If this error looks familiar, you may be missing a component of Windows Vista necessary to run the game: Games Explorer.
This is most common if you're running a custom, stripped-down version of Windows Vista with Games Explorer removed from it.
An easy way to check to see if you have it on your system is to simply type Games Explorer into the search field on your Start Menu. If nothing comes up with that name, then you'll need to Repair/Reinstall with a non-stripped-down copy of Vista.