hie guys
i recently downloaded max 2010. i have installed it, but cant get it to start.
tried re installing, same problem. It simply doesnt initialize. Does anyone know where the problem could be.
cheers

What OS are you running it under, and what are your computer specs?

A lot of problems with Max can be traced to hardware, hardware drivers, or other running processes that conflict with Max (some virus scanners can interfere with install).

3DS Max Design 2011 64-bit - Advantage Pack
Dell Precision T5500, Dual Six Core Xeon X5650 @ 2.67GHz, nVidia Quadro 5000, 24 GB RAM, Win 7 Enterprise 64-bit
Minneapolis, MN, USA

i am using win xp sp3, quad CPU 8300 @ 2.50ghz, 3gb ram, intel g33/g31 256mb graphics,directx 9c
surely these kind of specs should be sufficient for the max to at least open.

Your onboard graphics may not be able to handle Max.  Somewhere I remember seeing a link on here where Autodesk lists supported video cards. 

Try going through your Start menu and find the Autodesk Max menu.  There is an option to Change Graphics Driver.  See if you can set it to Software, or OpenGl.  If that doesn’t work, you may need to add a supported video card.

3DS Max Design 2011 64-bit - Advantage Pack
Dell Precision T5500, Dual Six Core Xeon X5650 @ 2.67GHz, nVidia Quadro 5000, 24 GB RAM, Win 7 Enterprise 64-bit
Minneapolis, MN, USA

System Requirements and follow the link to Qualified Hardware.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.