I checked the DD directory, and the 'run' files were read only.Did you check the properties of the folder, or the files in the folder? In Windows XP, there will always be a green box for the read-only attribute of a folder with sub-folders, since it does not bother actually checking. Windows 9x should have a greyed out checkmark if there are a mix of read-only and not read-only files in the folder or subfolders, or clear / checkmark if all files are one other the other.
It is possible a scratch could be interfering with the game startup, but I don't know if that would produce an error about writing to the installation folder.
With the latest
patch installed (or an already updated game version), disabling the intro videos (see
this topic) will eliminate the CD check on startup, but you will still need the play CD for the blessing ceremony and end game video. In the game, check the bottom right corner of the main menu for the version number; 1.0034A is the latest. The DVD version is already updated.
The install program does not create the 'savegames' folder; the game does so the first time you save. You can create the folder yourself, if you wish, to move your backup saves into, or start a new game and save to have the game create it.
If you have Windows Vista and installed the game to the default Program Files folder path, depending on how you have your user accounts set up, Vista can create the savegames folder under the user data folder, and map that folder to where the game expects it to be when the game is started.
Welcome to the forum, Tristero and Conan 1.