Getting C&C Red Alert 2 to work on XP?

[Indoobidubly 0]

I have XP Home SP2 with all the updates. I have no trouble installing Red Alert 2 (my original CD, not a copy), but when I click on the icon to play the game, the "Red Alert 2" splash screen appears, but then it disappears and my desktop freezes.

 

I tried installing/running it in compatibility mode, but that didn't help. Sometimes I get a "String Manager Failed To Initialize" popup message when trying to load it.

 

I tried installed the most recent patch, but that didn't help either.

 

Can anyone help me out?

 

Thanks.

[TheBlackOut 7]

System specs?