Everytime I try to launch Fallout 2 using the shortcut, I see this message "fallout2.exe cannot be started". I tried using the application directly in the game directory, but then I have trouble with the colors not being right. The weird thing is, when I launch the game from the GOG installer, right after installing it, it works without problem. So I basically have to re-install the game every time and launch it from the installer if I want to play it, which is kind of annoying.

I'm using Windows 7 right now and I tried a couple of color fixing tips that I found on the internet, but it would just make the game extremely slow. Again, it is weird that it works perfectly from the installer.

Any clue on what is going on or what I could be doing wrong?

Nevermind now, I've found some fixes on the internet and it works correctly.

Any chance you could post your solution to the problem, because I am having the exact same issue?

Me too, it would be great if you'd post a solution!

Use this patch, Thank Killap for his years of Fallout 2 support!

-Fallout2: If you have problems launching Fallout 2, manually install Killap's Unofficial Fallout 2 Patch (US/UK - manual install) Download: http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/dload.php?action=file&file_id=908&sid=fee599c1e9d40b00ba5a756f1f17f109

Thank you so much Roland!
All seems fine now :)

That's why you open up the ddraw.ini with Notepad or wordprocessor of your choice and under graphics: PIC related

Under the width and heoght goes your display size, or if you want the original size, then don't change it
If it doesn't do the trick then also try running the executable under Win98 comptibility and admin rights, the goglauncher doesnt want to work itself so create a shortcut of the program's executable yourself
But I also have the High resolution patch installed so maybe that's why

Doesn't work. It actually disabled the game entirely and now i can't start even the trippy color mode now.

Just sharing my experiences with this issue, and what solved it for me, as I started a fresh Fallout 2 game yesterday. I installed the game and a couple of mods in the following order:

1. Install the latest GOG.com version of Fallout 2.

2. Install the latest version of Killap's Unofficial Fallout 2 Patch (I used the windows installer and chose the Full Installation option).

3. Install the latest version of the Fallout 2 High-Res Patch.

4. Use f2_res_Config.exe to set up and enable my desired resolution (DDraw7 Mode, 1680x1050, 32bit color)

After these steps, the shortcut created by the GOG.com installation wouldn't launch the game and gave me the "fallout2.exe cannot be started" error. I searched the internet, tried some suggested fiddling with the ddraw.ini and ddraw.dll files, which resulted in the trippy colors issue mentioned above. So that didn't really get me anywhere and, figuring that the .ini and / or .dll fiddling had broken my game, I decided to start from scratch.

So I uninstalled the game, deleted any remaining folders and ran CCleaner for good measure, and then installed the game and mods in the exact same order as before. The GOG.com shortcut still didn't work, but launching the FALLOUT2.EXE worked just fine. It did initially launch in a window instead of full-screen, but that might have just been an oversight on my part and all I had to do was go into the (in-game) Main Menu / Screen Settings menu and un-tick the Window Mode check box.

The game runs great now, without any issues.

I was hoping for a way to run it without any unofficial patches and mods. I mean it should be working the way it is. I just went through fallout 1 again and there was no problem whatsoever, so what's the deal with this? Seems like a big fail on GoG's side.

Howdy, I just experienced this problem and was able to fix it so hopefully this will work for you. I reinstalled it today and got this error message, however after selecting Run as Administrator it seems to work fine with no color issues. Hope it works for ya!

i actually worked around it with the high resolution patch. I installed the patch, ran the trippy mode and tampered with the high resolution settings setting it to the original resolution and the damn LSD colors disappeared eventually :).

Ok I downloaded the patch from the link provided by Roland. What do I do after I extract the files?

I know this topic is a little old, but I just downloaded this after the DRM sale and ran into this exact problem. Here's how i fixed it (running windows 7):

1. Right click fallout 2 launch icon and select properties.
2. Click Advanced... button.
3. Select Run As Adminstrator checkbox and click OK.
4. Click OK to close Fallout 2 Properties window.

That seemed to do the trick for me. No mods required, although I'd still recommend them!