Need help with Vista compatibility

I have a laptop with Windows Vista installed and am trying to play Civ4. I can successfully install both the game and the 1.74 patch with no problems, however whenever I try to run the program I get an error message. The message says "A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available"

Any help is much appreciated, thanks in advance.

Reinstall it and DO NOT INSTALL THIS . .. .. .. .ING PATCH (anger not directed at you)

It's a . .. .. .. .. . for Vista and will require you manually delete EVERY file befoe you can install it again.