cd-rom programs dont run

I have a compaq presario 5441 series desktop. 475 mhz cpu. 64 mb memory. 7.85 gb hard drive. Some programs I can install but I cant run. When I click on the cd icon it just sits there doing nothing. Some programs dont run and show an error message.
The one I got was 'runtime error 429 activex component can't create object'. I didn't get this error on my Win XP pc. I was able to install and run 1 cd. A language cd made in 1998 by Transparent. Is there a Windows problem? Do I need a memory upgrade? A hardware and OS upgrade? How do I make that upgrade?

Which operating system are you attempting to use these programs on? And which programs are they?

OS is Windows 98 SE.
I tried several game cd's at the actual owners home. All of those refused to even open so I could install them. I am not sure what the names were. But I did try installing two CD's at my home. One installed (a Tech Republic support cd made in 2002) but it displayed an error when I tried to run it. 'runtime error 429 activex component can't create object'
The other CD was a foreign language CD (by Transparent, made in 1998) that did install and run just fine.
I also noticed that the cd icon was not displaying for the tech rep. cd at all when I first tried it at my home. In fact the cd-drive was showing inaccesible. I went to bootdisk.com got a win98se boot disk was able to see my cd contents.When I pulled the floppy and rebooted it was back there and visible as the tech republic cd. I then installed it and got the error message. I tried many times to uninstall and reinstall.

Did you try cleaning the cd drive itself with a cd lens cleaner?

Sorry about the very late reply. I tried to run a cd dleaner but right now the cd-drive doesn't recognize the cd in there.

Since you can't run programs, the cd refuses to recognize that there is a cd in the there, then the next thing to try would be a different IDE cable. For it sounds like the cable may be bad and is intermittenly reading disks. When that starts to happen it's either the drive itself going bad or an IDE cable is bad.

Is an EIDE drive good for a replacement if the current cd-drive says IDE?

same thing.....it will work. It just means enhanced IDE

I forgot to mention I did check it with another IDE cable and it didn't help.
Photolady, thank you very much for your help.

rsmyth, you're very welcome for the help. ;)