I have downloaded Virtual Villagers 3 trial version and everytime I try to open the exe file i get an error message saying 'Virtual Villagers 3 - the secret city has stopped working'. i am running windows vista basic on a laptop not 12 months old. i have tried uninstalling and reinstalling, redownloading the trial version, restarting my computer, changing the screen resolution, running the exe file as administrator. ive also tried it on my home computer and it wont work on there either. i have downloaded the latest downloadable version from this site and filled out all the support forms about 6-8 weeks ago, and the reply i got didnt help. i replied 3 times to the email i received but have not received another reply. Disappointed Can anyone help?

We have tested VV3 extensively on Windows Vista (in fact, the game was developed on Windows Vista), and it works well in both Vista and XP systems. Unfortunately, Windows Vista can develop issues that prevent applications from running, even though there's nothing "wrong" with the affected application. It's also possible that security settings are causing the problem.

If you search the Web, you will find an overwhelming number of reports of the "stopped working" issue. It can affect almost any application running in Vista. It affects even Microsoft's own Vista-compatible software.

The best suggestions that we can offer are that you make sure that you have installed Vista Service Pack 1 and ensured that there are no viruses or other malware on your computer. You may be able to find cleanup tools that may correct whatever is causing this issue with your system.