Confirmed working on Windows 7, 8 and 10. Link + other fixes in this description. Read it before asking questions please :)

This is how you can run Command & Conquer Generals and Zero Hour on Windows 7 64bit. This fix lets you start the game and I offer some tweaks.

Download the needed files here: https://mega.nz/#!Iu4giaIL!riaR0wRH...

If you can't find the folder where you should place the files, it's because the installation does not create the files, launching the game for the first time does;
For everyone who can't find the General Zero Hour Data folder in the documents, you neeed to download the link first. In that folder after unzipping it will be an application called generals. Copy the file named 'generals'. Go to the C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games\Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour/ or where ever you downloaded the game to and paste the file you just copied and it will come up saying there is already an exisiting file... Click copy and replace! Then try opening that application you just pasted. It worked for me.
**THANKS TO Shaun Randall**

Another possible fix from JordanB:
I was still having issues, and fucked with this problem for 3 hours. Then I found a guy who said the directx error was caused due to screen resolution settings. Simply change the options.ini file so that the resolution matches the resolution of your monitor. In my case it was 1920 1080. I'm not sure if this is a windows 8.1 issue, but I watched 10 of these fucking tutorials and couldn't figure it out. So I hope I helped someone.
***THANKS JORDANB*****

If that does not work:
This could perhaps fix it. It's a fix from a user called Seabert The Seal, it should fix so that you can launch the game broken, so that the game makes the files, and after that, you can apply the fix in the video:
Microsoft security update KB3086255 breaks older games when you try to run from CD. So, Run CMD prompt as Admin. Goto support.microsoft.com/enus/kb/3086255. I typed: At Run as Admin CMD prompt: sc config secdrv start= disabled then sc config secdrv start= demand (you may be able to type just the last) then you will be able to run and get the splash screen, which will create the folder to do the edits above. Enjoy, it does work!
**THANKS TO Seabert The Seal**

This is not how to make an illegal game run and not a cracked game, you need to own the original game in order to get this working. Allways use legal software.

This video falls under the fair use clause, as it is educational by nature.