Patched it manually, and ran as admin. The problem persists.
If it is a processor issue, there is a possible solution, but it won't work for me right now. One source said that a BIOS update could fix the problem. Unfortunately, there are no more recent updates for my BIOS. Since SkyLake is pretty new, it is possible that Lenovo just has not gotten an update for this yet. I guess I will have to wait a few more months to play a game I have waited for years to play (seriously, I have had Spore for 4 or 5 years now, and any computer I have gotten with a good enough video card for it to be playable would not run it for one reason or another).
Actually, maybe the digital version will run properly on XP 64 bit... Perhaps I can finally play it on my desktop. Not getting my hopes up though.
Thanks for trying. Honestly, I wish video game companies would care more about their customers than about locking down their IP. When locking down IP makes a game so difficult to play that it gives the company a bad reputation, it is not worth it.