GTA4 saying I need Vista or higher OS

[CombineFrieza]

I have windows 7, and lately its been giving me an error message saying that I need Windows Vista or higher to proceed.

A few days ago it was playing fine, and now it doesn't work at all. I thought it was something to do with the ultimate Texture pack I'm using for the game, but I uninstalled it with a clean slate and it still is giving the same problems. Any suggestions?

[CombineFrieza]

I did that and it still didn't launch.

[Bad_Motha]

When u uninstalled it, did u clear out it's old game folder(s)?
Old files (or mod files) may still been present, which could be an issue.

When u reinstall it, Verify Game Cache on it before trying to launch. Then exit Steam and restart system or Steam client before attempting to launch game.

If you were using desktop shortcuts to launch the game before, be sure to launch it via Steam upon reinstall, just to make sure it launches successfully that first time again.

Be careful with reinstalls, due it's ties to your Live account, you are limited to # of total installs.

[CombineFrieza]

Still wont work.

EDIT: It works when I don't launch it from Steam, really odd.

[zodaex]

If it says you need Vista or higher then just use Linux.

[RazberyBandit]

^ Uh... No?

These errors are a common problem with the Steam version no matter what OS you have, be it WinXP, Vista, or Win7. This game launched through Steam just fine for me when playing it about a year or so ago. But, I moved onto other games so I uninstalled it. I decided I wanted to play again, so I just reinstalled it. Now, it won't launch through Steam. Instead, I have to launch it manually.

Open Windows Explorer and find the "LaunchGTAIV.exe" within the "X:\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV" folder and create a desktop shortcut to it. Use that shortcut to launch and play the game.

[Razorbak86]

Originally Posted by Bad_Motha

Be careful with reinstalls, due it's ties to your Live account, you are limited to # of total installs.

I've heard that before, but the Steam store page listing for GTA IV says:

"3rd-party DRM: SecuROM™
Unlimited machine activations"

Does Xbox Live place a separate limit on activations that makes the above information irrelevant?

[spyrochaete]

Originally Posted by Razorbak86

Does Xbox Live place a separate limit on activations that makes the above information irrelevant?

Yes, all GFWL titles have a 15 machine install limit that is independent of any other DRM. Publishers can reduce that to fewer than 15 installs but can't add more than 15.

If this were the problem it would give you a very clear message about it, so don't worry about this at all for now.

Is your copy of Windows 7 patched and current with Windows Updates? Same for your hardware drivers?

[Razorbak86]

Originally Posted by spyrochaete

Yes, all GFWL titles have a 15 machine install limit that is independent of any other DRM. Publishers can reduce that to fewer than 15 installs but can't add more than 15.

If this were the problem it would give you a very clear message about it, so don't worry about this at all for now.

Is your copy of Windows 7 patched and current with Windows Updates? Same for your hardware drivers?

Yes, my Windows 7 is patched, and all of my hardware drivers are current.

Does a "15 machine install limit" mean it can only be installed on 15 machines, or it can only be installed 15 times, even if it is simply reinstalled on the same machine?

The reason I ask is because my primary drive is an SSD, and with an SSD, space is usually at a premium. Sometimes I delete game installations to save space and then reinstall them when I want to play the game again. Sometimes I delete and reinstall games to rectify problems with an installation, which may no longer work because of recent updates to the OS or drivers.

[spyrochaete]

Microsoft doesn't clearly define what a "machine" is, but I can speak from experience and say that when I have replaced a video card I've had to reactivate Windows. I would assume the worst and expect it to be 15 installations.

Supposedly you can contact Microsoft and\or Rockstar to have these activations reset free of charge if you run out. It's a stupid hassle and I wish we didn't have to put up with it.

[Razorbak86]

Originally Posted by spyrochaete

Microsoft doesn't clearly define what a "machine" is, but I can speak from experience and say that when I have replaced a video card I've had to reactivate Windows. I would assume the worst and expect it to be 15 installations.

Supposedly you can contact Microsoft and\or Rockstar to have these activations reset free of charge if you run out. It's a stupid hassle and I wish we didn't have to put up with it.

OK, thanks for the clarification. I'm using a laptop, so changing PC components won't really be an issue, but I usually upgrade my laptops every couple of years, so I will keep that in mind.