@twillight: Windows XP Service Pack 2 does not offer to "try reinstall with the suggested setting", if I recall correctly, that is a feature of Vista / 7.
@Hassialan: If you are installing from CD-Rom, you might want to make sure the discs are not scratched or dirty. Any kind of physical damage might corrupt the files, making installing difficult or impossible. You might try to clean the CDs with special micro fiber cloth (your average T-Shirt will not work, and might even make things worse). If they are scratched, you can download the game files from anywhere and use YOUR OWN SERIAL KEY to install the game - well, technically, you are permitted to make a backup of your original CDs... let's presume you made some.
If you are not installing the game from a physical media then you need to make sure the files are not corrupted.
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