKING THANKS FOR MAKING A FIX TO A GAME I GREW UP WITH AS A CHILD.
olivia
I’m so glad! Please replicate the steps you took to get it to work, as it might help others who are struggling with it.
Deathly Lemon
I did the tutorial and read back more than once to see if I had missed anything. I still can’t seem to get the game to run, even after restarting my PC and reinstalling the CD fix
olivia
I would try a process of elimination including reinstalling from scratch with a cleaned registry. I cleaned up my registry using cCleaner. Also, this won’t work for anyone who is using a cracked version of the game. Make sure you get your hands on an original CD with a real CD key. I got mine off eBay for $5.
Apex
thanks to you i have been able to play Black &White for the first time, I didn’t run into any problems with following you instructions
Michael
i followed all guide lines and directions and still wont work on my windows 10, do i need to reinstall it after downloading everything?
olivia
Yes, I would try a process of elimination including reinstalling from scratch. I also cleaned up my registry using cCleaner. Also, this won’t work for anyone who is using a cracked version of the game. Make sure you get your hands on an original CD with a real CD key. I got mine off eBay for $5.
Jeebus
Any idea if you still need to put in the CD key with this method? I’ve still got my old disc from the days of yore, but the manual with the CD key has gone awol.
olivia
Yup – I’m pretty sure I had to use the CD key. You might be able to buy a key off eBay. I found a disk with a key for $5 shipped, after my original broke.
Mebiusu
Hi!
Just followed this little tutorial and wanted to let you know that it works great! I’m running on a fully up to date Windows 10. Thak you so much!
olivia
That’s great to know! Love your work btw.
James
Thanks olivia!
olivia
No probs! 🙂
unknown
Hi,
so the anti piracy drm made it impossible to progress in a few ways in the game if u would use a cracked version.
One of the Biggest “bugs” is that the children wont age or the people wont even produce children in your town.
Is is there a way to fix that?
The problem is still existing after doing whats described in that aricle.
BG
olivia
Oh wow! Really bizarre! I haven’t run into this problem because I just couldn’t get my cracked version to work at all (after my original disk cracked) and ended up buying another copy on eBay for $5. Let us know if you find the workaround BG.
Galadain
The link to the no cd fix does not work. Just attempts to download install software. Please send me an alternative download.
olivia
Hi Galadain, It looks like the old links weren’t working anymore. I am now hosting all the files to my own dropbox so the link should work now. Good luck!