Can you browse the files on the disk? If you can right click on the setup file & select properties then go to the compatibility tab & select windows xp.

 

Found this, https://www.platinumsimmers.com/articles/how-to-install-and-run-the-sims-1-on-windows-8/
maybe what they did will help you.
Don't "run" the disk, instead open in folder view and locate the install.exe on the disc.

side thought. some games might install if you copy the contents to your hard drive and install, that may reduce or eliminate any read errors.
you may need to run the installer in XP compatibility like mpeet611 said.

 

Found this, https://www.platinumsimmers.com/articles/how-to-install-and-run-the-sims-1-on-windows-8/
maybe what they did will help you.
Don't "run" the disk, instead open in folder view and locate the install.exe on the disc.

side thought. some games might install if you copy the contents to your hard drive and install, that may reduce or eliminate any read errors.
you may need to run the installer in XP compatibility like mpeet611 said.

Hello, thanks for that, I would have thought of that.
I tried xp compatibility mode with administrator but it still didn't load.
I decided to try the disk out on my xp machine and the setup ran and came up automatically without having to ask it. It installed fine.

Other than my xp, id like to find out how to get the sims running on my windows 8.1

 

Hmm, windows 8 does have its problems, old games being one. A few people said that didn't work for them too.

seeing people installing it fine, with and without compatibility, yet some can't.
one noted it can take a while for Win 8 to open the installer, have you left it for a time?
tried other compatibility modes? 98, vista, 7?

Tried it this way?

So I have a Windows 8 64 bit laptop. I've got the Sims 1 to run after tweaking around a bit. Go into the Sims 1 disc files and choose installenglish.exe don't auto run, after it installs put it in compatibility mode for Windows xp, then run as administer. The only thing is it only works in full screen mode and if you minimize it the graphics go all glitchy and you can't play. Happy simming.

quote from here; http://www.modthesims.info/archive/index.php?t-490415.html

IF you make it to playing I found a solution for the black box glitch too.

Okay I think I've solved this problem. When you launch the game and the black box appears, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and then press the back/cancel button and the black box should be gone! A bit annoying to have to do but it makes it playable.

Hope this works for you too.

from; http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/dis...sion/773540/sims-1-with-all-expansions-can-run-in-windows-8-1-but-solved-i-hope

 

Hmm, windows 8 does have its problems, old games being one. A few people said that didn't work for them too.

seeing people installing it fine, with and without compatibility, yet some can't.
one noted it can take a while for Win 8 to open the installer, have you left it for a time?
tried other compatibility modes? 98, vista, 7?

Tried it this way?
quote from here; http://www.modthesims.info/archive/index.php?t-490415.html

IF you make it to playing I found a solution for the black box glitch too.
from; http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/dis...sion/773540/sims-1-with-all-expansions-can-run-in-windows-8-1-but-solved-i-hope

I might need to wait for a while, I'll try the other comparability modes on 7 and 98 as you said.

When I installed the sims on my XP, I installed it on my externl hard drive which I pulled out afterwards and put it on my windows 8.1 computer. I went into the installed program and started up the launcher with XP compatibility mode, funnily, it came up and it loaded for a while...... Then it said in another window that it noticed that I was trying to open up the extension which was The Sims Vacation and it said, press ok to fix the installation, it did and it failed.

That gives us a clue though, it did come up and it loaded normally though it's fix didn't work.