BlueMooner: Are you old enough that you were gaming when these games came out? If you're younger, they may simply be too old and clunky for you. I've enjoyed some black and white movies, but it's harder for me to enjoy them than my parents or gp, since they grew up with them.
It could also be that you just don't like CRPGs, although I assume not or you wouldn't have played them in the first place. Answer these please:
*)
What is it about the combat you don't like? *)
What do you want to get from the games?
If the combat is ruining the game because it's too hard, or too long, or boring, perhaps using cheat codes to buff you up, give you kill commands, or do something else to make the combats easier/ faster/ more exciting would help. I don't like cheating myself, but if cheating helps you skip the boring parts, then use them.
A problem here is that combat is probably half the game experience. If you eliminate the combat, you'll only be enjoying half the game. People probably recommended these games to you because they enjoyed the story AND the combat. Remove the combat, and the story might not be enough for you. I don't know.
CRPGs are my favorite genre; they're basically all I play. Perhaps if you find yourself bored to tears, reading a walk would give you the story without the combat? Or perhaps watching a Let's Play? With an LP, you could always watch how others handle the combat, or just skip over them to the story parts.
Lastly, if you have friends that live near you or you can set your computer up so that others can watch as you play (or you watch as they play), the companionship of real people might make the experience more fun overall.
the think i don't like about crpgs (and ad&d games in particular) is that you almost always miss your attacks, the combat is only challenging when they gang up on you and even then you can just keep chugging potions until everyone's dead.
what i want to get from crpgs is a great narrative (something which there is with an abundance) and combat where i can kill an enemy before my combat log has enough missed attacks to fill a book with.
also i don't think i was born when those rpgs came out but i started playing these games because i've completed all rpgs that i wanted to play from this modern age (witcher, dragon age etc.) and i don't like any other genre.