Hi, sorry, this a probably a really silly question, but I've just finished downloading and installing Witcher 2, but I'm unsure which patch I'm on, meaning I'm not sure if I need to install patch 1.1, 1.2, or both, or neither.

After the installation I had a patch auto-install I think, but without using the 1.1 patch in the .zip file given by GoG.com and when trying to use that file it fails. I've still got the "Register game" option on my launcher, which according to the sticky should have been removed with 1.2, is that right? Do I still have to manually download 1.2?

It sounds like you'll have to.
You can check your version by going to your The Witcher 2\bin\witcher2.exe file and right-click->properties->details and look for the file version. It's 1.2.xxxx for 1.2, 1.1.xxxx for 1.1, 1.0.xxxx for vanilla and some messed up numbers if something has gone terribly wrong during installation (seen that last one only once on these forums though ;) ).

The launcher and auto-update are pretty screwy for a lot of people.

The patches aren't cumulative, so you have to install 1.1 followed by 1.2.

You can check your version by right-clicking "witcher2.exe" in the bin directory, then Properties then Details.

Unpatched GoG game is v1.0.6041.43456.

Patch v1.1 should be v1.1.6157.43917.

Patch v1.2 should be v1.2.6276.44681.

Oh, fail. Why didn't I think of that? It's 1.1, thanks for the assist.

Patch 1.1 doesn't auto-install because it has no way of telling which version of the game you have, and each version has a different 1.1 patch. I'd bet you're on 1.0 and confused the DRM-stripping patch that comes with the GOG version for one of those patches.

What do you mean it "fails"? The 1.1 patch fails when you try to install it? What does it say?

Hmm, trying to run the 1.2 patch and it's saying the game is invalid or incomplete.

Edit: Scratch that, it's all fully patched now, thanks very much to everyone for helping a tired old man at 2am.

With my game, when I install it, it states that it's updated the game.

Yet there are no updates in the downloads folder, and the game is still v1.0.

The launcher and patching system are broken. Make sure you're using the correct patch for your version.

The best way to do it is to update manually to v1.1.

Then let it auto-update, and you can grab the correct 1.2 patch from "\Documents\Witcher 2\Downloads".

Also, if you have DLC installed, that can break the patch.

Delete any DLC in "C:\Games\The Witcher 2\CookedPC" prior to installation.

EDIT: Nevermind, it appears to have sorted itself for you.

The GOG version comes with DRM, and a day-one patch that strips the DRM. I think people are confusing that patch that you get at install with the other kinds of patches.

It's easy to confuse, because the later patches also announce themselves as "Activation Patch" while they're installing.

If you're 1.0, you need to install 1.1. It may want installing with "Run as Administrator", or in really recalcitrant cases, in XP Compatibility mode.

Once 1.1 is installed, you need to get and install 1.2.

I can only assume that they didn't plan on DRM being such a huge problem and removing the DRM in 1.1 while making it a prerequisite for later patches (all the different versions making its manual installation necessary) meant automatic updating wasn't really viable until the manual patch had been installed.

Really think they painted themselves into a corner without knowing it until it was too late to fix.

I'm aware of all that, I just posted the steps several posts above.

Anyway, that's not the issue.

The issue is what's the point of an auto-update if all it does is install a Day 1 patch, then you have to manually install the rest?

The auto-update was well intended but did not work properly, that's all. Making such a Charlie Foxtrot of the language pack downloads was probably the end of anybody's willingness to rely on it.