There seems to be a problem using install.exe in Windows XP. Use WINRAR (if you don't have it, just download it from www.download.com) and unace the files, starting from the file that has the extension .ace . It will automatically do all the others as well. After installation is complete, you may need to install patches to make it work on windows xp. MAke sure you get the latest 4.50 patch, and try any NO CD patches if you get win32 compatibilty error.