The original Command and Conquer released as a free game.
To celebrate the 12 years anniversary of the launch of Command and Conquer, Electronic Arts decided to provide it as a freeware. :)
Of course, you'll need to extract the archive contents using any archiver that handles the 7z format extraction (such as 7-zip, IZArc, WinRAR ... ) before you try to apply the installation procedure from the doc file (see below).
Hashes and checksums :
1 - For the 7z archive itself :
CRC32 : D50DCA21
MD5 : 3214A0D3AEA3329816F8C7394CA867A2
SHA-1 : 6F57A9D22BB3C5798BFC1891480F2C0A60C76B77
2 - For GDI95.ISO :
CRC32 : 4327DDB9
MD5 : 1CB7C6290718C5E729AE1A4A146AA793
SHA-1 : 0CEAC3983C2B568B25076B4518C267A843786CB6
3 - For NOD95.ISO :
CRC32 : 301A75B2
MD5 : 1DFB2CCAE81117B053B60D70E8381250
SHA-1 : 15B01F3B62873C6E17E5A653CA2E532C578CB552
Installation instructions, quote from the DOC file :
INSTALLING AND RUNNING C&C GOLD ON WINDOWS XP
Follow the instructions below to install and play C&C GOLD
Preparing to Install
1.Insert either C&C disc into your CD drive
2.Open My Computer and explore the CD
3.Right click either the install.exe or setup.exe
4.select PROPERTIES
5.Select the COMPATIBILITY tab
6.Check the check box for "Run this program in compatibility mode for"
7.Select WINDOWS 95 from the drop down menu
8.Click APPLY then OK
9.Double click the .exe file you just modified to launch it
Installing the Game
1.When you're prompted to update DirectX, uncheck the check box so you won't install it. It is extremely important not to install this DirectX update
2.Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation
Note: Installing Westwood Chat is not required, it can be canceled if you desire
Installing the Patch
1.Visit Ftp.westwood.com and download CCGOLDXPPATCH.ZIP
2.Unzip the files and copy thipx32.dll into the install directory of the game (default path is c:\WESTWOOD\C&C95). You may overwrite the old version of the .dll file
Preparing to Run the Game
1.Go to the install directory of the game (default path is c:\WESTWOOD\C&C95)
2.Right click C&C95.exe
3.Select PROPERTIES
4.Select the COMPATIBILITY tab
5.Check the check box for "Run this program in compatibility mode for"
6.Select Windows 95 from the drop down menu
7.Check the check box for "Disable visual themes"
8.Check the check box for "Turn off advanced text services for the program"
9.click APPLY then OK
Playing the Game
1.Select Start > All Programs > Westwood > Command & Conquer 95 > Command & Conquer Windows 95 Edition. Or double click C&C95.exe located in the install directory (default path is c:\WESTWOOD\C&C95)
*Command & Conquer is not online compatible