I have played this game off and on for some time with no problems, the last time being a few months ago. Now more often than not when I start GOG and then the witcher 3 I get a flashing screen on the task bar. When it stops flashing I click on it and the computer hard locks. The only way out is to hit the reset button. It will do this 1-2 times and then the game will start and runs fine.

I have read this forum and installed the redist 2012 thingy and verified file integrity. Is there anything else I can do to make this game run?

I'm betting it's a Windows 10 update 'security' issue. Try reducing or disabling security (UAC etc.) while playing games, and create a dedicated shortcut to run the game as administrator.

I thought it was already set to run as administrator. It is now. It also seems that GOG Galaxy has to be online for it to work.

So it seems to be working again. Thanks.

Galaxy is an online client, so naturally it would require you to be online (for cloud saves, etc.), but the game itself does not need to be online. Running it through Galaxy is fraught with problems, as this forum will attest.

I have to run the Witcher 3 through GOG Galaxy because I cannot find the Witcher 3 .exe. The path leads to Galaxy. I have no use for Galaxy except to download stuff. I do not use cloud saves. If I could find the TW3 .exe I would be happier.

If you don't want Galaxy uninstall it and download the classic installers. They will place a shortcut on your desktop, which you can place into a user-made 'Desktop Shortcuts' folder. It's what I do. You should probably use the GOG downloader, because it's easier and cleaner than a browser, and you won't ever be fooled into downloading the installers packaged with Galaxy, and you can pause and resume. You just need to remember to choose 'More >> GOG Downloader Links' on your game shelf page.

That is actually how I originally got this game. It was what, a 14 part install? Terrible experience and then it came up with a bunch of missing content. I can no longer play that install.

That is why I went with GOG Galaxy as it installed everything in a smooth operation. Now there is this mess..............

Anyway it seems to be working again as I've logged in 14 hours since opening this thread.