Wildcard is that the error you're getting? I thought you were getting a DXD initialization error?
Arlo, the only time I've ever seen that error is when AH is launched out of the AH directory. Like if the executable was dragged to the desktop instead of a shortcut. Another possibility would be a missing file in the AH directory. Check your AH2 directory for the following files and their dates and sizes. ACESHIGH.EXE, MODELS.RES, STDSHPS.RES, HTDLG.RES.