How to play Zoo Tycoon 1 on Windows 10 (+Resolution Fix)

A video guide demonstrating the fix to the most common problem, and how to run it at any custom resolution. Works with Complete Collection and the base game, or with one of the two expansions.
If you don't have an icon on your desktop, the default installation directory for Zoo Tycoon is \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Zoo Tycoon
NO-CD: www.lonebullet...
This video features the fix to the most common problem that prevents you from running Zoo Tycoon on Windows 10. If you encounter any .dll related issues, try reinstalling the game and if the error persists, look into repairing your Windows Installation using the Windows Installer. Never trust .dll download sites or pc repair tools.

[@AdmiralMoo]

If you need a copy of the game, Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 are abandonware, meaning they haven't been officially supported or sold for a long time and can be legally shared. Heres some links to the games on MyAbandonware: Zoo Tycoon: www.myabandonware.com/game/zoo-tycoon-a3d Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection (marine mania and dino digs): www.myabandonware.com/game/zoo-tycoon-complete-collection-dzx Zoo Tycoon 2: www.myabandonware.com/game/zoo-tycoon-2-djr

[@Mark-ko8zp]

Bad ass man!! Both work?!

[@AdmiralMoo]

Yeah, they're just different versions of the game

[@wsla]

@@AdmiralMoo when I try to install it, it says me I don`t have DirectX installed and the intaller on the filles can´t be used

[@AdmiralMoo]

@@wsla You can download DirectX from Microsoft's website

[@aubreyh1930]

Zoo tycoon is not abandoned ware (at least not now). It’s available for about 20 bucks on Amazon

[@zerohour94]

I logged in just to say thanks a lot man! I played Zoo Tycoon like 10+ years ago for a long time and at some point i stopped because i didn't have time. Then 20 minutes ago i just started humming the game theme out of nowhere and i downloaded the game as fast as my Internet allowed me to, right. And it couldn't start because of win10 so i found your video and that's where the story ends...and horor of the zoo visitors begins. Thanks again!

[@PlayerZeroStart]

Fantastic tutorial! I played this game all the time as a child, so I'm so happy to be able to play it again.

[@Grousse]

You just brought confinement to another level. Thanks and stay safe!

[@Newmatic_Weasel]

Thank you for this information, I haven't played in a long time and I feel like a kid again.

[@Echobeluga]

Thanks so much for this! It worked perfectly!

[@Kshitijkb]

hey, can you help me with the installation of marina?

[@Mark-ko8zp]

Just wanna say. For some of us pirates... We just had to edit the crack ( your file was Zoo.ini) for updated W10 users it only says (Zoo) with a notepad icon with a gear. I went to compatible mode WxP service pack 2 but I just updated my screen res... Lol like i didn't even have download your crack. I just edited it cuz it wouldn't pop up. So a very big thank you!!! I've been out of the PC scene for 10 years. Cheers bro!

[@AdmiralMoo]

Lol, those cracked executables for pirated games are mostly NO-CD patches anyways to get around the DRM. I'm really glad I helped with the resolution though, happy gaming!!

[@SnowDonuts-3k]

The website was down when I first tried but I came back and tried again and it seems to be working hope I can enjoy my childhood again thanks so much bro

[@YanaTakeya]

DUDE!!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!! I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS GAME AND DOWNLOAD FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT AND FINALLY EVERYTHING WORKS!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@fusselraupe371]

wow i didnt believe this to work and thougt it would be scam but you made it possible for me to play the game of my childhood i cant thank you enough

[@kimnana750]

I followed your instructions and was able to play this game. Thanks for your video so much!

[@lilliforreal]

Thank you so much for this, it finally fixed what I've been trying to fix forever!

[@johannjamaluddin696]

Thanks a bunch my dude. Time to relive some childhood memories

[@EmLouiseDarling]

God thank you so much I've been trying to get this working for a whole week!

[@thortalina]

Tried all these steps, still cannot get it to work. I can get it to open, but as soon as i start playing it lasts maybe 1 minute tops, if that. It just shrinks down from full screen to a small square, freezes, and then closes. Any tips?

[@nicolehall234]

THANK YOU, I'VE WANTED TO PLAY THIS AGAIN FOR SO LONG!

[@aguy7848]

You're the goat! It actually works! Thanks. :)

[@ΈλεναΑγαλιανού]

you saved my life for many games and the site is excellent!!!

[@benjaminpeel1754]

For anyone interested, it works in 4K too...

[@lexizinkl9699]

I followed every step perfectly and its not working for me. PLEASE HELP ME!

[@ThinkDubz]

ive been waiting for it to be legal to share for a long time. I almost got an xp to play this as I still have the CDs. this game was excellent and perfect.

