here is from the readme

Hitman 2 is crashing to the desktop with no error messages.

Several different things can cause this problem. Here's a list of the most common culprits associated with these crashes:

q Make sure the CD-ROM is clean (check for both scratches and smudges on the reading surface of the CD).

q Make sure the game has been installed properly.

q Make sure DirectX 8.1 has been installed properly.

q Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card and that they are DirectX 8.1-compatible.

q Make sure you have the latest drivers for your sound card and that they are DirectX 8.1-compatible.

q Make sure Virtual Memory is enabled on your system.

q Run Scandisk.

q Run Disk Defragmenter.

q Clean out old temp (.TMP) files from the C:WINDOWSTEMP or C:WINxTEMP directory on your hard drive (from Windows Explorer).

q Make sure you do not have any Anti-Virus utilities (like Norton's AntiVirus) running resident prior to playing Hitman 2.

q Make sure you do not have any third-party Windows memory management utilities (like QuarterDeck's QEMM) running resident prior to playing Hitman 2.

q Make sure you do not have any 3rd party Windows disk caching utilities running resident prior to playing Hitman 2.

q Make sure you do not have Norton's Crash Protector running resident prior to playing Hitman 2.

q Try uninstalling and then reinstalling the game.

q Try exiting the game, rebooting your machine, and re-entering the game