Between three days ago and now, have you downloaded/installed anything new? What has changed on your 'puter? If not, what sites have you visited in the last three days?

Am I understanding you correctly that you've reinstalled it since three days ago when it worked?

Has the scratch always been there, or was it made in the last three days?

One of the Windows XP service packs is reputed to wreak havoc on some games, particularly older ones. I'm not sure which one but someone here will prolly know. Also, graphics drivers seem to be the biggest culprit when problems like this occur. I'm only semi-technical and don't run XP, so all I can do is ask these questions so the others who do know XP will have information to consider.

Good luck in solving your problem, and welcome.