[@taraoliver5039]

I have tried everything and cannot work it out or get the game to load

[@Mosab.M]

thanks a lot dude , your HELP for downloading this GAME & all the setups are very APPRECIATED , thanks from the bottom of my heart 🙏❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@kitzy1382]

Wow, I am trying this! Thanks so much for the tutorial

[@ninichannnn11]

I followed up till changing the properties of the file, then I tried to open it but nothing happened. The only thing that popped up was a user account control pop up asking if I want to allow it to make changes to my device. After clicking yes, nothing else happened. Literally. Help >_

[@oliviawal951]

same problem pliz help

[@angelicarogers5328]

@Da Rure what game files are we supposed to be changing the properties for? If it's for the zoo.exe file, it's not showing anywhere for me to change it.

[@ill.anatomy]

After 7 hours of game play it crashed on me. Every time i open it back up i get maybe 1 minute of gameplay before it crashes again. i uninstalled everything then redid the download. My old saves still crash after about 1 minute, but new games worked just fine. That is until 7 hours had passed, then the game crashed. What am i to do? download again and start a new game? and for what, just so it can crash again after 7 hours? Im a little late to the party but god damn i wanna play this game so bad

[@soreandscary]

Very helpful tutorial! Thank you!

[@Myatsume]

Thank you so much, this worked perfectly!

[@byfo1991]

You saved my life and helped me to play one of my all time favorite childhood games. Thank you a million.

[@sufyankhan-cy6bl]

Bro mera nhi ho raha hai

[@sufyankhan-cy6bl]

Please help

[@estlienhartman8636]

For anyone who has the disc game and is still struggling and can't run it on Windows 10: If you can install and run the game on another (older) laptop, just copy all the files to a USB after installation on that older laptop. You can then play directly from the USB or copy those files to your laptop and play so it's on your laptop permanently. There is just some problem with installing on Windows 10 directly from the disc.

[@kamilapaszuk3]

@Da Rure Please I cannot find the zoo.ini file, it.s not in the game directory ://

[@kamilapaszuk3]

@Da Rure thank you very much for such detailed help :))

[@kamilapaszuk3]

@Da Rure Yes I did, once I found it I opened it with "notepad" and I knew I was at the right place :))

[@majorian9406]

I don't have igl15.dll installed. How do I fix this?

[@HKoda28]

When I installed the game I extracted it and everything, but it doesn't give me the option when I right click the icon to open file location. I have no microsoft games folder and I'm extremely frustrated. I've tried many different videos and none of them have worked. I NEED HELP

[@AdmiralMoo]

Try reinstalling the game and pay attention to what directory it's installing to if you can't find it in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Zoo Tycoon

[@barbara-vil]

hi! it doesnt work for me, i dont know what im doing wrong!

[@frightlessbird9327]

Thanks man! It's really helpful. I like Zoo Tycoon and this is one of my favourite video games of all time! I just want to know, does Zoo Tycoon works fine on Windows 11? Is it enough to do what you did in this tutorial to play this game smoothly, without crashes and errors?

[@idahojake2296]

Worked perfectly for me. Thank you so much!

[@happyhippoeaters4261]

How do you get the alt+4 infinite money to work? I have been trying and can't find anything.

[@happyhippoeaters4261]

Nvm it was Shift+4 not Alt+4 to amke infinite $, and break everything

[@KylaMarie12345]

Nothing happened even after trying this out, the game still won't start.

[@amvwolfgirl]

I went through all the steps and it still doesn't work

[@alexsheldon42069]

Now i got the base game to work but how do I get the expansion packs to work!!!!!

[@henry520119]

still no reaction after replace the no-cdfixed file... (win 10 64 bit) I downloaded "Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection" by the linked you gave , installed marine already.

[@henry520119]

I have no licences agreement screen pop up like you shows in 3:04

[@TomTom-fx5su]

Works thanks man 2023 !!!!!!

[@johannasjobergolson645]

Hiyo! I am having some trouble getting the actual copy of the game to work, if you got time I would be SO grateful for the help. Stuck in quarantine and longing for this awesome game.

[@sufyankhan-cy6bl]

Same here

[@sufyankhan-cy6bl]

Did you got file

[@Kshitijkb]

Hey there! Thank you for the guide! It kinda worked for me. It's just that when I launch the game, it just closes on it's own in 3 seconds. What do I do about this? Edit: Just realised ZT1 plays perfectly fine. Thanks for that! There is an issue with the marina file. How do I play the complete version?

[@HYJK]

not working

[@switch1e]

Thank you so much for this!

