j64: thanks to all who replied but i'm still having problems. When i go to load a rom over (roughly) 13mb i get an error reading saying:- not enough memory for rom.
to be honest, (and trying not to sound even more computer illiterate than i already have) i didn't know xp han a compatibility option. once i figured out how to use this.....BINGO!!!! problem solved. not only that i can now run pc games that wouldn't run on xp before (messiah, blair witch and hitman to name but a few), so cheers. your help was much appreciated.