Mass Effect Windows 7 compatibility issues.

I recently got Mass Effect for christmas and was going to use it on my Windows 7 laptop. I got it installed, but when I go to play and it checks the configuration, it brings up a small box that says "Mass Effect has stopped working". I've tried running it as the admin, but tha doesn't work either.
I saw on a similar problem board that someone told them to check to see if they had ME1 PC patches installed...but I have no idea what that means, or how to get the patches to install them.
I keep looking for help, but these people are all people wh KNOW what they're doing. They're talking about OH it's the UAC or the DSP or the ABC or whatever. Well, those words don't mean a thing to me because it's all letters in my eyes. So if you help me,could you keep it simple?
I would REALLY appreciate the help.

Hi Kinalara & welcome

UAC = User Account Control, just type uac in search the click the link at the top of search and you can configure UAC to your needs (you may have to put the slider to the bottom "off" to install your program)

I was just using UAC as an example XD I really have no idea what I need to do at all because no one has helped me. Someone mentioned making sure they had the most recent ME1 patch installed, but I have no idea where I would install it.

Thank you, though =)

You should find the most recent patches for Mass Effect at its home site > http://masseffect.bioware.com/agegate/?url=%2F

Thank you very much for the link and help ^^ I will try the patch. But in what section would I find the patches?

I have just been in to the site and its mostly about the new coming ME 2 ... but found this > http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53904 (this looks a good game, not played it myself)

Well, I got past the config.screen, but now it takes me to a blank screen and sits me there. I tried running it as admin- nothing. What now?

Try disabling UAC

Can you walk me through how I might do that? Sorry about beig so clueless and than you for helping me ^^'

As you confess to not knowing a great deal about the inner workings, I wonder if you know of the "compatibility". ( Yes, I noted the thread title!) option.

If you do not, I would suggest you try reinstalling the program. There are two stages. First, right click the install (install.exe : p.exe or whatever). Now select properties. You will see a tab at the top of the window, "compatibility". Click this and in the next windows, select XP sp1 in the middle box and, in the samll square at the boottom, "run as Administrator"

When the program has been installed, find the executive file under "program files " in Windows Explorer. I'm guessing it will be under a folder named "Mass Effect". Follow the same procedure as above and see if you get any better results.