[@ApparitionArcade]

it did not work for me, how to i replace the original with the no disc, i cant tell what you do in the video. it just pops up for you

[@AdmiralMoo]

The shortcut for copy is CTRL+C and the shortcut for paste is CTRL+V

[@Domieng]

why the game didn't start anyway :(

[@Dont_Fear_Phil]

hero, absolute hero

[@ritter06]

My experience: the Ubisoft Release of Zoo Tycoon works fine on Windows 10 without NoCD Patch.

[@srialekhyananduri7036]

It worked but now I can see the toolbar at the bottom of the screen you know the pause play button, zoom in and out. Help...

[@algeebo]

as soon as the game opens it closes down?? what am i doing wrong D:

[@Dan67Far2]

this doesn't work for me... i extract everything step by step maybe this is outdated i have no clue...

[@غابةعمعطا]

Thanks bro..But how can I get the no-CD patch only as I've the game a;ready.

[@KDel-uf5kc]

I downloaded it to a T and followed the steps exactly. BUT it still askes me to approve it to make changes and then pops up with "insert CD..." - Anyone know what i am doing wrong

[@KK.period]

2:10 it keeps saying no files to extract :(

[@shadowfuse]

I don't know if you're at all active anymore. But it seems that a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 makes the game crash. Any thoughts on that?

[@deadrabbit4524]

i have a problem. In game there are no letters, just question marks

[@sangreyapura]

muchas gracias por el tuto, me faltaba configurar la resolucion de pantalla. uno de mis favoritos de infancia.

[@JonnyDante]

Thank You, It works perfectly!

[@jsmn6013]

It worked perfectly! Finally I can play one of my favorite childhood games again. Thanks! :)

[@AdmiralMoo]

Glad I could help!

[@mitsouqc]

Link is expired as of today so it's impossible to download.

[@adrianbates8664]

it won't let me add the File, it tells me there isn't enough space

[@mars-cp9ti]

so I've got it working but for some reason on my laptop, it's zooming in to the Zoo Tycoon screen, just the top 1/4 of the screen. How do I fix this?

[@elov2253]

Hello, I did your manipulations, unfortunately the game starts for 1 second then closes. Do you have an idea?

[@baileyyork4402]

Did you copy the zoo.exe from your downloads folder into the gaming folder itself? You can access the game folder by going to your desktop and right-clicking on the logo and click open file location (like they did in the video) then paste your zoo.exe from your downloads file into there

[@AtomicToyRobot]

I can't download the diskless patch for some reason it never downloads the file

[@ygrittestark464]

I can not run it it says: The code execution cannot proceed because ijl15.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem. Also i dont get in Step 2: what i need to replace with what, i only have drz-ztcc, MARINE.rar, zoo.exe (executable file), ZOO_TYCN.rar and zoo tycoon complete collection.rar which i already extracted.

[@matthewsandoval4474]

ugh im having this same problem

[@lemmy1894]

@@matthewsandoval4474 yeah it makes 0 sense. I wish this was on steam or something it’d be so much easier.

[@Sam-jt8ee]

i did all the steps, but the game doesnt start?

[@OwleeWasHere]

I feel like I'm doing something wrong, I can't open the program :(

[@baileyyork4402]

I can't get the marine mania or dino version to work. The video mentioned downloading an expansion pack to fix this issue, but I'm not sure which one. Did anyone else run into this problem?

[@AdmiralMoo]

You'd have to have the Marine Mania and Dino Danger expansions installed for that to work. You can download the installer from the Internet Archive

[@bored_flop]

Not working for me, there is no Microsoft games in the program diles 86x. Anybody knows anything?

[@majorg6065]

I am having an odd issue. When I change the resolution settings higher than 1024x768, I lose my zoom in and zoom out buttons and the bar at the bottom that gives info about the zoo and how much money you have etc. At 1024x768 and below, the zoom buttons and info bar appear, but when I change to higher resolution such as 1920x1080 the buttons and info bar disappear. Does anyone know how to fix this?

[@srialekhyananduri7036]

Same here. Did it get fixed in any way?

[@thedrifter2314]

My sister's monitor is 1600 X 900, it doesn't want to go full full screen and still has black borders. Any advice?

[@HemlockHedge]

you are amazing, thank you so much

[@patricklin2214]

Hello, I use the Crack, but it doesn't show Eula file when I click zt.exe, how can I fix it? Thanks.

[@peash00terpvz77]

what do you do when i do anything to the file is sais "Cannot open 7zxa.dll

[@Wolverale12]

Are you absolutely sure that these files for the no cd crack don't contain any sort of viruses/malware/trojans etc?

