I've been dealing with this problem for years, and I think you know that Windows compatibility doesn't fix anything, not even for W10/W11 in these cases. It turns out that, after doing some research, Microsoft removed the driver that launches the games because it was vulnerable, and your code actually solves that problem by “emulating” it. In my case, I have AOE 1 (Gold Edition) and AOE 2 plus the expansion, and I’m running them right now. I hope you go far, and best regards.
I've been dealing with this problem for years, and I think you know that Windows compatibility doesn't fix anything, not even for W10/W11 in these cases. It turns out that, after doing some research, Microsoft removed the driver that launches the games because it was vulnerable, and your code actually solves that problem by “emulating” it. In my case, I have AOE 1 (Gold Edition) and AOE 2 plus the expansion, and I’m running them right now. I hope you go far, and best regards.