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GOG (Good Old Games) have created their own version of Descent 3's installation program. During the installation it's almost impossible not to see that you're installing the GOG version, and once installed you can recognize it by its unique game launcher which has the original version's broken image buttons removed:

The GOG installer turns on the Windows Compatibility Mode for Windows 98/Windows ME for Descent 3. This can cause issues on some computers that prevent the game from starting.

Descent 3 is an old game and during run-time it reads from and writes to locations modern applications shouldn't. Newer versions of Microsoft Windows prevent software from writing to these locations which leaves old software outside the house.

Microsoft have therefore implemented the Windows Compatibility Mode in newer versions of Windows. Read for example Run Older Programs on Windows XP at the Microsoft page to get a quick overview. Similar articles exist for other members of the Windows operating system family but I think the one for Windows XP explains it quite well.

GOG's version of Descent 3 uses the compatibility mode for Windows 98/ME.