Falkon114

Ok, first off, im a new user here, so lets get that out of the way.
Recently i have decided to start learning various programming and computer languages, and i thought that i would start with assembly, then move on to PHP and Java.
So, ive been searching to and fro for good tutorials, and have come across some decent ones, but im plagued with a problem. Many, almost all of them, say i need to download TASM to start learning, because its a useful tool. So i have downloaded various versions of TASM various times, and they all do the same thi9ng: they open in DOS and then suddenly just exit... So basically, when i try to open it, a window of dos pops up long enough that i can see a bunch of writing, then closes, almost instantly. Can anyone help me solve this problem? Im running Windows XP home edition.