Hi PM, you're from the old High Heat Central right? Long time no see
Anyway, not sure if it will help, but have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling again? When I first ran the game for the first time it said I needed to reboot and install an updated "elicense control panel applet" before I could continue, maybe something is hanging. And are you connected to the internet when you run the exe?
Like I said, not sure it any of this will help, just trying to throw out some ideas..