I don't know, but it sounds like you've installed the mod way way wrong. Are you using steam or using a cracked steam?
Do you have a CPU like Athlon 32, Pentium 4 or better? 1. Do you have a legal copy of Half-Life 2 or any other Valve Source game? 2. Do you have Source SDK 2007 installed? 3. Did you first install Empires 2.25 FULL and then the 2.28 patch?
L4D gave me this a while ago when I left it sit at the menu minimized overnight. Someone at valve left assrts on. God knows why...