Have you tried a reinstall? Image Composer still works fine for me in XP
Pro. The only problems I recall with Image Composer not working is some
folks reported a problem with the color correction tool when they upgraded
to ME. There were very few though most ME users had no problems.
If you're looking for an IC replacement the closest program out there to it
is Mediachance's RealDraw Pro. http://www.mediachance.com
They have a 30 day free trial. It works on the same sprite concept and work
space idea that Image Composer does yet incorporates layers into the mix to.
Just about everything else out there will require a complete rethinking of
the way you work because of the use of layers