Service Depot: Installing Command & Conquer: Generals: Zero Hour

This guide will show you how to install Command & Conquer: Generals: Zero Hour on modern operating systems, with different sections covering different releases of the game.

This is an expansion pack for Command & Conquer: Generals, so make sure you install the base game before proceeding.

 

I have the retail CD version.

  1. Make sure you have installed the retail CD version of Command & Conquer: Generals (the base game) by these guidelines before proceeding.
  2. Insert the Zero Hour disc 1 to your CD/DVD drive.
  3. If you are not using Windows XP, exit the autorun and run setup.exe from the disc as administrator.
  4. Install the game as you normally would. Change to disc 2 as necessary.
  5. Patch the game to version 1.04, the latest official patch. You can use the patch for your language from our site linked below, or one of these mirrors.
  6. Patch C&C: Generals/Zero Hour with GenPatcher (what this does is fix most currently known issues, including the DirectX 8.1 warning, restoring the missing registry entries, removing some loose files that may cause desyncs and more).
  7. Apply GenTool (optional, but highly recommended).
  8. If you are not using Windows XP, browse to the directory you installed the game to and set generals.exe to always run as administrator and in compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 3.
  9. Run the game.

Download Brazilian Portuguese v1.04 patch (17.8 MB)

Download Chinese v1.04 patch (17.5 MB)

Download English v1.04 patch (17.5 MB)

Download French v1.04 patch (17.5 MB)

Download German v1.04 patch (13.3 MB)

Download Italian v1.04 patch (17.7 MB)

Download Korean v1.04 patch (17.5 MB)

Download Polish v1.04 patch (17.7 MB)

Download Spanish v1.04 patch (17.5 MB)

 

Download GenTool v8.6 (8.0 MB)

 

I have the The First Decade version.

Although the installer of The First Decade enables you to select the games you wish to install, this guide assumes that you intend to install C&C: Generals: Zero Hour only. For a more complete solution, check out the guide titled Fully Updating The First Decade.
  1. Make sure you have installed The First Decade version of Command & Conquer: Generals (the base game) by these guidelines before proceeding.
  2. Insert your The First Decade disc to your DVD drive.
  3. If you are not using Windows XP, exit the autorun, and run setup.exe on the disc as administrator.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen. Choose a custom installation, and for the time being, select C&C: Generals: Zero Hour to install.
  5. If you did not disable User Account Control on your computer, install The First Decade to a folder which is NOT Program Files (x86).
  6. Wait for the installation to complete.
  7. Apply the TFD unofficial patch 1.03 rev4.
  8. Patch C&C: Generals/Zero Hour with GenPatcher (what this does is fix most currently known issues, including the DirectX 8.1 warning, restoring the missing registry entries, removing some loose files that may cause desyncs and more).
  9. Apply GenTool (optional, but highly recommended).
  10. If you are not using Windows XP, browse to the directory you installed the game to and set generals.exe to always run as administrator and in compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 3.
  11. Run the game.

Download Unofficial TFD patch 1.03 revision 4 (164 MB)

Download GenTool v8.6 (8.0 MB)

 

I have the Origin version from The Ultimate Collection.

  1. Make sure you have installed the Origin (The Ultimate Collection) version of Command & Conquer: Generals (the base game) by these guidelines before proceeding. Zero Hour was installed along with it, so the following steps refer to the expansion only.
  2. Patch C&C: Generals/Zero Hour with GenPatcher (what this does is fix most currently known issues, including the DirectX 8.1 warning, restoring the missing registry entries, removing some loose files that may cause desyncs and more).
  3. Apply GenTool (optional, but highly recommended).
  4. If you are not using Windows XP, browse to the directory you installed the game to and set generals.exe to always run as administrator and in compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 3.
  5. Run the game.

Download GenTool v8.6 (8.0 MB)

 

Finishing touches and notes

C&C: Generals and Zero Hour require limiting the framerate to 30 FPS (Frames Per Second) to avoid game speed issues – this is done by calling the GenTool menu by hitting the Insert key while in the games’ main menus. GenTool also enables a wider range of resolutions in the games’ option menus. When loading the main menu for the first time in an instance, GenTool will notice the no-disc executables from The First Decade’s unofficial patch, but these executables have been observed to be compatible in multiplayer.

 

Addendum – manually fixing registry files

Use this method if you’re an advanced user and don’t want to use GenPatcher.

  1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit) in Windows.
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\EA Games\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour. If you are not using a 64-bit system, just remove “WOW6432Node” from this path.
  3. Enter the following values to the folder (not the ergc subfolder!):
    String InstallPath – set it to your Zero Hour directory
    String Language – set it to your game language in lower-case (TFD was only released in English and German)
    Hex DWORD MapPackVersion – set it to 10000
    String Proxy – leave it blank
    Hex DWORD Version – set it to 10004
  4. Close the Registry Editor.

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