And if it still doesn't start, make sure it's getting spark :)
Seriously, I don't know what "either of the EXEs" won't "do anything". Nasm? Maybe nasm.exe and nasmw.exe? If you "click on" (or "run", probably) Nasm from a GUI, it'll open a console window and print:
"nasm: error: no input file specified
type "nasm -h" for help"
Then it'll close the window before you have a chance to read it! :)
If that's the problem, you first need to get to a persistant command prompt. (start->run->"command" or "cmd" will do it, I think. Or RTFM for your OS - you'll need to know a bit about your OS to *do* anything much with Nasm, so may as well get started!) Then typing "nasm -h" (or "nasmw -h") will give you a "quick start" help screen. Maybe it's enough, if you're bright. More likely, you'll need to read some of the Friendly Manual.
The Nasm manual is a lengthy document. Most of it's the "instruction set reference". Much of the rest is about output formats you're not interested in right now. You can probably skip the macro section, to begin with. There isn't *all* that much to read, to get started. Normally, I prefer "plain ascii text, like God intended" for documentation, but there's too much to skip in the Nasm manual! I like html, but there are other formats... some people actually *like* .pdf :)
If you still can't get it started, maybe it's out of "Gas" :)
Best,
Frank
