1) Create a Temp folder on your hardrive.
Name this folder: AOE_DVD This will be the name (Label) of our DVD.

2) Now Age of Empires 3 will sit in the root of the DVD.

Copy all the contents from CD1 to the Temp folder.

NOTE: If you already have AOE3 on DVD then just copy the whole DVD to the AOE_DVD folder.

3) Copy all the contents from CD2 to the same Temp folder. Overwrite any files if prompted.

4) Copy all the contents from CD3 to the same Temp folder. Again overwrite any files if prompted.

5) Delete the ‘CDCheck.exe’ file.

This ‘CDCheck.exe’ file comes from CD2 and CD3 and is only for displaying the ‘Flash’ message to insert CD1. (It’s for the message you would get if you inserted CD2 or CD3, instead of CD1, to install the game.)

6) Download and Install ‘Orca’ from HERE.

Once Orca is installed, Right Click the file ‘Age of Empires III.msi’ and from near the top of the menu choose ‘Edit with Orca’. (You may have to edit the properties of this file and untick the ‘read only’ attribute, but as it is copied to the harddrive it is probably already edited automatically).

When opened you will see 2 window panes, go to the ‘Tables’ one on the left and scroll down to ‘Media’

Click on ‘Media’ this will show you the entries in the Right pane.

Change all the entries in the ‘VolumeLabel’ column to: AOE_DVD

Then ‘Save’ it.

7) Download the Age of Empires Complete Edition Custom Installer from HERE (NOT for GOLD versions) and extract the contents of the RAR file to the AOE_DVD folder overwriting any files if prompted. (The autorun.inf from AOE3 will be overwritten with the one from the Custom Installer.)

(Custom Installer created by Grumpy.)

NOTE: for Gold Versions.

If you have ONLY Age of Empires GOLD version, but the normal versions for the other AOE games, then use THIS Custom Installer.

If you have ONLY Age of Empires 2 GOLD version, but the normal versions for the other AOE games, then use THIS Custom Installer.

If you have BOTH Age of Empires GOLD and Age of Empires 2 GOLD versions then use THIS Custom Installer.

(Custom Installers created by Grumpy.)

8) NOTE: The Custom Installer already has the folders supplied for the other Age of Empires games.

Copy each game CD to its respective folder. For Example:

Age of Empires CD goes in the ‘AOE’ folder.

Age of Empires The Rise of Rome Expansion CD goes in the ‘AOE_Exp’ folder.

Age of Empires 2 CD goes in the ‘AOE2’ folder.

Age of Empires 2 The Conquerors Expansion CD goes in the ‘AOE2_Exp’ folder.

Age of Empires 3 Warchiefs Expansion CD goes in the ‘AOE3X’ folder.

Age of Empires 3 The Asian Dynasties Expansion CD goes in the ‘AOE3Y’ folder.

9) NOTE: The Custom Installer also includes an ‘Updates’ folder with each game folder inside the Updates folder.

There will not be any new updates for Age of Empires 1 and 2 plus their expansions so I have included the version numbers on the Menu’s Update buttons. These will never need to be changed as no other updates will be released.

Age of Empires 3, Warchiefs and Asian Dynasties will probably have new updates released in the future so I have not included the version number on the Menu buttons. That way any new update can easily be added without editing the Menu.

If you need one of the updates for either Age of Empires games then Click on the name of the update link below to go to the relevant site to download the updates.

The following folders are already in the ‘Updates’ folder!

Put the Age of Empires v1.0c Update into the ‘AOE_Up’ folder. Rename the file to ‘AOEPATCH.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the Age of Empires Expansion v1.0a Update into the ‘AOERR_Up’ folder. Rename the file to ‘AOEPATCH.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the Age of Empires 2 The Age of Kings 2.0a Update into the ‘AOE2_Up’ folder. Rename the file to ‘Age2upA.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors v1.0c update into the ‘AOETC_Up’ folder. Rename the file to ‘Age2X_Up.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the latest Age of Empires 3 update into the ‘AOE3_Up’ folder. Rename the file to ‘aoe3_Update.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the latest Warchiefs update into the ‘AOE3X’ folder. Rename the file to ‘aoe3_Warchiefs.Up.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

Put the latest Asian Dynasties update into the ‘AOE3X’ folder. Rename the file to ‘aoe3_Dynasties.Up.exe’ (Rename it without the ‘….’ Quotes!)

10) NOTE: The Custom Installer also includes a ‘Crack’ folder with each game folder inside the Crack folder. Remember to use the correct version NoCD crack that corresponds to the same version’s update!

Put the Age of Empires NoCD Crack into the AOE_DVDCracksAOE folder.

Put the Age of Empires The Rise of Rome Expansion NoCD Crack into the AOE_DVDCracksAOE_Exp folder.

Put the Age of Empires 2 NoCD Crack into the AOE_DVDCracksAOE2 folder.

Put the Age of Empires 2 The Conquerors Expansion NoCD Crack into the AOE_DVDCracksAOE2_Exp folder.

Put the Age of Empires 3 NoCD Crack in the AOE_DVDCracksAOE3 folder.

Put the Age of Empires 3 Warchiefs NoCD Crack in the AOE_DVDCracksAOE3_Exp folder.

Put the Age of Empires 3 The Asian Dynasties NoCD Crack in the AOE_DVDCracksAOE3Y_Exp folder.

11) Included in the Custom Installer rar file is a ‘Serial.txt’ file. Open the txt file with Notepad and paste your Age of Empires 3 serial, your Warchiefs serial and your Asian Dynasties serial there. I have NOT supplied a serial!! You need to add your own!!

12) Burn the contents of the Temp folder to a DVD with the Label: AOE_DVD

NOTE: All the filenames and folders etc MUST be named and placed exactly as it says or the Installer buttons will not work!!