I was running into the same issue and come to find out it was a problem with the settings. Since you can't launch the game, you'll need to modify the text file manually. Make you have hidden folders turned on to start with.

1. Go to you C: drive and go down to users.
2. Pick the folder that is yours.
3. Once open, you'll see a folder called AppData, open this.
4. Then you will need to open the folder titled Local.
5. Select the Electronic Arts folder and open it.
6. Open the folder labled Dead Space.
7. Open the settings file here.
8. Change the line "Window.Fullscreen = true" to "Window.Fullscreen = false"
9. Next, change the line "Window.VSync = true" to Window.VSynce = false"

This should solve the black screen loading issue, but don't turn those features back on.

Originally posted by Ainevar:

I was running into the same issue and come to find out it was a problem with the settings. Since you can't launch the game, you'll need to modify the text file manually. Make you have hidden folders turned on to start with.

1. Go to you C: drive and go down to users.
2. Pick the folder that is yours.
3. Once open, you'll see a folder called AppData, open this.
4. Then you will need to open the folder titled Local.
5. Select the Electronic Arts folder and open it.
6. Open the folder labled Dead Space.
7. Open the settings file here.
8. Change the line "Window.Fullscreen = true" to "Window.Fullscreen = false"
9. Next, change the line "Window.VSync = true" to Window.VSynce = false"

This should solve the black screen loading issue, but don't turn those features back on.

Thanks a bunch :D

If that doesn't help try this. I am running Windows 8 and had a problem with black screen, not even getting logos so heres what I did. I found this solution on the internet for Deadspace and applied the same for Darksiders 1 and 2.
I will divide this out into steps.

1. use notepad to create a .txt file that has the below information in it. save it as settings.txt. copy and paste that to a notepad and save it.

Audio.AltNameColor = false
Audio.MusicVol = 1.00000000
Audio.Output = 0
Audio.SFXVol = 1.00000000
Audio.Subtitles = true
Audio.VoiceVol = 1.00000000
Control.AimAssistEnabled = true
Control.AimingPosition = 1
Control.ControllerSensitivity = 2
Control.FireButtonControls = true
Control.InvertX = false
Control.InvertY = false
Control.MouseSensitivity = 0.20000000
Control.Shock = true
Controls.AcL.X = 0x1105FF7E
Controls.AcL.Y = 0x0003100E
Game.PDiff = 1
Game.Played = 1
Misc.LastSaveSlot = 0
QualityOptions.ActorMotionBlur = true
QualityOptions.Bloom = true
QualityOptions.Blur = true
QualityOptions.ConfigType = 1
QualityOptions.Decals = true
QualityOptions.Distortion = true
QualityOptions.DoF = true
QualityOptions.EdgeAA = true
QualityOptions.Flare = true
QualityOptions.Glow = true
QualityOptions.HighLightQuality = true
QualityOptions.ManipColor = true
QualityOptions.ShaderQuality = 2
QualityOptions.Shadows = 2
Window.Fullscreen = true
Window.Gamma = 0.50000000
Window.Height = 1080
Window.Hz = 60
Window.Left = 0
Window.MessageNotification = 1
Window.State = 0
Window.Top = 0
Window.VSync = false
Window.Width = 1920

2. After you've saved that as a .txt file to a place you can easily access it. go to Localdisc(c:)/User/'yourname'/Documents/mygames/darksiders/'accountnumber'

3. there you will create a new folder and save your settings.txt file of the settings above to this new folder.

4. fire up the game and pray it works because it did for me.

Many thanks. I tried to run Dead Space on a windows 10 system and game wouldn't load; replaced with settings.txt with the above and tailored the resolution to work with my screen and it worked like a charm. Thanks you again.

This still does not work for me. I've tried looking up everything not a damn thing works. I'm at a lost as to what to do to get Dead Space to work. I've tried all 3 games and they still crash just as I launch them.

For anyone who runs with this problem and haves a Win 10 PC: try to use the compatibility problem solver with the second option on the game, it worked for me at least

Originally posted by Ebonshield:

This still does not work for me. I've tried looking up everything not a damn thing works. I'm at a lost as to what to do to get Dead Space to work. I've tried all 3 games and they still crash just as I launch them.

amd card?

Ok guys...I'm late to the party but I just fixed this problem in 2019 with Windows 10.

First off, when the game installed, it didn't create a folder with this path:

C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\Electronic Arts\DEAD SPACE

but instead, it was created here:

C:\Documents\Electronic Arts\DEAD SPACE\ with no settings.txt file to be found. All I had was a file called "ds_slot_01.deadspacesaved"

All you need to do is copy the folder from the C:\Documents\Electronic Arts\DEAD SPACE folder to the C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\ and create a settings.txt file in the \Electronic Arts\DEAD SPACE folder

So you should now have created C:\Users\YOUR USER\AppData\Local\Electronic Arts\Dead Space folder and created your "settings.txt" file there with the pasted settings mentioned in the thread.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. I still havent got it working but your tip proved correct, though in my case the folder it created was:

C:\Users\>YOUR USER>\Documents\Electronic Arts\Dead Space

and it created empty folders here:

C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\Electronic Arts\Dead Space

(Note that Dead Space 2 does something similarly stupid just using EA Games as the folder name not Electronic Arts)

Copying the Settings and rest over does indeed get it to actually try load those settings, which previously it wasnt doing for me (and therefore all the troubleshooting above wasnt helping until this was corrected).

Ill try a few more things now and see if I can get it working!

6 years later and i still get the occasional update from this, damn

btw how is the performance on modern systems?

I have the same problem. What can I do? I have Windows 10 too.

I don't get a black screen, Dead Space just won't launch. I click the "Play" button, I get the popup with the option to Play Dead Space or View Support Material, I choose Play Dead Space, and get nothing. The button changes back from Stop to Play. I've created settings.txt as described above, and copied the folders to the correct locations, and no joy. (Side note: the created folder was "Electrontic Arts" rather than "Electronic Arts;" I corrected the name, and still no joy.)

PS: Hi, Maple Reich! :D

Create the above settings.txt. file in the appropriate directory:
"C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\Electronic Arts\Dead Space\"

Go to the game executable located in:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dead Space\"

Right click on "Dead Space.exe" -> Properties -> 'Compatibility' Tab -> under Compatibility mode Tick the box "Run this program in compatibility for:" and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)". Worked for me... finally :)

if you have any extra joysticks, like a HOTAS for example, unplug them and try. worked for me on all 3 games.