[@alexsheldon42069]

Hey @admiralmoo I got to where you changed the properties to run as an administer but when I double click the game to play it, it tells me "the code execution cannot proceed because ijl15.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem." Please help!!!

[@alexsheldon42069]

And reinstalling did nothing

[@AdmiralMoo]

I haven't personally encountered this error, but this Reddit thread might be able to help: www.reddit.com/r/ZooTycoon/comments/12pytyx/missing_ijl15dll_file_unable_to_reinstall_also/

[@Neath25]

It works! Thank you

[@angusthepangus1]

I got this to work on my old laptop, but my new one doesn't give me the option to "open file location" after i extract the zoo.exe file from winrar to my desktop as a short cut. not sure what to do about that :/

[@AdmiralMoo]

Usually when the game gets installed, it'll place a shortcut to wherever it's installed on the desktop. If you don't have one, the game is installed to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Zoo Tycoon" by default

[@germangamez5992]

the program doesn´t run :/ do you have any idea why?

[@katjajonker]

Hey! everything worked up until replacing the old exe with the new ones and changing compatibilities, but when I now try to run the game it gives an error saying 'the code execution cannot proceed because ijl15.dll was not found'. Do you know what went wrong/how to fix this?

[@miguelstarboy5572]

sameeee ugh fml

[@stsmusicstudio5792]

Same problem. Did anyone find a solution to this?

[@kusa_05]

wait can you help me when i dowload the file it comes up like a normal white file and yours come up with the 7z picture how to fkn fix

[@twocrab7735]

how to download the copy of zoo tycoon? I dont know how to download it

[@user-gp8qw3ug8n]

Doesnt work for me. It starts but then it turns off

[@TheMegaManMatt]

where do i find the NO CD PATCH?

[@swats23swathi]

i can not find it in Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Zoo Tycoon. i dont have microsoft games in program files(x86)

[@AdmiralMoo]

Is the game installed? I didn't put the drive letter in that path in case people installed it on a different drive, but it's usually C:\ like in the tutorial

[@swats23swathi]

@@AdmiralMoo i can find the icon or zoo.exe file only in the downloads. i cant find it in any program files in C drive. help me

[@AdmiralMoo]

@@swats23swathi Have you installed the game from the original discs or a digital copy? You have to own the game and have it installed on your computer for it to work. If you've already installed it and it's not in the C:\ drive, check to see if you installed it in any other directory or drive letter

[@joannasliwa5578]

@@AdmiralMoo where can i buy a digital copy of this game? x

[@Radtastical]

I followed the full guide, and I got the user agreement to pop up and accepted. It showed I had a tab that it started... But nothing happens, and it just closes 5 seconds later. Any idea?

[@Radtastical]

And I run it on administrator mode.

[@Radtastical]

So I made it to 3:05 in the video, hit accept. And the icon popped up in my toolbar, but nothing happened. I am on Windows 8 but assumed it may work out the same. Could this be the issue?

[@AdmiralMoo]

Honestly I'm really not sure. Sorry, but the only thing I can think of is that there's either a different problem preventing the game from running on Windows 8, or there's something specific about your hardware thats causing an error; some older games are just finicky like that

[@alpen12]

What can i do for the iso file?

[@ryanwk93]

is anybody else having the ijl15.dll error?

[@Chichi-kd5if]

Me rn

[@MrSonicTeam]

Command and conquer has the same Display fix with an extended monitor somehow!

[@blitzhunts]

I was playing the game just fine, made 5 different zoos. then i get on today and it says "please insert CD rom" wtf you mean?? i played the game already now i cant?? @Admiral Moro please respond

[@gigachadclips6002]

Do you know if this process would work with Windows 11?

[@aqischicharito732]

can i know why i cant save file after edit

[@theabby_g]

I installed the file from abandonware, it works. Installed both patches for dino and marine, but the animals do not appear at all along with tanks/scientists etc. How do I download the patches correctly for both dino digs and marine mania? I've tried to unzip it and I dont know what to do from there. The dino digs patch is installed but I get an error code saying I do not have the proper game installed for it.

[@blitzhunts]

how do you open the game if you install it from abandon ware???

[@singsing1706]

I always get crash while playing with this game after i changed the resolution to 1366 x 768 (i'm playing on Windows 10), any help pls.... =( I fawkin love this game...

[@michellegentili5449]

I do this but dont work 😢

[@surabhikatare5182]

Hey, I don't have the original game also, where can I get it from?

[@rodneymorin6778]

could you share a 7zip download url?

[@DumpsterFire117]

idk where I went wrong but I followed the instructions and literally nothing was the same

[@AdmiralMoo]

Which parts of it were different? At what point in the video did said differences begin?

[@DartFrogg_]

doesn't work for me, anyone know why?