Here’s an interesting, troubleshooting-style write-up on the dreaded Need for Speed: Underground 2 infinite loading screen issue—why it happens, and how to fix it like a pro. You’re back in 2004—or maybe 2024, reliving the golden era. You’ve just beaten a rival, earned enough cash for that unique body kit, and selected a race. The screen fades to black. The tuning icons spin in the corner. Then… they keep spinning. The bass-heavy soundtrack loops once, twice, then falls silent. Ten minutes pass. The asphalt never appears.

So when NFSU2 hangs on that loading screen, don’t rage quit. Smile. The game isn’t broken—it’s just waiting for you to install one more mod, tweak one more .ini file, and prove that you still have the patience that 2004 required.

Launch the game, then open Task Manager → Details → speed2.exe → Set affinity → Leave only CPU 0 checked . This forces single-core mode, which the game understands.