BioShock crashes on launch (Steam version)

[SSV Enterprise]

BioShock keeps crashing whenever I try to play it. It gets past the "preparing to launch", shows the BioShock image on the desktop, but before the game actually launches I get hit with a "Bioshock.exe has stopped working, Windows is looking for a solution" message.

I originally put BioShock on the computer via an ethernet cable from a the steamapps common folder of a computer that already had the full game installed (and ran it with my account). I transferred a bunch of other games (Mass Effect series, TESIV, Alpha Protocol, etc) and they all work. After BioShock failed, I uninstalled it and reinstalled it via internet download. Same problem. I uninstalled it again, this time going into the registry with regedit to remove any trace of it. Reinstalled, same problem.

My computer's specs are as follows:

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
EVGA Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT 512 MB
Graphics Driver version: 8.17.12.6099
Direct X: 10 and 9.0c installed
Sound Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_8384&DEV_7618&SUBSYS_102801DB& REV_1002
Sound Driver Version: 6.01.7600.16385
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4 GHz
4 GB DDR2 RAM

Can anyone suggest something that might help?

[Tech Ian]

Bring up the Start menu and right-click on Computer, selecting Manage.

Drop down the menu for Event Viewer, then Windows Logs, then highlight Application.

Select a corresponding event from the list and post the details in here

[SSV Enterprise]

- <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
- <System>
<Provider Name="Application Error" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">1000</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>100</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-02-01T18:13:27.000000000Z" />
<EventRecordID>3908</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>J_Bolt-desktop</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
- <EventData>
<Data>bioshock.exe</Data>
<Data>1.0.0.0</Data>
<Data>474f5a3a</Data>
<Data>OLEAUT32.dll</Data>
<Data>6.1.7600.16567</Data>
<Data>4bbc2f3d</Data>
<Data>c0000005</Data>
<Data>00004971</Data>
<Data>5b4</Data>
<Data>01cbc23bb4574425</Data>
<Data>d:\steam\steamapps\common\bioshock\Builds\Re lease\bioshock.exe</Data>
<Data>C:\Windows\syswow64\OLEAUT32.dll</Data>
<Data>f68f9258-2e2e-11e0-ad74-001676c266d7</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

[Tech Ian]

<Data>C:\Windows\syswow64\OLEAUT32.dll</Data>

Could be nothing, but that file is apparently related to C++, so updating that would be a good route to go down...

Visual Runtimes:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
Visual Runtimes sp1:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

[SSV Enterprise]

Ok, I just found a really weird solution to this. It launches if sound is disabled or...if a microphone is plugged in.

o_O Not really sure what plugging a microphone in does, but it works!