By all rights, my computer should be able to handle The Witcher 2

Core i7 920
9gig RAM
GTX 260 video

And yet, the game would not even install -- I got the message that data.cab2 (IIRC) wouldn't read in my DVD read/writer. Apparently, from what I gleaned off the Internet, my disc drive is having a hard time reading the game's dual layer DVDs.

I may have stuck with this purchase if there was an official system to browse troubleshooting remedies. As it stands, I'm posting to GOG's forum because the official site is down.

While the game design may be of a master's quality (as it appears to be from Metacritic's collected reviews), the customer service exhibited by Atari/CD Projekt is simply amateurish.

You may have gained a loyal customer with The Witcher 2, but have instead gained a prospective patron's ire.

..and the isue couldn't possibly be your DVD reader/writer?....

Why don't you download from GOG and that way Atari gets no $$ from you?

Had the same issue man. Turns out though, it's your dvd drive. Some dvd drives arent working well with The Witcher 2 installation disc 1, but disk 2 would work fine. My conclusion was that it's the file size. I just went to a friend's house, had him rip an image and transfer it to my laptop, then I installed it from there. Even then though, my framrate is so low (on a laptop that can run Arkham Asylum on effing HIGH!) that I cant even play the witcher 2 at all.

He seems to know already what the problem is, I think he isn't happy because there is no reachable official support.
But I second what cbarbagallo said that I see no disadvantage going for the gog version other than not having a paper manual. You can't lose/scratch the dvd and you don't need to have a dvd inside the drive making a bunch of noise to play. + you also get gog support :)

If you take the game back and don't look back (though you kinda do), then you probably don't want the game badly enough. No use in complaining at GoG, when you didn't even buy it here, nobody at CDPR will ever learn about your ire.

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I know that my DVD drive is likely to blame.

The mentat (Hawat) is correct though, I'm upset with the developer/publisher not having a solid infrastructure up and running during the launch.

I was on the fence with this purchase, having not played the first Witcher but having heard great anticipation from the guys at Epic Battle Cry. So I decided to buy at the premium rate and wished to play the game immediately instead of waiting for an overnight download of 14+gigs, I went to a local retailer.

If I do get the game again, and I do think that the game is fully worthy of a premium price tag, I'll certainly look into getting it through GOG. But I'm still decompressing from the install failure (I wasn't aware of anything on the box stating that I needed a specific type of DVD drive, BTW).

I'm back on the fence and it will be easy for me to wash my hands of the entire experience. I'll read about the hotfixes and see the official statements when they get their forums back up and running. But how they address their technical problems will greatly influence my future business.

you dont need the dvd inside to play. I just got a physical copy cuz I like having something to feel and stuff. I might buy the collectors edition if I get enough money and there are any copis left lol

Dvd drives are notoriously dodgy.

That's not the game's fault.

Performance maybe, but not that.

Also please take paid reviews with a grain of salt.

http://en.thewitcher.com/support/

Just get it from Gog, you are missing alot.

I'm sorry for your loss.

What is your OS? windows 7? If the answer is yes, I have bad news for you.

Does your DVD reader/writer use a IDE or SATA interface?

Here are two images for reference:
IDE cable
http://www.wpclipart.com/computer/hardware/cables/ide_cable.png
Serial ATA cable
http://www.cooldrives.com/lib/cooldrives/ultraflex-sata-cable-2.jpg

Suggestion: GoG has the Witcher on sale for $4,99 right now (only until the weekend, I think). Get that, you don't loose a lot of money and you learn if you get into the witcher's world or not. If you play it through, there will be three new patches for TW2 out afterwards. ;)

TW2 is far superior in graphics and mechanics, but the overall atmosphere is what makes it special and that you will have with both games.

Side note: the download from GoG is not as big as elsewhere (better compression), but you'll get a whole lot of extra content on top of the game, including the much drooled over artbook. :)