WINDOWS 8.1 GETS ON MY NERVES

Hi all. Just when I feel like I've (finally) gotten (back) into the groove as far as MMZ is concerned, I can't play the game. I mean, test play works just fine, but the game crashes when I try to play it in the game's folder. So I tried to search the web for how to play RPGM2K3 games in windowed mode, but haven't had any luck. If you know anything, help a brother out! =(