I created an account and purchased Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete yesterday and the game will not launch. Reported it to customer support and for some reason they keep sending me directions on how to find a missing game. Went to the help section and followed those steps including changing environmental properties and restarting my computer and the game still won't play.

Running Windows 10 with an Intel Pentium CPU 4417U @ 2.30GHz
Installed RAM is 4.00GB

Any advice, tips, or suggestions?

Thanks

Use Heroes3GL: link

Or use the Heroes 3 HD mod: link

How are you attempting to launch the game? What happens instead? Does the computer act as if you never tried to launch the game? Does the game appear, then immediately exit?

I use the GOG launcher and hit play, or the Heroes shortcut it placed on my desk top, they both do the same thing. I get the Heroes start up shield icon (just like the original game) in my task bar. But I can't click on it, can't minimize the GOG launcher to see what it is doing. Then I get a notification tone but I don't know what it is and the icon goes away. Game never launches other than the icon. I'll give them a try. Thanks,

Tell tech support that the game is launching but crashes immediately, when attempting the titles and intro vids.

Are you trying to use headphones? Try unplugging it. Some games from around that time fail in just this way on computers with choice of audio outputs. (I forget whether HoMM III is one of the known ones.)

Anybody know any other modern hardware that might be giving the game indigestion?

Some games of that era are not SMP-safe. Affected games seem fine on a single-core machine, but are unstable and randomly crash on multicore machines. Back then, single-core was standard and SMP was unheard of in the consumer market, so developers didn't think about or test for this. Nowadays, it's hard to find a CPU that isn't at least dual-core, and it's easy to buy a CPU with 8-10 cores on a gamer's budget.

I see that I always run Heroes3 pinned to one core, presumably because of this.

This is about videodrivers and OS.
As for launched and closed immediatly (without even window) with no errors - this is comon isue for any Windows. Most likely for OP - this is cause of Windows DEP security service. Turn it to all and add Galaxy xe as exception (it cannot be added exceptions without turn on for all apps, default system-only not allow this and yet apllied to all apps anyway). Games started from galaxy will get same attributes (disable DEP, compatibilities runasadmin, core affinity and something else)''

Anoher one - Install DirectX June 2010 +dxwebsetup - go to Control panle Windows features on\off - Legacy DirectPlay enable. And restart PC exactly as Alt+F4 - Restart, not a shutdown.

Optionally after restart chekc for latest stable updates for OS\omponents.

Start game or galaxy exe as admin. Game started from galaxy will also get runasadmin attribute.

Heroes 3 require adinrun at least for first start. ofc, if it is same as galaxy or anything else gaming related installed to system folders (Program files) - it always require adminrun, and issues still possible.
Reinstall GOG Galaxy to D:\Games\GOG\Galaxy\
and games to X:\Games\game-name\.

You can isntall game by standard GOG version isntaller (GOG Galaxy game version and client are not required) and add it after to Galaxy client as GOG Galaxy build.
If you still prefer all do in client - next to game dowanloding you should do game verification. At least twice. Or better third times in a row - GOG Galaxy currently no more report result of verify and always redownalod something (appconfig related cfg-registry things, OS redists).

Anything of that can help. First thing - is just 'Restart' OS.

Last one is Heroes(x)GL wrapper mod.it not solve launching issues - it is QoL improvments. Like Heroes3HD+ but IMHO - better. Less modification. GL wrapper-mods from Verok require game to be launched and configured first.

Also, if you plan to se it - dont forget to remove compatibiility applied by GOG. Better way is copy and rename game exe (and set nw exe in Galaxy Library in game cnfigurating).

More solutions here and on PCGW articles:
http://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/214062465-Heroes-of-Might-and-Magic-3-Complete?

Tried everything as listed and this is the same stuff the game's technical support sent me, same results.

So you use GOG Galaxy version or GOG version?
Did you reinstall game (and galaxy) to X:\Games\Heroes-3\ ? Exactly to this path.

Did you use adminrun (anyway) for first launch?

I used GOG Galaxy and ran it as admin but I don't think I saved it proeprly:

C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\HoMM 3 Complete

I'm having similar problems myself except for me it won't work with 6, 7, and 8. I go to launch the game and it'll exit out. It worked for a minute but then when it went to load the save file it then crashed. Not sure what's going on.