This is the most common solution. Even if you have the latest version of Windows, Call of Duty 2 relies on legacy DirectX 9.0c files that Windows 10 and 11 do not install by default.
: Conversely, if you have a patched game that still fails, some community members on the Windows 10 Forums report success by using a version 1.0 No-CD patch for the CoD2SP_s.exe file, even if their data files are at version 1.3. 2. Configure Compatibility Settings This is the most common solution