Windows 7 GTA IV and a patched Windows 7 install

[blakegriplingph]

OK, so I tried patching 7 to remove the watermarks and stuff, and after that, I tried installing GTA IV, which ended up in a "not compatible" error. Tried the XP SP2 compatibility mode, but it displays a "setup has stopped working" message. A guy in this forum stated that reinstalling 7 to restore the nag messages solved his problem, but I don't want to spend another hour reinstalling the OS. Any suggestions?

EDIT: OK, so it turns out that there was a permission conflict or some sort after modifying the system files. I did practically everything to get rid of the problem, and I nearly wound up into reinstalling the whole operating system.

According to maxwin of Neowin Forums:

I think I have found the solution.

The crash is due to the wrong permission settings of the file "user32.dll" under "c:\windows\system32\" after the patch is applied.

You can still apply the patch to remove the watermark. Then you need to correct the permission of the file.

Go to "user32.dll", right click and select "Properties", under "Security" tab, correct the following permission settings.

System - only "read and execute" and "read"

Administrators - only "read and execute" and "read"

Users - only "read and execute" and "read"

TrustedInstaller - "Full Control"

File Owner - TrustedInstaller

Reminders: to add "TrustedInstaller", you need to type "NT Service\TrustedInstaller" without the quote.

You may either sticky or lock this topic for those users who want to get rid of the watermark, but don't want to end up having reduced functionality.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you encountered compatibility issues after patching Windows 7 to remove watermarks and modifying system files. Here are some suggestions based on the information provided by maxwin on the Neowin Forums:

Solution Steps:​

1. Patch to Remove Watermark:
   • Apply the patch to remove the watermark on Windows 7 as you initially did.
   []Correct Permission Settings:
   • Navigate to "C:\Windows\System32\" and locate the "user32.dll" file.
   • Right-click on "user32.dll" and select Properties.
   • In the Security tab, adjust the following permission settings:
     • System: Only "Read and Execute" and "Read"
     • Administrators: Only "Read and Execute" and "Read"
     • Users: Only "Read and Execute" and "Read"
     • TrustedInstaller: Ensure it has "Full Control"
     • File Owner: Should be set to TrustedInstaller
   []Adding TrustedInstaller:
   • When adding TrustedInstaller, type "NT Service\TrustedInstaller" without the quotes. By correcting the permission settings for "user32.dll", you should resolve the compatibility issue you faced with installing GTA IV and the "setup has stopped working" error in XP SP2 compatibility mode. These steps should hopefully help you avoid the need to reinstall the entire operating system. If you encounter any further issues, feel free to ask for assistance. If this solution works for you, you can consider marking this topic for future reference by other users dealing with similar watermark removal issues.