I've been digging around the forums and the internet for a few days trying to get a fix for this particular issue I am having. Every time I create my characters and try to start a new game the progress bar fill up to about 90% and then the game crashes with C++ runtime error.
I have tried, as the forums have suggested, running the game in admin mode with xp service pack 2 compatibility. I have also installed the game in the regular program files directory instead of the default program files (x86) still to no avail.

If anybody has any suggestions it would be appreciated as c++ runtime errors are outside my area of familiarity. I am running Windows 7 64 bit with a Nvidia 450 GTS with latest drivers.

Also have Planescape installed and it runs fine if that helps.

Try installing outside Programs as well. Maybe just C: or C:\Games.

Tried that as well still the same deal. The error message states
that IDMaine.exe is causing the runtime error.

Awesome. Glad you got it sorted, and +1 to you for reporting your fix.

The widescreen mod didn't fix this problem for me, but opening the icewind.ini in the Icewind Dale Complete folder, and setting 3D Acceleration=0 to 3D Acceleration=1 worked. I also set BitsPerPixel=16 to BitsPerPixel=32. I think this is what Plaguesin meant but it wasn't immediately obvious to me.

If you cut the .res files out of the folder and paste somewhere else temporarily, then import your characters for a new game and then start a new game, and then make a save, and then copy those .res files back, you have your biography's working and the game working! (At least for the 2 hours I have put into a new start this evening! :)

Indeed, I tried to create new characters instead of importing my old ones and the game becomes very slow (infinite loop ?) at the biography step.
I did what UK_John has explained just above and it works. Thank you a lot.