I have found the fix. It can be found through a google search for "wow.exe2 and "xp" or at one of two sites (one given in an earlier reply to this topic)
1)http;//spacetarget.com/games/pc_war_of_the_worlds.shtml
2)http://m1011.gamecopyworld.com/gcw/games/pc_war_of_the_worlds.html
surprise, surprise they are the same site
you do not need to follow all the instructions
simply download the zip file containing the patch to your desk top
double clicking on the zip file will run the game, but you can copy it to the folder containing the original exe and overwrite it
if you want autoplay to work rename the exe to WOWStart.exe
you may need to run the game in Windows 98/Me compatibility mode
the screen and game music work fine but if you want to listen to the cd tracks you can only do it through Windows Media Player not from the game menu
PS You may want to back up the original WOW.exe and WOWStart.exe before you start!!!!