A lot of people have had problems getting it to work-check out osome of the feedback on the ETW website-a lot of unhappy people around. Flogging off a game that isn't working for them is a way to recoup some of their losses.
I have to realy tweak my laptop to get it to run and then I get a CTD once every two or three hours-mainly in battles with a lot of units and then it starts raining or snowing-CTD! Usually just as I'm unleashing the hussars to ride down the fleeing remnants or as the last enemy unit holding the wall breaks and runs.
BUT...
I love it! Its a great game and if you've played any of the Total War series before you know what to expect, but with a LOT of details. You'll need a high end system to get the most out of it (and a few mods, of course) but it's still very addictive at low res. on Bessy II, my litttle laptop.