If you had DirectX 8 make sure you have the latest revision, DirectX 8a. Also be sure to check for viruses, and run scandisk to fix any errors that may be associated with your system files. After that visit
http://windowsupdate.com and download the latest updates there, as well as
http://www.updates.com/ and the latest updates there as well. If all else fails, do a clean install of windows (obviously make sure you backup anything important first like your black & white savegames
)