I FOUND IT!!! Yes, I have had problems running this game for ages and then I remembered a strange and annoying problem with Windows 7. It is called DEP (Date Execution Prevention). In order to play Republic Commando you must add the Republic Commando exe file in System folder to the DEP exception list. Here is how:

1.) Open "Control Panel"
2.) Click on "System and Maintenance"
3.) Click on "System"
4.) On the left side click on "Advanced System Settings"
you will be asked for permission to continue, click continue
5.) Click on the Advanced tab and then on "Settings" in the Performance area
6.) Click on the DEP (Data Execution Prevention) tab
7.) Put a tick in the little circle next to "Turn on DEP for all programs and services
except those I select" and click on the "ADD" button and
browse for and click on the .exe file

Once this is done you should be able to get to the Main Menu. You may still need to set Bump Mapping to "Low" to avoid a crash.

Or just install outside of the Program Files folders, or any other protected folders for that matter. For instance, I install games to C:\Games\... and I've never had an issue with DEP.

I just bought Republic Commando using store credit after a refund from Kotor 1 and 2 because they have problems. now this game wont launch for me at all. i tried the DEP fix but it doesnt work at all and idk what to do.

i want to try setting the bump mapping to low see if that works but idk how.

So, interesting development on my end. I recently found my old box copy of the Star Wars: Best of PC Collection. Out of curiosity, I decided to install Republic Commando off of it and see if it would work, and lo and behold, it seems to work like a charm, Mouse sensitivity in the menus is ridiculous, but otherwise, it seems fine so far. I'll update if any issues pop up, but so far it seems like these people are having are unique to the digital version.

Same immediate crashing on the startup, I guess that I'm just unlucky (running Win7 64bit, latest drivers and all that). Since I can't get even into the main menu or see anything game-related as it crashes during the first moment of initializing, I've tried to change the settings in the .ini file (namely 3D audio to false and bumpmapping to false in all instances, just to make it safer to run), but to no avail unfortunately. DEP doesn't affect me either, as I always keep my games away from system/protected folders.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far in the thread / forum. Will try on different system later on with XP and archaic mobile geforce + post if I ever find any working solution on the main machine. Cheers!

Crash description on Win7 system:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BEX
Application Name: SWRepublicCommando.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 00000000
Fault Module Name: SWRepublicCommando.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Offset: 00000110
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Data: 00000008
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1051
Additional Information 1: 1a02
Additional Information 2: 1a022ea3469ead417de7f3ac704042e3
Additional Information 3: dc0b
Additional Information 4: dc0bcb7e775d6350a702dcc3b177a5b9

I wasn't able to get the game to start on Windows the good news the game plays in Linux with the help of WINE so there is a way to get it to work.

Oh and for folks having issues you might want to check what settings your system has for DEP as if its set to all programs except the ones specified (OPT OUT) then it won't matter where you install the game it will have DEP applied. Not sure what the default is for Win8+ and you never know if some security software might have switched the value.

I had the exact same problem as you and spent about 6 months searching for a solution. The thing that finally worked for me was replacing the main game .exe with the one found in the VENGEANCE folder in the fixed exe #1 download http://www.gamecopyworld.com/games/pc_sw_republic_commando.shtml#Republic%20Commando%20v1.0%20[ENGLISH]%20No-CD/Fixed%20EXE%201 Hope it helps

I posted this elsewhere some time ago but you're absolutely right! Apparently the version sold on GOG uses a cracked executable done by a group called PCGAME. Replacing it with the one done by the VENGEANCE group solves the problem... at least it did for me... I also have the Best Of PC and LucasArts Fan Favorites I editions of Republic Commando and they both have a different "officially cracked" version of the SWRepublicCommando.exe file. Replacing the one from GOG (PCGAME) with this one also fixed my problem (before the game wouldn't even start at all).

So, I have the disc version of SWRC and when I start up the game and I get to the main screen (where it has options, new game, load, etc.) I click on "New Game" and then my screen goes black and a small plus sign comes up and it closes the game. I haven't been able to fix it yet, but I wanted another point of view on this matter that probably know more about it than me. Does this happen because my computer can't support the game anymore or is it because there is something wrong with the disc?

I'm not 100% sure, but this might be the bumpmapping issue again. Try setting the bumpmapping to its lowest setting (either off or just low, can't remember which), and it should work.

Holy nuts, the VENGANCE crack/thingamabob worked. Thank you so much!

Hi all,

I had the same problem that the game crashes right after the start. What helped me was installing the June 2010 DirectX package as advised here www.gog.com/support/star_wars_republic_commando/crashing_in_general under INITIAL TROUBLESHOOTING. I'm not allowed to post links, sorry.

Had the same problem. The game wouldn't start at all ("SWRepublicCommando.exe has stopped working" error). Win 7, 64 bit, NVidia card - nothing very special about the PC as such.

Tried all the usual: compatibility mode, running as admin, disabling DEP - even changed the DVD's drive letter.(Usually I have it as A:, but once a game's protection code thought it's a diskette drive and refused to run with a "CD not found" error, until I changed the drive letter.)

Also tried disabling bump-mapping in INI file to no avail.
Then I installed a graphic mod which should fix the bump-mapping problems (www.moddb.com/mods/star-wars-republic-commando-graphics-fix/downloads).
Same result.

It was only when I replaced the exe file with the Vengeance's cracked version that it suddenly worked. Until it crashed the entire PC, that is - something no game did for YEARS. (Surely it crashed due to some badly written driver or another. But no game or other normal app does that to my machine any more!)

This I regard as EXTREMELY bad show GoG! Sloppyness to the max.
(I mean, I don't blame GoG for the crash as such. But for having to use some who-knows-what-it-does crack to run the game in the first place.)

One of foremost reasons why I buy games (besides supporting the developpers of course), instead of "acquiring them by other means" is that I don't trust any executables that some crackers with questionable intentions used to work over. (Yeah, I'm a software engineer myself, with 20+ years of experience and am quite aware how these things go and the risks involved.)

Yet, this was exactly what I was forced to do, because GoG didn't fix this as they should.
I wonder if this is a reason enough to claim a refund?

Wow, I can't believe this worked. I thought I tried everything, thank you. Sorry for the necro but people who are having crashing problems need to see this.

}So my copy of the game is just a cracked pirate and not original? GOG is weird