Hi Bob.
You are correct. You do NOT need to patch the game. I believe applying the patch to the gold version can create problems.
Was it a black background w/ just one hex visible?
I had this problem w/ my former computer & the cause of my problem was the small size of my memory on the computer. The problem usually occurred with larger sized scenarios. The game was a HUGE linked D-Day game hosted by Desert Rat. I had to shut the computer down & fire it back up with every file.
Have you turned off the computer, the turned it back on to see if it works?
Is the problem limited to some scenarios & not others?
Have you asked your opponent to zip you the file again . Once in awhile I will get a corrupted zipped file.
If the problem persists, do the following........
Go to the refrigerator & pour a cold beer into a icy mug. Take said mug of beer to the computer & consume. Repeat if needed. Your game might not work, but hopefully someone will have a better answer than mine by then.
Good luck.